Another day exploring Northern Arizona!

Again we went exploring the backyards of Northern Arizona.  We have traveled I-40 across Northern Arizona many times but never stopped to look around.  This trip has opened our eyes to the beautiful countryside and the many sights of this part of the country.  If your plans are to come and see the Grand Canyon you might want to spend a few more days to see the sights around Sedona, Flagstaff, and Williams.  Also the lands of the Navajo and Hopi Indian  Nations with their many national monuments and landscapes.  We had planned to stay about four days here but are now are on our second week.  We know we have to leave this week but we are finding more and more backyards to explore as we learn about this part of the country.  One example of our exploration around Flagstaff was the Walnut Canyon National Monument.  It was the home of the Hopi Indians about 1000 years ago and the cliff dwelling homes carved out of the side of the Walnut Canyon walls are just amazing.

Walnut Canyon - home of the ancient Hopi Indians

As we were driving down I-40 just outside of Williams, AZ we came across fields on both sides of the interstate that were seas of yellow wild mountain flowers.  As the saying goes, you need to stop and smell the flowers.  After we stopped another 3 or 4 cars stopped to also take pictures of these wild flowers also.

You have to stop and smell the Flowers

The Grand Canyon deserves more than one day and we could spend a week and not appreciate all of its beauty.  We decided to drive up this morning and take the western loop drive on the south rim.  These views were very different from the east loop in that you could actually see the Colorado river (about a mile down the canyon walls).  We thought you might enjoy these views.

Colorado river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon

That is a mile down to the Colorado River

We say good bye to the Grand Canyon once more!

As you can see it was another outstanding day with hardly a cloud to be seen.  We were going to drive up to Page, AZ and Lake Powell area but decided that side trip can wait for another time.  The trip to Lake Powell would have taken 3 hours each way and we believe there is enough to see up there to warrant another trip to northern Arizona on another date.  We have found a few more sights to see around the Flagstaff area and will explore them the next couple of days as we prepare to leave here and drive back to Colorado. 

Here is hoping this finds you happy, healthy and enjoying life to the fullest!