Holidays and traveling

Although low gas prices definitely make traveling and adventuring more feasible lately, where I've gone has been more dictated by work and visiting family instead of just taking off somewhere. While out in Arizona a couple weeks ago for the annual conference of the American Meteorological Society, I managed to get out to some neat places. I also had some good visits with family in the Phoenix area and in Flagstaff.

Unlike the multiple snowstorms that my parents had while visiting in Flagstaff over Christmas, I had great weather the whole time. There was still lots of snow in most places above 5000 feet or so, but hardly a cloud in the sky and only a little bit of hard packed snow on the roads (the ones that were open of course). After a couple days trying to acclimate to the altitude, I made a dash up to the Grand Canyon for a long day-hike. Not as long as I would like of course; but I did manage to make it from Hermits Rest to Dripping Springs for the first time. Surprisingly I was able to do the 6 miles and about 5000 vertical feet in just about 6 1/2 hours, in spite of thinking that I was out of shape. And I didn't even hurt too terribly the next day! The trails were the iciest that I've seen them, but no problem as long as I had my in-step crampons on. And there was hardly anyone on the trail. A great place to be alone with God and to marvel at His creation.

The other little adventure that I fit in was to go through Jerome on the way back down to Phoenix. I'd never been over that way, and was really impressed at how the town really does pretty much hang on the side of the mountain. The drive over Mingus Mountain was an impressive winding road, although my enjoyment was tempered a bit when I realized that my gas was well under a quarter tank and there wouldn't be any gas stations until I got close to Prescott. I not only made to Prescott Valley all right, but also got a pretty good deal on gas.

Before going to Jerome, I took a short hike up in Fay Canyon, west of Sedona. I missed the side trail up to Fay Canyon Arch at first (really more of a natural bridge), so I got a nice work-out and enjoyed the beautiful Red Rocks. I also spent some time at Tuzigoot National Monument. In some ways the museum was more impressive as a window on the lives of people from the pre-1400 Sinagua culture than the actual ruins. It's hard sometimes to realize that these were real live people so long ago, loved by God and as lost without Him as anyone else.

A whole other set of adventures was my commuting between my uncle's home in Sun City and the conference in downtown Phoenix. The new light rail was great, but didn't go anywhere near Sun City. So I had some experiences with the city bus system, mostly very good experiences. But the schedules did sometimes cause challenges for my needs. For me, it just enhanced my enjoyment of the week and helped me clear my mind from the long days of work.