Sunset Crater, AZ – Looks Like it Exploded Yesterday!

June 4-24, 2008 - We drove from Chanute, Kansas to Flagstaff, Arizona (1,200

miles) in just 3 days.  We stopped long enough to weigh the truck and trailer at a

Flying J truck scale and found we were right at the limit.  Even though we had filled

only 1/3 of the cabinet space, our weight (with water and propane) was 13,850 lbs --

and the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is 13,995 lbs.  No wonder the truck

noticed the load!!  This wasn't the little Lynx any longer!  We had met a lot of fifth

wheel owners whose cabinets and closets were stuffed to overflowing.  They must

run about 2,000 lbs or more over their GVWR.

As we traveled across

country the air got dryer

and the terrain got craggier.  On I-40 in Texas, 10 miles west of the

New Mexico border, there was a very distinct transition from open

plains to a desert landscape.  We had left tornado alley in the middle

of tornado season and we were glad to leave the severe storm

warnings and tornado watches behind.  However we drove straight

into a vicious headwind all the way across the country, and in New

Mexico and Arizona the winds were staggering.  We were paying far

more for gas than we ever had -- and we were getting 8.2 miles per

gallon!!

At an Arizona

visitors center

we heard

another fifth wheel driver discussing routes to Wasington with the host,

trying to find a way to get out of the horrible winds.  Not possible!  When

we arrived in Flagstaff it felt good to be among the tall pines under clear

blue skies again.  The winds eventually subsided, and we relaxed at our

favorite campground northeast of Flagstaff, Bonito Campground.  We

retired the truck for a while, sticking to our bikes as much as possible.

Flagstaff has a fantastic store for solar power related items (Northern

Arizona Wind and Sun), and just like the previous year, we used our

time in town to purchase a complete solar setup.  We upgraded to

490 watts of power (from 130) and a permanently installed pure sine

wave inverter.  We boondocked in the Cinder Hills OHV Area and

Mark took his time installing the new panels on the roof and the

charge controller and inverter in the basement.  After three days it

was done, and the system has been phenomenal ever since.

Wherever we are, it is always as if we have full electrical hookups.

The hummingbirds loved our feeder, and we

enjoyed watching them zip around.  One

morning a pair of warblers came to the feeder

for a visit.  Their beaks weren't shaped quite

right for the feeder, so they didn't stick around,

but I was thrilled to get their picture through

the window.

We took some leisurely bike rides through

Sunset Crater National Monument.  This is a beautiful area for cycling, as there is no traffic and the road is smooth and scenic.

Sunset Crater blew its top 800 years ago, filling the skies and covering the ground with cinder ash.  The cinder ash (black gravel) is

so thick that little can grow in it.  This makes the area seem as though the volcano erupted just a few years back.  The cinder hills

seem smooth from a distance, and there are places where the gravel is actually black sand.  In other spots the black gives way to

shades of red and brown, again making it seem as though this mountain were engulfed in volcanic flames sometime within my own

lifetime.  There is a region where the lava flowed, and today it is an impenetrable strip of sharp black rock.  If you look closely you

can almost see the ripples and waves as this thick angry goo washed down from the mountain.

In the distance the San Francisco peaks were still snow capped.

Standing over 12,000 feet high, the tallest of the peaks is easily visible

from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon some one hundred miles

away as the condor flies.  The Navajo and other native peoples have

long felt that the San Francisco peaks were sacred.  I had never really

understood exactly why until a few weeks later when we were camped

on the North Rim and were looking back at these peaks across the

canyon.  Every afternoon, like clockwork, the clouds would begin to

form over Mt. Humphreys.  There was no doubt that those mountains

attracted -- or were even the source -- of rain.  Looking down at the

barren plateau on the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon I

could understand why the ancients revered that distant mountain.  It

brought them much needed water for their crops.

We took a hike with friends up the Lava Flow Trail and

found some spectacular views of the San Francisco

peaks and the valleys surrounding the mountains.  It

was a steep but short climb up the hill and well worth

the view at the top.

When we first arrived in Flagstaff the overnight

temperatures were in the 30's and daytime highs were

in the high 60's.  After a few weeks the highs were

getting into the 90's.  Even boondocked in total shade

(we found it was a miracle that the solar panels still

fully charged the batteries everyday despite being in

full shade!), we were too hot.  It was time to move on

to somewhere cooler.

We headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  It

is a significant drive to get there.  Even though

condors and intrepid hikers

can cross the chasm in just 21

miles, it is a 200 mile trip by

car, because you have to go

way to the east, then a bunch

north, way to the west, and

then drop south to get there.

The drive takes you through

some beautiful desert

areas.  The Vemillion

Cliffs are stunning, jutting

up out of the desert floor

in vibrant shades of

orange, red, and even

turquoise.  There is little

in the way of towns on

this drive, just occasional

hamlets with perhaps a

store and cluster of

trailers.  We drove with

our eyes glued to the

beautiful scenery.

After taking the big left turn near Lees Ferry to head west, the red desert

suddenly gives way to greenery and you begin a steep and winding climb

up onto the Kaibab Plateau.  The desert floor is at about 4,000 feet

elevation and the top of the Kaibab Plateau is at about 9,000 feet.  North

Rim here we come!!