OK - I am finally going to get this trip report done, and then I can move on to writing about other things! Thanks for your patience, readers (if I have any left).
Our plan for our final day in Flagstaff:
- go running (OK, I was the only one with this plan)
- go out for breakfast
- visit Walnut Canyon (cool Native American pueblo ruins)
- go back to Sedona and give it another try
- do several loads of laundry, pack & get ready to leave by 10am the next day.
I actually started the day with laundry and running. I got a load going and then did a nice 4 miles or so. I say "or so" because my Garmin ran out of batteries after the first 1/2 mile, and I was forced to time myself with my ipod! This was a much more successful run than my previous 4-miler. I started earlier, so there was more shade, and the day was cooler and a bit overcast. I didn't feel like I was being baked under a heat lamp, and so enjoyed it much more.
I came back from my run and Tom and I got everyone going. We went out to breakfast at this awesome place (we actually returned the next morning as well since it was so good). We ended up getting a very late breakfast there (like 11am), and then we did a little shopping in Flagstaff.
By the way, I haven't said much about the town of Flagstaff. It was very, very nice. Some excellent eateries, and decent shopping. My younger girls would have liked more kid's options (particularly for clothing - they are way more interested in that than toys these days), but the rest of us found some nice stuff. In particular, there were some really good outdoor outfitters, which makes sense because it is such an outdoorsy spot. I would have liked to see the University, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the Observatory, but that didn't happen. A reason to go back I guess!
Anyway, we could see that a rainstorm was brewing, and we decided to head over to Walnut Canyon to see the ancient pueblos there. I had been looking forward to this for our entire trip. However, as we drove in they let us know that the walk into the canyon where you can actually walk by (and even into) some of the pueblos was closed because of a rock fall! Very disappointing. We decided to go anyway, and spent an hour or so at the museum and overlook.
While we were there the skies did open up and it poured rain for about 1/2 hour before stopping. In this picture you can see some of the pueblos (and also the rain):
Another shot of the canyon, and a cute picture of me and Annika:
We did enjoy our walk there, but it would have been a lot more fun if we had been able to go into the canyon. This rock fall happened during the winter, and hopefully they'll have it cleaned up by the end of the summer.
We left Walnut Creek Canyon, and drove down to Sedona again. Tom was sure we would enjoy it if we gave it another chance. Another breathtaking trip down Oak Creek Canyon - just amazing! We decided to check out Tlaquepaque, a shopping area which was designed in colonial Mexican style. It is really beautiful! Even though that style is not really authentic for the area, it really works - lots of courtyards and fountains.
Unfortunately (the second disappointment for the day), it was almost dinner time and we didn't realize that all the shops here close at 5pm! So while we had a really excellent (and really expensive!) meal there we did not get to do any browsing at all.
Here are the girls in front of one of the beautiful fountains:
After dinner decided to try to salvage our Sedona evening by heading to Airport Mesa to see the sunset. Finally a winner! It was absolutely breathtaking:
Honestly, the picture doesn't do it justice!
The kids had a good time jumping around while Will caught them in mid-jump:
We headed back to Flagstaff up Oak Creek Canyon in the dark, and were rewarded with two things. One was an amazing view of the stars. We stopped the car for a few minutes and went out to enjoy it. And the second was that as we were driving we saw a whole group of elk by the side of the road! One of them was an enormous male with big antlers, and the others were females with calves.
So our Western wildlife total was:
- a quail
- a jackrabbit
- a roadrunner
- a big-horned sheep
- bunches of California condors
- and some elk
(not to mention the amazing numbers of hawks, plus the fact that my daughter claims she saw a skunk)!
Not bad!
We finished the laundry, cleaned up the condo, packed the suitcases, and headed to bed.
We needed to be out of the condo by 10am. I was hoping we could do it a bit earlier, and maybe stop at Montezuma's Castle on the way down to Phoenix, but we didn't manage it. We left pretty much on the dot of 10, and headed back to our breakfast place for a farewell meal.
Unfortunately, some of the folks in our group were not feeling too great (which showed up later in various ways - I'll spare you the details!), so didn't end up eating too much. We got on the road at about 11:30, which pretty much gave us enough time to drive down to Phoenix, turn in the rental car, and get to the airport for our 4:20 flight.
Aside from the not feeling too well part, it all went smoothly. We reversed our amazing trip down 6000 feet, and through numerous eco-systems all the way to Phoenix, and had an uneventful trip home. We arrived at about 11:45 pm - we were actually a few minutes early, however that was erased by the inefficient baggage handling system in Philadelphia and we waited more than 1/2 hour for our bags. Luckily we had the next day to recover before I had to deal with work again!
Final thoughts:
- I really want to go back to the Southwest. I think if we return we would want to be a bit more mobile. With a big family it is great to spend a week in one spot, but now that the kids are older it isn't so challenging to move around with them. I think we would have seen more things and really enjoyed changing locations every 4 days or so.
- The Grand Canyon is amazing! I am beginning to plan ahead to do a rafting trip down the Colorado (just me and Tom) in a couple of years. I want to see it up close and personal!
- Most places that I visit I fantasize about living there. Not Arizona - it is beautiful in its own way, but is not green enough for me. But I could happily keep coming back regularly to visit.
We had a great time, and I'm so glad I was able to bring my children to see such a wonderful place.
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