Blogs from Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, North America - page 7

This morning on the way out of Camp Verde we stopped at the Montezuma Castle National Monument which is an ancient castle which was built into a wall of rock that 35 people used to live in. We walked around the bottom of it for awhile and then drove to Flagstaff, to the hostel we were going to be staying at. We got directions to the Lava River Cave, which was about 30 minutes out of Flagstaff. The cave was formed during an eruption and before the lava hardened rocks dropped into it, so as you walk through it you can see all the rocks under the surface. The cave was pitch black so we needed our torches, and we were told there might be bats but luckily we didn't see any. The cave was a ... read more

Geo: 35.1982, -111.651I was surprised at how good the music on the radio was during the drive the night before, especially for being in the middle of the Arizona desert and in the middle of the night! The reception was, however, slightly sinusoidal, or perhaps menopausal. Great for 20 seconds, then some fuzz... good for 15 seconds, fuzz... kind of like the thought processes in my tired brain at the time. It reminded me of college. Between classes, I would often go waste some time in the dorm room of some of my good friends, Jon and Bill. They had an old tv - the screen about 12 inches wide, probably 3 inches thick (drop that sucker off a parking garage and it might damage the concrete below), and you could see every pixel if you ... read more

So we're on the road again, this time to Flagstaff! Where?? As we travel about we are forced to speak "American", beacause people here just do not understand our English! It gets very funny at times...I asked for 'milk' and they could not understand me....so how many times can you say 'milk, miiiiilk, meeeelk, mulk, oh for pete's sake... that stuff that comes from a cow and you put it in your coffee', 'in what?' ....' in Coffee,... (they stare at me with a blank look on face and I reppeat...caffffeeeeee, koffie, cafe, cofe, ohhh mannn...when you don't have tea you have...caffeeehhhhhh!!!'.... this happens a lot! maybe if I speak Afrikaans they will understand?? We stopped for breakfast somewhere...can't remember where...in the middle of nowhere in the desert somewhere... We went into Lotta Lou's Cafe, us ... read more

We drove over the Rio Grande River and waved good by to the brown, red, and green adobe style houses in Albequerque, New Mexico. The road away from Albequerque is arrow straight. Since it was basically Rt. 40 all the way, Homer had little to say. We almost had another run in with another tumble-weed, but this one brought me enlightenment. The tumbleweed is misunderstood. They're quite blind, and just roll through their lives doing the best they can. There they are tumbling down the road, minding their own business, when WHAM a car or a truck hits them! I think we should all treat this innocent life-form with respect. They should be allowed to life their lives in peace, so we must treat them with kindness. We MUST approach all tumbleweeds as "catch and release;' ... read more

Many will say that is it not a good idea to revisit a previously hot spot, do you agree? Well I think it depend on the spot. I tend not to return to places I have visited before unless, I really love them. I have a few of those places, one such place is the Grand Canyon. Living in Arizona, makes it even easier for me to make return trips. When I first visited the Grand Canyon National Park 6 years ago, I thought I could never have the right words to describe it. Well I still don't. But after 6 visits, I can tell you sincerely, that it's grandeur is unmatched. Unlike many hotspots, the Grand Canyon has retained it's mysteries, no developments hammering away at it's lure and magic. A week into the New ... read more