(Craig writes) We never thought rocks, dirt, lava and sand could be so beautiful but after seeing such magnificent desolation over the past few days we are running out of words to describe the natural beauty we are seeing here. The slideshow pics, (on the website front page), help to share a little but fall short of actually showing the whole panoramic impact. Today, (Saturday), we toured the Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki Pueblo as well as the Painted Desert and some areas in the high desert around Tuba, AZ within the Navajo Reservation. (Attention to our 7 Grandchildren: you can get your Moms & Dads to show you on your maps where Nana & Papa were today!:)
The condo we are staying at in Flagstaff, AZ is at 7000+- feet elevation and we got up to about 11,500 feet in our travels today. From my private pilot flying days I remember that occupants of an unpressurized aircraft must be on oxygen at elevations over 10,000 feet. I guess that would help to explain our minor shortness of breath when hiking around up here. (That and the extra pounds that have attached themselves to us in the past few years). We are also discovering that dry humidity mixed with high elevations make for very dry noses!
I never thought I would hear these words come from my Becky's mouth but today she actually said that "these deserts and mountains are as pretty as the beach", and I had to agree with her! There has been so much to see, experience and take in just this first week of our cross country journey that at times it has been a bit overwhelming. We want to remember our visual and sensory experiences in detail and share them with all who will listen but know of the limitations of communicating such things. I read a quote from Rita Swentzell from Pueblo Santa Clara today, "...for us life is shrouded in mystery and the world defies explanation...humans do not need to know everything there is to be known. The human past, we feel, is a universal past. No one can claim it, and no one can ever know it completely." She makes a good point but I still want to see, understand and share all I can, basically grab life and "suck all the marrow out of it"!
We are headed for Sedona, AZ tomorrow to check out cave dwellers and red rocks. Maybe one of the c. dwellers will have us in for a cup of Starbucks and some dialog while we are there!
The condo we are staying at in Flagstaff, AZ is at 7000+- feet elevation and we got up to about 11,500 feet in our travels today. From my private pilot flying days I remember that occupants of an unpressurized aircraft must be on oxygen at elevations over 10,000 feet. I guess that would help to explain our minor shortness of breath when hiking around up here. (That and the extra pounds that have attached themselves to us in the past few years). We are also discovering that dry humidity mixed with high elevations make for very dry noses!
I never thought I would hear these words come from my Becky's mouth but today she actually said that "these deserts and mountains are as pretty as the beach", and I had to agree with her! There has been so much to see, experience and take in just this first week of our cross country journey that at times it has been a bit overwhelming. We want to remember our visual and sensory experiences in detail and share them with all who will listen but know of the limitations of communicating such things. I read a quote from Rita Swentzell from Pueblo Santa Clara today, "...for us life is shrouded in mystery and the world defies explanation...humans do not need to know everything there is to be known. The human past, we feel, is a universal past. No one can claim it, and no one can ever know it completely." She makes a good point but I still want to see, understand and share all I can, basically grab life and "suck all the marrow out of it"!
We are headed for Sedona, AZ tomorrow to check out cave dwellers and red rocks. Maybe one of the c. dwellers will have us in for a cup of Starbucks and some dialog while we are there!
2 comments:
Sounds like an amazing trip!
Hope you guys have a great remainer of your trip and be safe!
Love,
Mary Ann
Ok Dad - who is that person you are traveling with and what have you done with my mother!?!? Because the Mom I know would never say any such thing about her beloved beach! Just wait til she sees HHI again or perhaps when she sees the Oregon coast, she'll recant- I know she will. :)
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