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| San Francisco Peaks from Lowell Observatory |
I just got back from a week in Arizona mainly for Spring Training baseball, but I managed to spend time with friends and see some great scenery. My family moved to Arizona in 1986, and I lived there until 2001 when I graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Most of my time was spent in Tempe, AZ growing up and exploring a very unique part of the world.
On my recent trip, I immediately drove my rental car the 2 hours and 6,000 foot climb from the desert of Phoenix to the forests and cool, windy weather of Flagstaff. I had not been back to Flagstaff since 2010 and was anxious to see the springtime weather in the region. Flagstaff is blessed with cool weather and proximity to some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in the world within a short drive from downtown. It set an amazing backdrop for a college student from the giant desert city.
Within a short drive from Flagstaff lie two special National Monuments where this former college student spent many days hiking and taking pictures. The first of which is Sunset Crater National Monument. The area around Flagstaff had significant geological activity including major volcanoes and lava flows. There are so many cinder hills around that the transportation departments dump cinders on the icy roads instead of salt for traction! Below are several pictures from Sunset Crater. It was an overcast day, so just imagine these photos bathed in high altitude sunshine.
Wow thank you for posting these pictures! I have never been to the area but I hear that Flagstaff has better weather, rather than Tempe / Phoenix.
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