Crystal Skulls and The Cosmos

Today was the busiest day by far of the whole trip! At least, it felt that way.  We really packed a lot into the short time that the sun was up.  Our day began with a small act that made both Danielle and I feel a LOT better about life and our trip.  We cleaned out our car! It only took about 20 minutes but when we got into the car afterward, we simultaneously breathed in a deep breath and went "AHHH!".  We organized, cleaned, threw out some trash piles, and found some items that had been lost or buried for a while.  That small, simple act of domesticity started out our day on the right foot.

I must admit we didn't make it very far today distance-wise.  We traveled from Winslow, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ.  But the stops we made along the way account for why that happened.  First, we stopped at a meteor crater just a few miles down the road.  It was really cool to look at, and generally surreal, but it was pretty much what one would expect to see after a giant piece of meteor slammed into the ground.  It made a giant hole!  Maybe the best thing to come of our first stop was Burt Marvin - Danielle's crystal skull souvenir purchase.  Now, one might wonder, "why that particular name?"  Well, our mascot had to have a name if it was to sit upon our dashboard and stare at us for the next few hundred miles.  The first name to pop into Danielle's head was Marvin.  The first name to pop into my head was Burt.  And thus, Burt Marvin was born.  He's been pretty good company so far.

After the meteor we stopped at 2 Guns which was basically an abandoned rest stop for travelers of Route 66.  There was even a zoo at one time!  After that, we sought out the next giant oddity that the route has to offer - a pair of giant twin arrows.  It fits into the same category as 2 Guns.  It was a trading post/rest stop for weary travelers complete with a store, a cafe, and a couple of gas pumps. We enjoyed the off-roading we did in order to experience both of these sites.

Entering Flagstaff, we debated between a few different sites but finally decided to focus on two: Walnut Canyon NM and the Lowell Observatory.  Side note: I really think that NPS employees should be able to visit other National Park sites in the country for free.  And I'm wondering why that's not the case.  Every other company has employee discounts, why shouldn't we???  We are exceptionally responsible park consumers who know the rules and respect the parks more than the average person does! Shouldn't that count for something?

Anyway, I really enjoyed Walnut Canyon! At first, the hike seemed a little daunting because of the number of stairs to climb.  However, in the end, it wasn't bad at all.  I enjoyed the scenic views and reading the numerous trail signs about different plants and how they were used by the native peoples who lived there historically.  I also liked seeing how those same people built their homes in the rock and how creatively they used their natural surroundings to make a simple but efficient existence in a harsh environment.

When we left the canyon, we had a short drive to our next stop.  The Lowell Observatory.  This was a little different than some of our other stops but that is why we chose it.  Flagstaff has a light advisory for the city with several rules set up to limit light pollution and protect the night sky views.  That makes it the perfect location for an observatory.  This place has several different telescopes and a grand history of research along with interpretive solar and planetarium type presentations for the public.  Danielle and I walked in thinking it would be a grade school presentation about the solar system and the planets but walked out with our minds blown.  We learned a LOT!  One interesting thing I learned is: my astrological sign is actually Gemini, not Cancer as I had thought!

After all that driving and learning, we have settled in for the night at a local hotel.  Tomorrow we will conquer the Grand Canyon!