Flagstaff Arizona

Saturday May 5, 2018

After another no grass outing and loading up the car, we top off the tank and stop in a Dollar General before hitting the highway. My masters want some vitamin C to lessen the effects of the higher altitude in Flagstaff. The route is easy today. I40 all the way. It is called the Needles Freeway. Fits our plans perfectly. We immediately cross over the Colorado River and into Arizona. Bye California, it's been fun.

My master tried to get a picture of the Historic Route 66 bridge that crosses the Colorado River near Needles. It is called the Old Trail Bridge. So much better than just concrete. You can find out about it on this website. I think one of the better pictures is at this link.

We pass by The Needles which is part of the Mohave Mountains to our south. The Hualapai Mountains loom ahead. We come to Kingman. Compared to Needles, it is a big city. It is green and has a golf course! We are quickly back to desert terrain. We pass through a canyon but I can't find the name of the mountains. It is in Yavapai county. On the interstate you have trucks as constant companions which adds and subtracts from the canyon pass experience. Next Prescott National Forest is to the south. It comprises at least parts of many mountain ranges according to Wikipedia. We see many interesting rock formations along the way. I get a glimpse of snow capped mountains in the distance, could it be the Rockies 400 miles away in Colorado?

We enter the Coconino National Forest. Flagstaff is located in the forest. We see real trees again and they are close to the road. It is obvious now the snow cap is Humphrey's Peak. It is the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 ft. It is part of the San Francisco Peaks Mountain Range. We see a sign "Arizona Divide 7,335 feet". I looked it up. The sign marks the high point that changes the direction of the flow of water from south & east to south & west much like the Continental Divide. It separates the Colorado River watershed from the Gila River watershed. Who knew? Guess every region has a divide but most don't mark them. A large section of westbound I40 is closed for construction so both directions share the eastbound lanes. This grinds traffic to a near halt. We decide to wait for lunch until we get to Flagstaff. 

When we get to Flagstaff we head downtown to Lumberyard Brewing Company for lunch. It is in an old lumberyard building. No shaded parking and no dogs allowed on the patio. My masters promise to check on me every 15 minutes since it is still quite warm today. Karen has the award winning Vietnamese burger. It was very yummy but I can't find anything on the award. Bob has the Italian beef sandwich, also very good. I can smell their lunch when they come to check on me like they promised. After lunch, we take a short walk around the downtown area. Very cool but too many people and I hate walking on a short leash. It is time to go to hotel so we go back to the car and head to the Days Hotel, really a Days Inn. Route 66 goes through Flagstaff as we see from the road signs.

The hotel is nice. The room is large with a comfy chair for my master and a big bed for me. I catch up on my blog after a difficult walk. Again no grass only rocks. Well I guess a girl has to make do. My masters have dinner in the restaurant attached to hotel. The Northern Pines is nice and convenient. They had a good meal there. Afterwards there is time for 1 load of laundry before turning in. I get tomorrow all to myself as my masters are going to the Grand Canyon.