Vacation, Day 5

[dragoness_e]

Wednesday, we visited the Grand Canyon (awesome!), Meteor Crater (big hole in the ground), and raced the sun to see the Petrified National Forest and got there a bit too late, so we didn't see that. We also stopped and took pictures of various things along the way.



Mt. Humphries viewed from Flagstaff, Arizona



Snow field along Hwy 89, on the way to the Grand Canyon



Bald Eagle



Entering Kaibab National Forest



This is pinyon pine & juniper forest. The eastern reaches of Coconino National Forest are the same kind of dwarven conifers. We made a lot of jokes about National Bonsai Forests.

Elk Crossing Warning



We didn't actually see any elk, but we saw lots of elk warning signs. We saw lots of other wildlife in Arizona: pronghorn, deer, wild turkey, scads of ravens, and a bald eagle.

Grand Canyon, view from Mather Point



View of Kaibab Point, showing the South Kaibab trail



Steve really wanted to hike that trail, but we didn't have the time or preparations.

Bavarian bikers



The Grand Canyon is a world tourist attraction. There were fellow tourists from all over--including a motorcycle "gang" riding Harleys and sporting a jacket logo proclaiming them the "Isartal Chapter Bavaria".

A little internet research identified these fellows as the Isartal, Bavaria Chapter of the Harley Owner's Group.




Raven perched on snack bar roof at Desert View



We saw many, many ravens out west; they seemed to be the commonest large predatory bird. Almost always, they came in pairs. "Twa Corbies", indeed. Mated pairs, perhaps? This one had a partner perched in a nearby tree.

Desert View Tower




This simulated Indian tower was built by an architect in the 1930s. It's not a reproduction of any specific Indian ruin, but has features of many of them inside and out. It also houses a gift shop, and is a good observation point.

Grand Canyon from Desert View Tower



You can also see the tourists below at Desert View Point.

Sunset Volcano Crater



On the way back to Flagstaff, we stopped to take pictures of Sunset Volcano Crater, which caught my eye from the road. It's a National Monument, and looks to be a cinder cone.

After touring the Grand Canyon, we headed east and diverted to see Meteor Crater, near Winslow, Arizona.

Warning sign on the road to Meteor Crater



Another reminder we really were out in the West.

Meteor Crater

Comments

[ravenclaw-devi.livejournal.com]

Great pics!