o m g a w e s o m e

Okay, here's the skinny. I'd been doing so much. I mean driving and sight-seeing and processing all the time.

these were all delicious

petrified forest national park in eastern arizona

silver linings on rainy days

crystal forest - used to be plentifully bestrewn with petrified trees but it's speculated that one ton of the artifacts are stolen every month! dang.

so dense and colorful - about 225 million years old

colors formed from sedimentary rocks, including sandstone, siltstone, limestone, & bentonite - really beautiful!

the moon faintly gettin' in on the action

that barely visible mountains just left of center are the san francisco peaks in flagstaff (~120 miles away)! talk about clear air.

the red comes from iron oxide influence (like rust!)

So then I arrived in Flagstaff, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. The plan was to stay a couple days, then head North for the Canyon on Thursday. But, of course, plans rarely go as planned, especially on an itinerary-light drive West. So, upon my arrival (after the regular co-op/natural foods store and public library stops), I parked right downtown and took my bike out for a nice long ride. The people here are so nice! I saw a guy stopped on a bike and asked if there was a bike shop nearby. He seemed almost thrilled I had asked, and even more tickled that he could provide me with information. Followed by quite thorough directions no doubt. Then later I stopped at a bus stop, just to take a gander at the schedule. When the bus pulled up, the driver yelled out with a grin, "Would you like a printed map?" "No, I'm good," I said, though I kind of wanted to say Yes, just so the guy could feel good about being so helpful. It's nice to make other people feel good for their own actions. Anyway, long story shorter, I eventually made it back to the van, and alas, every other car on the formerly full street was absent. I suddenly felt a bit less confident about sleeping right downtown. Fortunately, also while riding, I received a call back from Berk, a couchsurfer I had contacted the day before. He said he has a large driveway and would be happy to host me. So, I drove to meet him about midnight after he got off work. After formal introductions, he said, "By the way, I have two other couchsurfers staying, and we're headed to the Canyon tonight if you wanna go." What?! Of course. I love spontaneity. So, there I was in a truck with complete strangers riding out into the woods at 2am.
The Grand Canyon is only about 75 miles North of Flagstaff. So we had some good time to get to know each other, and I feel very fortunate that they are all very cool dudes. When we arrived to the chosen overlook, we disembarked, unfurled our sleeping bags, and were immediately entertained by an amazing star show. I was so engaged I thought I'd never fall asleep, even though I'd been awake nearly 24 hours at this point. Eventually, I forfeited, and had one of those sleeps where it feels like you've just blinked but you've actually slept through the night (except I think it was only about 30 minutes of slumber). So, I was infinitely stargazing, then blinked, and afterward, the stars were gone & there was a very faint light coming from the East. Perfect! So I gathered my sleeping bag & water and made my way to a nice little perch to watch the sun rise. I mean, seriously beautiful. Arriving in new places at night and then watching them come to life by the sun is one of my favorite things. I had the same experience on a three-day hike in Guatemala, to a spot that overlooked Lake Atitlan. So, obviously photos just can't do justice for sunrises (or sunsets for that matter), but I tried.

tea time

crow hiding in the yet to be revealed cliffside

i loved all the shadows as the sun continued to come up - the canyon looked quite voluptuous

yep, this is where we slept. it was sweet.

Then we took some hikes. Only explored a fraction of the space. (It's 277 miles long!) Ate some lunch. And tried to take it all in. This is hard to do.

good lookout*

*From here, we could faintly hear the rapids, but when you looked at them way down there, they looked perfectly still. Powerful whitewater rapids that look perfectly serene and motionless. Kind of a head trip. The Colorado River plays an integral role in the canyon development, deeming it quite powerful indeed. (FYI, this is the not the same Colorado River that we've all enjoyed back in Austin.)
Pardon me if this is morbid, but I couldn't help to think about the inevitable deaths that must have occurred in this majestic place. An epic place to go, no doubt. I got this information from Wikipedia:
"About 600 deaths have occurred in the Grand Canyon since the 1870s... Of the fatalities, 53 have resulted from falls; 65 deaths were attributable to environmental causes, including heat stroke, cardiac arrest, dehydration, and hypothermia; 7 were caught in flash floods; 79 were drowned in the Colorado River; 242 perished in airplane and helicopter crashes (128 of them in the 1956 disaster); 25 died in freak errors and accidents, including lightning strikes and rock falls; 48 committed suicide; and 23 were the victims of homicides."

Anyway, now I've been in Flagstaff. I really like it here, like I said, plus I needed time to just relax. Not drive everyday. Learn about a local community and its inhabitants. And fortunately I've managed to do that, thanks to some very generous and hospitable locals. There's plenty of natural beauty too, right around town. Hiking and climbing and swimming and a ton of other attractions.

ebba (an amazing dog) was really concerned for everyone who climbed

I could actually see myself just staying here for a while. But! I still have many adventures ahead! I'm taking off tomorrow. West. To the Mojave National Preserve.
Thank you for reading this epic thing.
Good day.