Flagstaff, Part 4 - October 4 thru 26, 2023

 I'm back home in Sierra Vista, but have enough content for several more updates.  My main mission on this trip was to observe and photograph fall colors in and around Flagstaff.  I hope by the end you will agree with me that the mission was successfully completed.  The groves of aspen trees at higher elevations reminded me of Colorado.  While not as large as those found in Colorado, they were just as colorful.

Arizona SnowBowl is a ski resort built in 1938 near the top of Humphreys Peak, the tallest mountain in Arizona at 12,633 feet.  The road to SnowBowl begins at around 6000 feet, then travels nearly eight miles to the 8600 foot level where the lodge and parking is located.  Along with many others, I rode the gondola to the 11,500 foot level.  There, those capable were able to hike the rest of the way to the top.  I would never have made it past the 100 stair steps that start the climb.

Humphreys Peak

Colorful aspen trees were found in patches all along SnowBowl Road, but there were no pull offs for most of them.  I simply stopped in the road when there were no cars behind me, taking photos as quickly as possible.  I'm sure I missed getting pictures of some great scenes because traffic prevented stopping at every good place.






 

 Part way up the mountain is a parking area at a place called Aspen Corner, where people can get out and walk among the trees.  Several hiking trails begin here also.




From the lodge, there were good views of the valley below and some of the San Francisco Peaks.  The gondola was popular, with about a hundred people waiting.  Although each car could accommodate eight people, groups were not combined, meaning some cars left with two, four or six passengers.  Consequently, my wait was over thirty minutes.  I asked three ladies ahead of me if I could join them and they graciously agreed.  Views from the gondola and the upper gondola station were outstanding, and I'll bet views from the top of the mountain were even better.

 















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anza-Borrego Desert, California - April 7, 2024

Image
 I put this in the Arizona blog because it's a short trip and almost in Arizona, but I'm sharing it with Travelogue regulars as well, if that makes sense.  Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys a few scenes from the desert. The Anza-Borrego Desert is a huge area of sand, rock, mountains, canyons, arroyos, washes, a variety of plants and wildlife, and many unique formations and features.  There is a state park of some 640,000 acres, a state recreation area dedicated to off-roading of some 85,000 acres, the town of Borrego Springs at 28,000 acres and 4000 people, plus BLM land of untold number of acres.  Many snowbirds spend the winters here, while many off-road enthusiasts come year round to play in the vast sand box with 500 miles of suitable trail.  The entire area is available for camping without facilities, and there are several designated camping areas with facilities. The desert averages about five inches of rain each year, but there are years when winter rains ar...
Read more

Anza-Borrego Desert, California - April 8, 2024

Image
 A stop at the Visitor Center showed me the best spots for wildflowers were near the town of Borrego Springs, about 35 miles from my campsite.  This is a lovely town surrounded completely by the state park.  With seven acres per person, the town has lots of open spaces, filled mostly with creosote bushes and other desert plants.  There is a range of housing styles, from downright shabby to very nice, pueblo style or ranch style.  Cost of living here is pretty high, due to the usual California factors plus the remoteness of the area.  Regular gas was $6.10 and $6.30 at the two stations in town, diesel over $8.  Milk was $4.00 for a half-gallon, a box of crackers $5.59.  I managed to avoid buying anything else. The desert has many arroyos, so the roads can be somewhat like a roller coaster.  On the way into Borrego Springs, I entered the largest "dip", called Texas Dip because of its size.  I would guess it's about 75 feet deep and a quart...
Read more

Sierra Vista & Ramsey Canyon, AZ - May 30, 2024

Image
 For a change, I decided to visit San Pedro House and arrived before 7 am.  Apparently this was too early because there were almost no birds around, particularly none around the feeders.  Obviously, the volunteers had not yet arrived to put out the feed that brings in the birds.  It's clear the birds are smarter than I am.  So, I could either wait a while or go elsewhere.  Since I was wearing only shorts and a tee-shirt, and the wind was somewhat chilly at 59 F, I decided to go to Ramsey Canyon.  Along the way, I explored a couple side roads and found a few birds willing to pose. Northern Mockingbird House Finch (F) Scott's Oriole (F) Red-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Pyrrhuloxia (M) American Kestrel At the Ramsey Canyon bird sanctuary, I was surprised to learn there are only a couple hummingbird feeders in front of the office, where there used to be several more.  This is the area where I normally hang out, since I have trouble walking the steep tr...
Read more