ANYONE FOR ESCARGOTS? NO. 3 OF 4
As you probably have observed, I write about things as I think of them. That is why things are not arranged categorically. If I had kept a diary, I would remember things better and would then be able to write, well, to categorically arrange them. So, before we leave Fresno, I just remembered Big Sur, about 150 miles south of San Francisco. This is where the coastal Redwood Trees grow more than 350 feet in height. Some, they say, are 2,000 years old. No, I don't recall planting them. As a kid, I recall seeing a picture of one that had been hollowed out a ground level and a Model -T Ford was parked in it. We also visited the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. This massive granite rock rises more than 4700-feet above ground. It's called a Half Dome because that is what it is. However, if seen from a special angle, it gives the impression of being a Full Dome. Very interesting.
OK, we're now in back in the air and headed for Phoenix, two days behind schedule. Our plan was to drive to Phoenix via the Mojave Desert but we had already used two days of our timeshare reservation and couldn't afford any more delays. When we arrived in Phoenix, the temperature was 110-degrees. We wasted no time in getting a car and heading off to Flagstaff where the 7000-foot elevation provided a more temperate atmosphere.
There is plenty of interesting things to visit in and around Flagstaff, but we only had five days so we spent them all in the "wilderness". The Grand Canyon, about 75 miles north of Flagstaff, was our first destination. The magnificence of the Canadian Rockies looking up, was reflected in the Grand Canyon looking down. We were tempted to take the trail to the bottom but decided it would take up too much time. There were signs warning visitors to keep valuables locked in their cars. We were accosted by a couple of local Indians selling silver jewelry against regulations. The pieces were all sewn on a blanket so it could be rolled up and they could scamper off at the sight of a ranger. Yvette thinks this happened at Sedona. Could be, but it doesn't' make much difference.
Walnut Canyon National Monument contains the ancient cliff dwellings of the Sinague Indians., who dug their small homes under limestone ledges. The dwellings are small, about large enough for the inhabitants to sleep and cook. Come to think about it, that's really all we need a home for. Some how we have been convinced we need a $100,000. home packed with $100,000. worth of trinkets. Oh, well. Back to more simple times. The dwellings were built some time between 125 AD and 250 AD. Plant life in the canyon is diverse with over 387 plant species.
Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff. The 500-foot crater is 550-feet deep and was created 49,000 years ago. No, I don't recall seeing that rock from outer space hit either. I believe some of the astronauts trained here. There was a viewing platform built out over the edge of the crater. I had an eerie, uneasy feeling as I looked down into the crater. Like, I had to get out of there which I did. In the 1960s there was a Gyro Tower on the boardwalk in Atlantic City NJ. The tower was several hundred feet tall with an observation booth that revolved around the tower as it ascended to the top, where it made several 360-degree revolutions before revolving back to earth. I had the same feeling then but I couldn't get out
The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest is east of Flagstaff and covers a wide area. The Painted Desert gets its name from bands of red, white and yellow sediments and clay. It is spectacular. On the way we saw a Pronghorn Antelope. This animal sheds its' horns like antlers and is the sole surviving member of an ancient family dating back 20 million years. No, Im not going to say it. The Pronghorn can run at speeds up to 60 mph. We're getting a little long so will finish on Nomad News No. 103.
(Copyright - Andrew M. Dolan - 2014)
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