Hoover Dam, Sunset Volcano and Wupakti NP v. 14

We had to get out of Vegas...

Not for the common reason that we ran out of money, but IT WAS HOT!!  We stayed Saturday night at Nellis AFB- nice people, pretty park, just north of the city.  It was going to be 109', so we decided to look for a cooler climate.  On to Flagstaff, by way of the Hoover Dam.

 

When we got to the room where you can see the huge pipes that diverted the Colorado River when they were building the dam, I remembered that I had already taken this tour!  15 years ago with the older kids, it was just as hot, and that RV air could not keep up with the heat.  Not sure if Bobby, Maria and Danny were as excited as Rebecca to tour.

Pint-size Becca among the lava rock

Flagstaff was much more pleasant!!  Just north of the city we encountered what looked like a "Transformers" asphalt dump. Visiting Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument was like walking around in a land of giants.  

 

Sunset Crater Volcano behind Becca

.

View of the Painted Desert from Wupakti
From the volcano to Wupatki was a beautiful.  I think it is impossible to capture the experience of seeing the entire panorama by camera.  It was physically moving to see it all laid out before me.  

The northern half of the drive was through the Wupatki National Monument Ruins.  When we got to the visitor center there, we bought Rebeccaa "What's Your 'Ology?" t-shirt.  Perfect, since all this travel has had her agonizing about which "ology" she wants to go into!  She has since added engineering to geology, anthropology, biology, paleontology, and chemistry.  I'm sure I forgot some 'ology! 

Wupakti Ruins

Wupakti gathering circle

The view of the Painted Desert just whet my appetite for tomorrow's adventure- the Petrified Forest (and the Painted Desert!)