We hiked to the top of a small volcanic crater in the Flagstaff area. There are caves caused by lava gurgling to the surface. There was a small Sinagua village built in the crater and caves. What is left now are piles of stones and pottery shards on the ground. I wished later that I'd taken a picture of some of them to show you. Most people may not have recognized them because they mostly just look like a flat stone. Mostly they were red on black, but a few had black on white designs painted on one side. It is so great to see them in situ, but of course they have to be left in place in case they ever decide to excavate. Also, I would feel too guilty taking any home.
One of the many caves
View from the top with another small volcano in the distance and Indian Paint Brush (red flowers) and Fairy Duster (pink)
Close up view of the Indian Paint brush flowers.
Prickly pear cactus flower
View of San Francisco Peaks (to right) and Mount Elden (to left). The view from our condo looks at Mount Elden. I love this view because it shows both mountains side by side. Usually you see only one or the other. I always imagine that Mount Eldon was formed from the top of San Francisco Peaks when it exploded, but I have no idea if that is true or not. Oh no, now I have to look it up! OMG I was wrong! San Francisco Peaks used to be up to 15,000 feet tall (classic Fujiyama shape). The tallest of 3 peaks (Humpreys, Agassiz and Fremont) is 12,600 feet. It collapsed into a partly emptied magma chamber formed after a Mt. St Helens-like explosion, then there were glaciers leaving the inner basin the smooth valley it is now. Elden is formed by lava flows and magma pushing sedimentary blocks of rock to the surface. I still like my idea!
This is a old, old alligator
Juniper tree. The close up shows you why is is called Alligator. The newest branches look very red, much like the red of manzanita bush branches.
This is the flower and seed (looks like a duster) thus the name Fairy duster!
Close up of Fairy duster seeds
Another view of San Francisco Peaks. We had a great few days. Mum went with us to Flagstaff. We walked around downtown Flagstaff, enjoyed all the little shops and the old town streets. Trains go through town every 20 minutes or so. The trains are a big part of Flagstaff. It is great to fall asleep listening to the trains and feeling the cool air coming in the windows. We ate breakfast on the porch, walked around the golf course in the evenings greeting all our neighbors, both human and canine. Dogs are a big part of the evening walks and I always miss Kiwi at these times. She loved to go with us to Flagstaff. I was taking her for a walk one evening when we arrived. I had her on a leash, but all of a sudden she takes off chasing a skunk. She thought she had caught this furry creature and in fact she did, for half a second till it squirted her right in the mouth. Poor Kiwi, she was crying, foaming in the mouth and stunk to high heaven. I was told that either tomato sauce or vinegar takes skunk smell away. Well, believe you me I tried vinegar and it certainly didn't work. She had to spend the night in the garage. We took her to the groomers and they said that this happens a lot to Flagstaff dogs. They knew just exactly what to do and she came out smelling like a rose!
We hiked to the top of a small volcanic crater in the Flagstaff area. There are caves caused by lava gurgling to the surface. There was a small Sinagua village built in the crater and caves. What is left now are piles of stones and pottery shards on the ground. I wished later that I'd taken a picture of some of them to show you. Most people may not have recognized them because they mostly just look like a flat stone. Mostly they were red on black, but a few had black on white designs painted on one side. It is so great to see them in situ, but of course they have to be left in place in case they ever decide to excavate. Also, I would feel too guilty taking any home.
One of the many caves
View from the top with another small volcano in the distance and Indian Paint Brush (red flowers) and Fairy Duster (pink)
Close up view of the Indian Paint brush flowers.
Prickly pear cactus flower
View of San Francisco Peaks (to right) and Mount Elden (to left). The view from our condo looks at Mount Elden. I love this view because it shows both mountains side by side. Usually you see only one or the other. I always imagine that Mount Eldon was formed from the top of San Francisco Peaks when it exploded, but I have no idea if that is true or not. Oh no, now I have to look it up! OMG I was wrong! San Francisco Peaks used to be up to 15,000 feet tall (classic Fujiyama shape). The tallest of 3 peaks (Humpreys, Agassiz and Fremont) is 12,600 feet. It collapsed into a partly emptied magma chamber formed after a Mt. St Helens-like explosion, then there were glaciers leaving the inner basin the smooth valley it is now. Elden is formed by lava flows and magma pushing sedimentary blocks of rock to the surface. I still like my idea!
This is a old, old alligator 
Juniper tree. The close up shows you why is is called Alligator. The newest branches look very red, much like the red of manzanita bush branches.
This is the flower and seed (looks like a duster) thus the name Fairy duster! 
Close up of Fairy duster seeds
Another view of San Francisco Peaks. We had a great few days. Mum went with us to Flagstaff. We walked around downtown Flagstaff, enjoyed all the little shops and the old town streets. Trains go through town every 20 minutes or so. The trains are a big part of Flagstaff. It is great to fall asleep listening to the trains and feeling the cool air coming in the windows. We ate breakfast on the porch, walked around the golf course in the evenings greeting all our neighbors, both human and canine. Dogs are a big part of the evening walks and I always miss Kiwi at these times. She loved to go with us to Flagstaff. I was taking her for a walk one evening when we arrived. I had her on a leash, but all of a sudden she takes off chasing a skunk. She thought she had caught this furry creature and in fact she did, for half a second till it squirted her right in the mouth. Poor Kiwi, she was crying, foaming in the mouth and stunk to high heaven. I was told that either tomato sauce or vinegar takes skunk smell away. Well, believe you me I tried vinegar and it certainly didn't work. She had to spend the night in the garage. We took her to the groomers and they said that this happens a lot to Flagstaff dogs. They knew just exactly what to do and she came out smelling like a rose!
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