Day #22 - Meteor Crater

On Monday, we visited the Meteor Crater site just west of Flagstaff, AZ. They've got a really nice visitor's center and some great museum exhibits. It's quite spectacular. Definitely one to avoid during the hot months!

Day #21 - Twin Arrows

I've got a huge soft spot for Route 66, and a particular fascination for both the preservation / revival and the decay you can find along the route. Twin Arrows is one of the most iconic Arizona Route 66 landmarks for me, so I had to hop out of the car and take a few pictures here. It's disheartening to see it in such disrepair, but I guess that's just the way of things these days.

Day #20 - Welcome to Arizona!

It doesn't matter how long I've been gone, or how far I've traveled - I always break into a huge grin when I see one of these signs.

Day #15 - More flowers

I've had a lot of hits on my Picacho Peak hike pictures - especially the wildflowers. Sadly, we got there just before they really started blooming. This picture shows a particularly dense patch of yellow. When things really get going, this is what the entire area looks like.



I'm going to be playing airplane tag most of tomorrow, and then hitting the road for 4 days, so I may or may not get a chance to update. Hoping for lots of interesting new photos from the road!

Day #7 - Picacho Peak State Park

A couple of weeks ago, I hiked to the top of Picacho Peak. It's a tough hike with some very technical sections. There are stretches of metal cable bolted into the rock face and you have to pull yourself hand over hand in some sections. It's like climbing a flexible ladder without clear foot holds. As any Arizonan will attest, the real reason to go to Picacho is to see the wildflowers every spring. We got there before the flowers were at their peak, but it was still wonderful to see so much green among the lava rock. This picture is one I snapped from the car on the way out of the park. It was such a beautiful day for a hike.

Day #6 - Route 66

In a little over a week, I'm flying up to Iowa to help my friend drive the family back to Tucson. We're not going to have much time for sightseeing, but her son's excited to see some of the wacky sights along Route 66. This is from the moderately famous Stewart's rock/fossil shop near Holbrook, AZ. I'd love to go back and get more shots on a less gloomy day, but that stretch of I-40/Route 66 is getting so decrepit, the gloom works.



btw - a fun resource for catching the oddities that used to be the staple of summer road trips - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/