Off to Flagstaff and Sedona (sort of...)
Leaving Grand Canyon Village behind, we bear due south to Tusayan, just outside the park boundary.
One of these days, we're going to go in for a visit at the Fred Flintstone campground. After all these years, the place still seems to be standing up well. I can just imagine young kids in the car that can hardly wait to get there.
Just outside of Flagstaff is this cute little non-denominational church. It's out in the fields, the only building around, with a few pine trees nearby to break the wind.
In Flagstaff we visit the Lowell Observatory, which is famous for the discovery of Pluto. If you enjoy astronomy, read about Lowell on Wikipedia. He made his money out east producing Civil War uniforms, and sent people out around the west looking for a good place to build a telescope (which he funded when Flagstaff offered him land). It's a great story.
The whole site is very engaging, with lots of displays and fun & educational things for kids and adults.
Flagstaff is known for its dark skies and very clear air...but see the haze in the background this time.
More on that later...
Great dinner downtown before calling it a night at a so-so motel.
The next morning we're off to hopefully camp outside Sedona. However, a fire had begun many days earlier between Sedona and Flagstaff, in the area of Oak Creek Canyon. Dubbed the Slide Fire, due to proximity ot Slide Rock State Park , it was getting bigger by the day, and miles of countryside were blanketed by smoky haze.
So much for our reservations at that very park....and so much for "Mountainaire"
Find a laundry place, and then hang it out to dry completely...
South of Flagstaff towards Sedona the 89A was closed so we took Highway 17 south, and decided to tackle the Schnebly Hill Road. It's a 4x4 that starts easily with smooth dirt through forests, and then turns into 13 miles of rough going over a descent of 2000 feet into Sedona.
I'm out spotting pathways to avoid high spots that'll rip the oil pan in a second.
Our campsite is off limits because Slide Rock State Campground is closed, so we have a choice - stick around with heavy smoke, or re-plan.
The new plan is to boot it west, up through Vegas and over to Death Valley mountains.
Off we go!
