Volcano Status Map on USGS

San Francisco Peaks volcanic field is on the new USGS Volcano Status Map. This page is part of the Volcano Hazards Program beta site.

Of course, the main focus of the site is volcano alerts and updates, but I thought it was interesting to click on the San Francisco Peaks icon on the map and get this:

US Geological Survey Photo

There's no place like home, when home is here.

The Lady From Prescott

I just made the acquaintance of one special lady, Ms. Sharlot Hall. She because the Territorial Historian for the Arizona Territory in 1909, the first woman to hold a salaried office in the territory. What led her to this job and where she went afterwards is a magnificent story of the making of our land. The rest of her story is coming soon to Coconino Chronicles.

Meanwhile, here is a portion of the poem she wrote about the plan to admit Arizona and New Mexico into statehood as one state. It arrived on the desk of every member of Congress. Enjoy:

"Ay! Let her go barehanded; bound by no grudging gift;
Back to her own free spaces where her rock-ribbed mountains lift
Their walls like a sheltering fortress; back to her house and blood;
And we of her blood will go our way and reckon your judgment good.
We will wait outside your sullen door till the stars that ye wear grow dim
As the pale dawn-stars that swim and fade o’er our highty Canyon’s rim;
We will lift no hand for the bays ye wear, nor covet your robes of state –
But Ah! By the skies above us all we will shame ye while we wait!"

That's just a taste of the style of this talented western historian.

Mars Lander Update

Reuters just posted this article, Martian soil appears able to support life, on it's website.

Since we talked about the Flagstaff to Mars Connection on June 21, 2008, I wanted to give you this update. Writer Jill Sergeant says "flabbergasted" NASA scientists are saying the Phoenix Mars Lander has scooped up soil that appears to contain all the requirements to support life, finding nothing toxic.

Although this is very preliminary data, you can tell that these scientists are extremely surprised, encouraged and excited. Just read this quote, "When told the pH levels, one colleague 'jumped up and down as if he had the winning lottery ticket, 'mission soil analysis specialist Michael Hecht told a telephone news conference."

We are all going to be following this little visitor to Mars even more closely.

NASA Photo

How Flagstaff is Getting Around

We're always talking about taking trips around here, so let's consider some modes of transportation. Of course, Flagstaff has its share of trains and folks seem to either love them or hate them. We love, and increasingly use, our city bus system, Mountain Line. And like the rest of America we have the usual long line cars, trucks, vans and maybe more than our share of motor homes, at every traffic light. And don't forget the semis bringing in all the stuff we need to exist and taking out what we produce and need to sell elsewhere. I think those guys must be suffering the most from this seemingly never ending rise in fuel prices.

But, just take a walk around Flagstaff and you'll see how creative our residents are when it comes to getting from place to place.

Bicycles seem to be the gas-less vehicle of choice. Sometimes it seems there are as many bicycles as cars in the downtown area. Don't misunderstand. That's not a complaint. Cyclists rule.

And how about those skate boards? If you take a close look you can see that these recreational "vehicles" are not just for recreation anymore. Especially when the destination is downhill, they seem to work very efficiently. Not sure about the trip home though.

Motor scooters seem to be gaining in popularity as gasoline prices rise. I guess the savings in gasoline alone will pay for these new beauties in short order.

My personal favorite is a mode of transportation that I saw on the street for the first time today. I don't know what it's called, but it looks just like a large motorized tricycle. The one I saw was pure white and oh, so cool. I could get sure use one just like it.

Of course, walking is always a very viable alternative that takes a lot of energy, but no fossil fuel. And with our gorgeous surroundings, getting around town doesn't get any better than this!

From Flagstaff to Mars--The Connections

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander Confirms Frozen Water

June 20, 2008 -- Scientists relishing confirmation of water ice near the surface beside NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander anticipate even bigger discoveries from the robotic mission in the weeks ahead. "It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson, during a Friday news briefing to announce the confirmation of water ice. For the rest of the story and photos visit the Phoenix Mars Mission at the University of Arizona.

Mars is definitely a long road trip from Flagstaff, but reading about this extremely important discovery made me think how Gene Shoemaker would have wanted be right in the middle of this proud group of men. And that brings us to the Flagstaff connection--the Astrogeology Research Program that was founded in 1961 by Gene Shoemaker (1928-1997). He died tragically in an automobile accident in 1997. The program he started, and contributed so much to, lives on with a team of over 80 diverse participants. In 2002 the program moved into its new home, the Shoemaker Center for Astrogeology on the USGS Flagstaff Science Center campus. It's located next to Buffalo Park, 2400 N. Gemini Road.

Here you can read about Gene Shoemaker and the history of the Astrogeology Research Program, including how they and Flagstaff contributed to astronaunt training and missions to the moon . Link out from that page to a list of recommended reading, including an online book and a link to "Romance to Reality: a site warehousing over 300 summaries and descriptions of classic, seminal, and illustrative Moon and Mars exploration and studies dating from the 1950's to present," which is broken. Now that sounds like one extremely interesting collection. However, a quick Google search leads to a page on the Mars Institute website, titled Romance to Reality: moon & Mars plans, which requires a bit more research. Happy hunting. I'll see if I can find more info since this page doesn't tell us about the current progress of the books (another broken link.) Seems a shame that the material is no longer available. Sometimes a trail begins and ends unexpectedly.

But, back to the Flagstaff to Mars connection, actually connections, when you consider not only the Astrogeology Research Program, but the history of Lowell Observatory and how it came to be built in Flagstaff.

Want to see how the Astrogeology Research Program is still directly connected to Mars? Go to the Upcoming Missions. Gene Shoemaker must be proud of the work that is continuing to be done on the foundation that he built.

7,000 Feet and at Risk

Just a reminder to take precautions to protect your skin and eyes from the sun's UV (ultraviolet) rays. You know we're more at risk here in Flagstaff because of the elevation. Not as much atmosphere to filter out the harmful effects of the sun.

It may not be as hot here (aren't we thankful for that) as in Phoenix, Tucson or Las Vegas, but the cooler air is deceptive. We all need to be extra vigilant so we don't have to suffer through a painful sunburn.

I learned by hard experience this spring. Not being aware of how quickly skin can burn may result in a painful lesson. As a result of that lack of awareness I began to do a lot of research and just finished an article on How to Avoid Sunburn in Higher Altitudes.

Guess that's what you call live and learn. Take care when you're out enjoying this wonderful Flagstaff spring, almost summer.

Father's Day Trip to Lowell

Looks like the clouds are blowing away, so this should be a perfect night for Father's Day Star Fest at Lowell Observatory. It starts at 7 p.m. with an indoor presentation called, "We're All Made of Startdust." If you're as intrigued as I am with the idea that we're made of stuff from the stars, it should be a really interesting night to go to Lowell.


We got this nice shot with a cell phone this morning. Someone forgot to take the camera.

It's wonderful to stand by that great old telescope and know that Lowell, Douglass, Slipher and Tombaugh, among so many others, walked those floors and looked through that lens. We can be so thankful that they had a dream of what might be out there among the stars just waiting for the right person with the patience and the vision to see.

They didn't realize all their dreams, but we are still building on the foundation they laid. There are so many interesting stories to read about the early days of Lowell Observatory and Flagstaff. We'll go there later.

Update: What a fun evening! Howard Israel's presentation was not only informative, but entertaining and inspiring. We really are made of stardust.

Flagstaff Visitor's Center

Here's a destination that you can reach online or on the road. The Flagstaff Convention & Visitors Bureau is not just for tourists. You can visit online here or the Flagstaff Visitor Center is located at One E. Route 66 in the historic downtown train station.

They have some beautiful and informative brochures about Flagstaff, its history and lots of day trips to take from the city. You can download them as pdf's from the website. They also have a daily calendar of events online and a weekly Flagstaff Happenings newsletter that can be downloaded. Instant access, so you don't have to search the Internet for information about the hours for the Arboretum or what's happening at Lowell Observatory or the Museum of Northern Arizona. No outdated, stale information here.

They're doing a great job (and no I don't have any connections.) Just thought you would enjoy this little trek.

"Arizona, the Wonderland"

You never know where a trail will lead. I've been spending a lot of time on the history of Flagstaff. This morning, I happened upon a book called Arizona, the Wonderland written by George Wharton James, published in 1917.

The page that came up in my Google book search was page 365, the beginning of Chapter XXVII, Coconino County and Flagstaff. To catch a glimpse of what these early visitors to Coconino County saw is such a privilege. He says, "Coconino County is one of the vast slices pared off in the early days of Arizona's history from Yavapai County--the mother of Arizona counties. Imagine an area as large all Vermont and all Massachusetts, with little Rhode Island thrown in--an area across which the Grand Canyon is cut in all its sublime glory, an area in which stands in solemn majesty one of the most, if not the most, beautiful and inviting mountain cluster in the United States--the San Francisco range, 12,611 feet above sea level--this is Coconino County."

Further, on page 367, he celebrates the beauty of the area, "Why go to Asia, or to the heights of the Himalayas, or the Andes of the South, when here are places that challenge the strength, the power, the endurance of the explorer? And it is a region of color, too, that surpasses the most extravagant endeavor of either writer or painter to portray. A La Farge, a Reid, a Moran, a Turner, a Tintoretto, a Titian, a Velasquez aided by all the more and most daring of the modern painters of the greatest of schools might suggest its color extravagances, but even though the artist were to paint it ever so well there isn't a person in the world who would believe it meant anything real--so why imagine the artists attempting it?"

I hope you enjoyed this little snippet from George Wharton James, published in 1917 and digitized in 2007. If you'd like to read more or download the entire book it's available here.

Southwest Climate Outlook

Let's take a look at CLIMAS, Climate Assessment for the Southwest, at the University of Arizona. Some really interesting material, including current outlook and historyof climate, drought, and fire potential are available.

You can download a paper on the "current state of knowledge concerning the climate of the Southwest." It's under Publications, called The Climate of the Southwest by Paul R. Sheppard, et al. If you prefer, you can watch a slide presentation by David P. Brown on the same subject. These were both done in 1999, but so much historical information.

For more current information, you can read online, or download a pdf, of the May 2008 issue Southwest Climate Outlook. This excellent resource is published monthly. The archive goes back through 2002, with older versions available upon email request. There's also an archive of the feature articles from past issues.

You can join the mailing list to receive the Southwest Climate Outlook each month. Just follow the directions here.

Be sure and explore all options on this site. It is filled with dozens of downloads.

Take a Virtual Tour at Lowell

Did you know that the Discovery Channel Telescope is being built about forty miles southeast of Flagstaff?

See the site at Happy Jack for yourself. There's a photo tour here (click on red banner at bottom of page) on the Lowell Observatory website. While you're there be sure to check out the DCT Publication Archives.

There are lots of interesting pages to visit on Lowell's website, including the often updated blog. It's definitely on Everyday Scholar's list of blog picks.

Lowell Observatory by Jesse Gardner