MWT – A trip to Flagstaff

Thursday Mike and I hauled a friends vintage 1955 Spartan trailer to Flagstaff.

Saw a little sundog over the Painted Desert.

Drove towards a major storm approaching Mt Humphreys.

Flagstaff has a very fun oldtown where I bought gear for my upcoming trip on the Colorado River.

Had dinner in the funky Galaxy Diner.

Where some nice old cars were parked in the lot.

On the return drive Saturday we again drove through a storm passing Mt Humphreys.

It rained so hard even the Little Colorado River was flowing at Cameron.

Then the clouds broke up over the Painted Desert.

And the sun shone on the Colorado River at Marble Canyon.

But the clear sky didn’t last as we approached the Kaibab Plateau where home is.

To tour more of the world go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

MWT - South Rim Grand Canyon training Day 1

When the staff left the North Rim on April 30th the snow still covered the forest and meadows but soon we returned to warmth... (read more here)

Scenic Sunday - Painted Desert

Layers of primarily mudstone along with some sandstone and claystone deposited about 200 million years ago eroded into badlands called by some Native Americans as a “land of sleeping rainbows.” Mudstones occur in shades of red, gray, brown, purple, tan, orange and pink. Sandstone is typically beige or cream colored yet can be stained by oxidized minerals like iron (red) and manganese (blue/grey) as can the claystone. Wind and water sculpt the landscape.

To see more beautiful scenes from around the world, or to share your own, go to Scenic Sunday by clicking here.

Sky Watch Friday - On the road again...

Sunset taken over the Painted Desert of Arizona
Had a great time visiting friends in Yarnell and now time to head back up to the North Rim. Only two weeks left to my season. How the time will fly. My next days off I’m going to Toroweap with C, another Ranger. And my last days off I’ll be hiking rim to rim with friends from Washington. Then hook up to my 5th-wheel house and haul it home to Yarnell for the winter. Maybe Mexico the end of October... Ahhh, life is Grand! The end of everyday followed by the beginning of a new.

To see more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to the Sky Watch Friday meme by clicking here.

MWT - Road trip photos Highway 89 Arizona

Fall Aspen and Douglas Fir in Kaibab National Forest
I left the North Rim at 3:15pm. Along the meadows Aspen showed their finest gold to orange colors, sometimes like a fence or mixed into the towering evergreens.

Vermilion Cliffs
As I droped about 3000 feet off the Kaibab Plateau to House Rock Valley the temperature increased from fall back to summer.

Vermilion Cliffs
Back in the 1870s John Wesley Powell named this magnificent 3000 foot escarpment appropriately.

After crossing the Colorado River the highway turns south and parallels Echo Cliffs. The moon was up as the sun went down...

...enhancing the colors of the Painted Desert.

And the sunset was spectacular.

Sunset over Humphreys Peak
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Flagstaff until after dark.

That is the moon
All photos were taken while I was driving. Some come out better than others. The road is smooth yet full of dips.

Made it to the KOA RV Park where I’ve camped several times before. Always get good WIFI. Tomorrow I drive the rest of the way to Yarnell.

To see glimpses into life around the world, or to share your own, go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

Painted Desert Arizona

At last I’m posting Joan’s much requested Painted Desert.

Bridge over Little Colorado River
When you cross the Little Colorado River at Cameron on Highway 89 North you enter the western edge of the Painted Desert.

Enter The Painted Desert
During the Early Triassic, about 250 million years ago, the mass of all continents known as Pangaea began to drift apart between North America and Africa.

The west coast of North America subsided into a flat plain and when sea levels rose these plains were covered with seawater. When the level dropped the exposed land was covered with a deposit of Kaibab limestone.

Because eastern North America had the highest mountainous land at the time, rivers flowed westward to the low coastal plains. The slow moving waters deposited mostly red mudstone and very fine-grained sandstone.

At the same time tidal flows deposited gray mudstone and tan limestone. All these layers represent the Moenkopi Formation.

During the Middle Triassic deposition stopped and erosion began possibly due to climate change, a drop in sea level or a slight uplift of the Colorado Plateau region.

In the late Triassic, about 215 million years ago, the region again subsided and stream deposits filled valleys and river cuts with sediment of very coarse-grained sandstone and pebble conglomerate known as the Shinarump Member of the Chinle Formation.

As rivers continued to dominate the landscape mudstones in shades of red, gray, brown, purple, tan, orange and pink were deposited as water flooded over the river banks.

In addition, ash from exploding volcanoes fell on the Chinle river plains and eventually decomposed to clay with oxidized iron and manganese that give the rocks more vivid color.

Echo Cliffs on right, note the tip of the hills on left
The Painted Desert is referred to by some Native Americans as a “land of sleeping rainbows.”
Native Americans sell arts & crafts along the road
Much of the Painted Desert region is located within the Navajo Nation. The Navajo and the Hopi people have lived in the region for at least one thousand years, however the modern name for the desert comes from the Spaniards who named it "el Desierto Pintado" due to its brightly colored landscape.

Vermilion Cliffs in distance & Echo Cliffs on right
From the flat plain of the Painted Desert I continued up Echo Cliffs towards Page and the Glen Canyon Dam. Hope you’ll come back for more of the journey.