FLAGSTAFF, AN ELK, & A SUNSET

Steam Engine at the Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff

It's been a week tomorrow, since we arrived here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We've been busy exploring the area, and tomorrow, some of that comes to an end, as we both start our new jobs. My schedule for the next week is orientation & training, beginning at 5am each day. Patty starts her orientation tomorrow at 10am. My normal schedule of posting on the blog in the morning will change, but I still intend to write something, just about every day.

Not knowing what our days off will be, we decided to take a trip into Flagstaff, where we could pick up a few things not available here. It's about a 75 mile drive across high desert plains, and thick pinewood forest, climbing to just a little over 8,000 feet, before dropping into Flagstaff.

After doing some shopping, we stopped at the Pioneer Museum on Hwy 180, so that I could check out the train displayed in front of the museum. We were running out of time, so we didn't go in the museum, but made a mental note for a future stop.

Whenever we're gone for awhile, the first order of business when we return, is to take Sami for a walk. We weren't more than a few hundred feet away from the motor home when we encountered this female Elk, just off the walking path. Sam was curious at first, but quickly lost interest. These large animals, along with countless deer, are spotted almost every day.

A female Elk, just a short distance from our motor home

The last thing on our list of things to do for the day, was to check out the sunset, from the rim of the canyon. After dinner, we drove to Yakatania Point, only to discover that lots of other folks had the same idea. It took awhile before we saw someone leaving, allowing us to park the jeep. The bus would have been a better option.

My little point and shoot camera doesn't do justice to the incredible views, that the sunset creates in the canyon. The shadows, the quickly changing colors, and of course the setting sun itself, were almost magical to view, and these photos only provide a snapshot of the actual scenery. We stayed until the sun had actually set behind the mesa, then headed for the parking lot, along with most everyone else.

As you can see in this picture, it's not exactly blazing hot weather, as jackets are still pretty much required. Yesterday, we saw the temperature rise to the mid 60's, both at the canyon, and while in Flagstaff. We're still adjusting to the cooler climate, but so far, it's to my liking, as long as the white stuff stays away.

The setting Sun over the rim of the Grand Canyon