Star Gazing and Clean Clothes

(Becky writes) Today was another day of being completely overwhelmed with the beauty of our earth! We drove south from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and then west to Flagstaff. The landscape changes several times during the drive from red rock mesas to huge rock mountains with amazing formations. We saw the beautiful village of Laguna with it's adobe houses and 300 year old church sitting high on the side of the red rock mountain! Truly breathtaking! At this same village we pulled into a "viewing area" on the interstate to take some pics of the surroundings and were impressed with the ingenuity of the locals. There were signs prohibiting vendors from setting up business at the "pull off". However, they just had their huts set up on the "village" side of the interstate fence but within an inch of them. They can then sit in the huts and conduct business without being on the interstate property.

Tonight we spent a couple of hours at the Lowell Observatory high above Flagstaff. Even the ride to get there is awe inspiring. The night was perfect for star gazing, cool but not too cold and the sky was perfectly clear. I think I had forgotten their are so many stars - it is much harder to see them living in the city. We were able to see "globular cluster M5" through the Clark Telescope, a 24 inch refractor installed in 1896. This is the telescope that was used in the discovery of Pluto in 1930 and I got to look through it! AMAZING! We also were able to see Andromeda through a smaller telescope.

Our condo here is lovely! We have 2 balconies with incredible views of the San Francisco Mountains that are just a short drive from here. Couple that with a remote controlled gas fireplace, luxurious furnishings and a washer and dryer and we think we will enjoy this place for a few days.