5/25/11- Flagstaff, AZ

Having left the last of the planned architectural sites behind, we were looking forward to the next phase of the journey involving towering landscapes and mighty rivers- on a scale that should have no trouble blowing my mind. Our first glimpse of that were the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. We didn’t stay long in Sedona, the “Pink Jeep Tours” spoke volumes about the fact that the entire town was just out of our price range. When we stopped to inquire about divey little resteraunts or a dirty bar that possibly had a white guy with dreadlocks that could serve you a craft beer and a burrito- we were nearly laughed out of the tourist information center. Winding our way up through the mountains from Sedona offered us some breathtaking views of the red rock canyons and rivers that had shaped them.

We emerged from the mountains in a foreign landscape of alpine wilderness, as we approached the town of Flagstaff, we spotted the first snow on the trip. High up on the nearby mountains, we could hardly understand how there could be any left after the heat and dry climate of the places we had been in the past week. Flagstaff turned out to be a very cool little town- it’s people young and lively, there was a palpable appreciation for the outdoors evidenced by the number of bicycles, pedestrians, and outdoors shops.

Humphreys Peak, near Flagstaff AZ: Elev 12633

Best Hotdog Restaurant Ever!

After getting the scoop at a local outfitters on where to camp for the night, we ate what I would argue was one of the best hotdogs I’ve ever had at a miniscule hotdog restaurant in town and a beer from a local taphouse, we navigated easily to a local camping spot in the nearby national forest. On our way out of town as we stopped for gas and groceries, we found a string of Tibetan prayer flags to give us continued good luck and to decorate the Jeep. In our short time in Flagstaff, we became quite fond of its wealth of unique independent stores and restaurants, many occupying the same old buildings that remained along the corridor of Route 66. 
With a similar vibe as Asheville, NC only on a smaller scale, we would love to spend more time enjoying the old buildings with their elaborate and dated neon signs.