Yet Another Mars Lander Update

This little guy just keeps amazing us all. We first talked about the Flagstaff to Mars connection on June 21, 2008 and then on June 26, 2008, we learned that the Phoenix Mars Lander scooped up soil that appears to contain all the requirements to support life.

But, there's more. Today, we have this headline, "NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended," from NASA and the University of Arizona. Mars Lander finally got a soil into its "oven" for testing. This test confirmed what the camera saw, the ice in the soil where the Lander was digging.

This is really intriguing. Makes one wonder what may be discovered during the rest of the mission which has be extended through the end of September.

Stay tuned for more results.

Historical Atlas of Arizona

Here on The Coconino Chronicles we're all about taking trips Northern Arizona, many of them related to the history of this beautiful and diverse area. What better tool to help us do our exploration than an atlas? And even better, how about a great historical atlas?

I think the Historical Atlas of Arizona by Henry P. Walker and Don Bufkin is going to prove to be an invaluable asset to our travels. I just got the second edition which was published in 1986 by the University of Oklahoma Press--apparently no updates since then.

It's not a full-color book with all the bells and whistles, just simple black and white. But, I think it is just perfect, very clear, detailed graphics. It includes maps of the early explorers, military posts, the counties and how they have changed over time, federal lands, state lands, railroads and much, much more. Of course some of the statistics about population and such are out of date after more than twenty years, but it contains an enormous amount of historical information in a very concise, usable format.

The Peaks District

If you want to plan recreational activities in the Coconino National Forest, here's the place to start. This is the Recreation on the Coconino Forest section of the Forest website. Before you go further, be sure to check out the yellow box with updates about road work and such. For safety's sake read the do's and don'ts under the heading The Coconino National Forest Welcomes Visitors.

After getting the basics out of the way, go down the page to So Much To Do & See. If you click on the "Peaks District" you'll be taken to a page all about the Volcanic Highlands area around the San Francisco Peaks.

Here' you'll find information on all the recreational activities available, including camping, hiking, scenic drives and more. There is a list giving the overview information and then a link to the detail page for each activity.

For instance, if you choose Fatmans Loop Trail #25, you then see a description of the trail, its length, its rating (easy, difficult), when its open, hiking time, elevation, where to access it and more. At the bottom of the page is a great map of the surrounding area and highlighted in red is Fatmans Loop.

You'll find similar information for each activity. There you have it. Just by visiting this website, you can get all the basic information you need, in a nutshell and from a very reliable source. Have fun exploring, the website and the area.

Flagstaff: Past & Present

Yesterday, I received my copy of Flagstaff: Past & Present by Richard and Sherry Mangum. I knew that it was going to beautiful, but I didn't expect it to be filled with extensive text, as well as historical and modern photographs that tell the story of Flagstaff.

If you want to get an overview the history of this mountain town, you can't do better than the Magnums' marvelous book.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff This Weekend

The 2008 Wildflower Walks at the Arboretum are scheduled only four times. This weekend, Saturday, July 26, is one of those times. You can also participate in these Wildflower Walks on August 30 and September 27.

Sounds like this Saturday should be a great time to head out to the Arboretum, since the Wildflower Walk is included in the price of admission. You'll want to get there early because only 20 people can take the walk with Dr. Gwendolyn Waring. The walk starts and 9:30 a.m. and lasts about two hours.

You can also go on the Guided Birdwalk starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The Arboretum website says these walks guided by Audubon Society members are free. So, perhaps there is no admission here. Please check to be sure.

In addition, there are guided Tours of the Gardens every day at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and Wild Birds of Prey programs are scheduled at noon and 2:00 p.m. Both these are also included in the price of admission.

This 200-acre facility will certainly give you a lot for you money this Saturday. Check the hours and fees here. In case you aren't familiar with the Arboretum's location, see a map and directions here.

Flagstaff Sunset and Sharlot Arrives

What a magnificent sunset over Flagstaff! It happens so quickly I almost missed it last night.

I finally gave up on the mail (see July 18, 2008, post) and took a little trip down to Bookman's to see if they had a copy of the Sharlot book I ordered. And they actually did have a copy, so I'm off to find out what Dr. Margaret Maxwell has to tell us about Miss Sharlot Hall in A Passion for Freedom, so I can keep my promise to add more to her story here on The Coconino Chronicles.

The Cardinals Are Here

Update: Please see current updated schedule at Training Camp 'o8.

Flagstaff welcomes the Arizona Cardinals. Training camp starts Friday. Twenty-nine practices are open to the public. Parking and admission is free at the practice fields next the NAU Skydome.

The schedule and all the details are available at FlagstaffWebCam.com. Three things to remember: Check the weather. Take your umbrella for a dash to the car. Wear you sunscreen and sunglasses.

A little Monsoon possibility won't put a damper on this. Sounds like fun.

Coconino County 2008 Report to Citizens

It's another trip you only have to take to your mailbox. On the heels of Cityscape, see our post, we just received the Coconino County 2008 Report to Citizens.

It's another excellent resource for all residents of Coconino County. This publication from the Office of the Board of Supervisors is 23 pages of must-know information. It covers everything from the Ready! Coconino emergency notification system on page 2, to volunteer opportunities on page 5, to employment, career and small business information on page 24. In between there's still more extremely important information.

If you didn't get your copy, you can contact Brenda Grey at 928.779.6695 or go to the Coconino County website, then click on "Citizens" and then on "Citizens Newsletter" to download the complete the report in pdf format.

Please take the time to read this entire publication. You'll be glad you did.

Short Trips Around Flagstaff This Weekend

Too many places to be. Too little time. That's how folks in Flagstaff may feel this weekend, July 19-20, 2008.

Here are just a few highlights:

• Lowell Observatory--Special lectures and telescope viewings both tonight and Sunday night. Sunday is Summer Star Fest. See Lowell.edu for details.
• Museum of Northern Arizona--THERIZINOSAUR--Mystery of Sickle-Claw Dinosaur among the most interesting things to see and do at MNA.
• Heritage Square-Downtown Flagstaff--Burnett Family Bluegrass today at 4 p.m. and Grand Canyon Guitar Society Concert tomorrow at 2 p.m.

See the complete weekend calendar at Flagstaff.org because it's shaping up to be a great summer weekend.

The Lady From Prescott Part II

It's way past time for another trip to Prescott. Back on June 28, I wrote about The Lady From Prescott and promised another post. Well, the dog ate my book, or more exactly it was lost somewhere between "It was mailed on June 26" and "It's July 18 and I didn't get my book yet." There's an SOS out, but nothing yet, so this is an interim post on Miss Sharlot Hall.

Today, let's take a virtual trip over to the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott. Currently, on the home page, there is a video of John Langellier's appearance on KAET, on June 10, to discuss the 80th anniversary of the museum. It's the perfect introduction to Sharlot Hall and her life's work, the museum which bears her name.

In addition to the online tours of the Governor's Mansion and the legacy of Sharlot Mabridth Hall , there is also an on-line only exhibit, Color and Texture: The Vibrant Art of Jack Dudley.

You'll want to stay awhile on this website and explore all the interesting information it has to offer, don't leave until you check out this index page.

We'll be joining you real soon down in Prescott at the real world Sharlot Hall Museum. And we'll also be revisiting Miss Hall as soon as we track down that book we want to share.

NAU Yearbooks Online

If you attended Northern Arizona University (NAU) and want to take a walk down Memory Lane or you just want to know a little more about NAU history, Cline Library and the Colorado Digital Archives gives you access to many yearbooks from 1915 to 1978. You can view them online at Northern Arizona University Yearbooks.

While you're browsing, don't overlook the advertisements. On page 6 of the 1915 volume of The Pine, the following ad appears: "For the Bachelor Girl or the School Girl--There's nothing like the Electric Iron--It weighs but 3 pounds--It costs but $2.50. HOTPOINT Traveller's Iron for pressing the Dainty Summer Waists, so dear to the heart of Girlhood. Use it right in your room." by FLAGSTAFF ELECTRIC LIGHT CO. "Do It Electrically"

Thank you NAU and Cline Library for giving us access to these priceless historical resources.

Discovery Space Op-Ed

Yesterday, Lowell Observatory Blog highlighted the new op-ed piece by Bob Millis, Lowell Observatory's Director, on Discovery Space. It's called Who Stole the Night Sky?

Kudos for a great job of focusing attention on the growing problem of light pollution. Here is a taste of this important opinion piece, given a national venue by Discovery:

"If Arizona, for example, were to adopt statewide the lighting practices required by the ordinances in Flagstaff and Coconino County, a recent study shows the state would save $30,000,000 dollars per year and stop 14,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being annually pumped into the atmosphere. Imagine these savings if the entire United States were to follow suit."

Be sure to read the rest of the article and follow the links in it. One of them leads to a video about the "Happy Jack" telescope.

North American Monsoon

Did you know that our monsoon rains actually have a name? According to CLIMAS at the University of Arizona, this major Southwest climate feature is called the North American Monsoon (NAM) and gives us our precious summer rains.

This climate system is featured in a new report, Border Climate Summary, which I just received from CLIMAS. You can download it as a pdf. The Coconino Chronicles first looked at Climate Assessment for the Southwest in this post.

The Border Climate Summary gives an excellent overview of the NAM and some programs that are currently underway to track and predict these vital monsoon rains.

Quilt Camp in the Pines 2008

This week, Flagstaff's NAU is the place to be if you're a quilter in Northern Arizona. Starting Sunday, July 13 and continuing through Saturday the 19th, Quilt Camp in the Pines draws not only local artisans, but quilters from all over the country. If you're local, it's not too late to attend a session at the last minute, since each quilting class is priced individually and there are still several classes that have open seats.

All the information and the class schedule is on the Internet at QuiltCamp.com.

2008 Pecos Conference in Flagstaff

The Pecos Conference, which will be held August 7-10, 2008, in Flagstaff, has been meeting for 80 years to informally discuss Southwestern prehistory. The first conference was held in the summer of 1927, the year before the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) opened its doors. Flagstaff and the MNA hosted the Pecos Conference for the first time in 1950 and most recently in 2001.

You will find all the particulars here, including registration forms, location of the four venues to be used this year and an overview of all the sessions, plus special events.

From the conference home page, "In recent years, Native Americans, avocational archaeologists, the general public and media organizations have come to play an increasingly important role, serving as participants and as audience, to celebrate archaeological research and to mark cultural continuity."

In case you have not heard, David R. Wilcox, Senior Research Anthropologist, MNA, the 2008 Conference Chairman, recently received this award: "The Arizona Archaeological Society announced at it’s Spring State Meeting in Flagstaff on May 24, 2008 that Dr David Wilcox, Senior Research Archaeologist at the Museum of Northern Arizona has been selected to receive The 2008 Professional Archaeologist of the Year Award from the AAS." (Press release from the Arizona Archaeological Society.)

By the way, the Northern Arizona Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society, meets the third Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., in The Peaks - Alpine Room (3150 N. Winding Brook Road, that Hwy 180 north of Flagstaff, just south of MNA.)

Flagstaff, circa 1890, Part II

We continue our trip (Part I) back to the Southwest of the late 19th century, as John L. Stoddard leaves Flagstaff by stage coach on his way to the Grand Canyon.

"One glorious September morning, leaving our train at Flagstaff, we started in stage-coaches for a drive of sixty-five miles to the Grand Canon. I had looked forward to this drive with some misgiving, dreading the heat of the sun, and the dust and sand which I had supposed we should encounter; but to my astonishment and delight it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was only eleven hours in duration, and not only was most of the route level, but two-thirds of it lay through a section of beautifully rolling land, diversified with open glades and thousands upon thousands of tall pines and cedars entirely free from undergrowth. It is no exaggeration to say that we drove that day for miles at a time over a road carpeted with pine needles. The truth is, Arizona, though usually considered a treeless and rainless country, possesses some remarkable exceptions; and the region near Flagstaff not only abounds in stately pine, but is at certain seasons visited by rainstorms which keep it fresh and beautiful. During our stay at the Grand Canon we had a shower every night; the atmosphere was marvelously pure, and aromatic with the odors of a million pines; and so exhilarating was exercise in the open air, that however arduous it might be, we never felt inconvenienced by fatigue, and mere existence gave us joy. Decidedly, then , it will not do to condemn the whole of Arizona because of the heat of its arid, southern plains; for the northern portion of the state is a plateau, with an elevation of from five thousand to seven thousand feet. Hence, as it is not latitude, so much as altitude, that gives us healthful, pleasing temperature, in parts of Arizona the climate is delightful during the entire year."

"A portion of this stage-coach journey led us over the flank of the great San Francisco Mountain. The isolated position, striking similarity, and almost uniform altitude of its four peaks, rising nearly thirteen thousand feet above the sea, have long made them famous. Moreover, they are memorable for having cast a lurid light upon the development of this portion of our planet. Cold, calm, and harmless though they now appear, the time has been when they contained a molten mass which needed but a throb of Earth's uneasy heart to light the heavens with an angry glare, and cover the adjoining plains with floods of fire. Lava has often poured from their destructive cones, and can be traced thence over a distance of thirty miles ; proving that they once served as vents for the volcanic force which the thin crust of earth was vainly striving to confine. But their activity is apparently ended. The voices with which they formerly shouted to one another in the joy of devastation have been silenced. Conquered at last, their fires smolder now beneath a barrier too firm to yield, and their huge forms appear like funeral monuments reared to the memory of the power buried at their base. Another fascinating sight upon this drive was that of the Painted Desert whose variously colored streaks of sand, succeeding one another to the rim of the horizon, made the vast area seem paved with bands of onyx, agate, and carnelian. About the hour of noon we reached a lunch.station at which the stages, going to and from the Canon, meet and pass. The structure itself is rather primitive ; but a good meal is served to tourists at this wayside halting.place, and since our appetites had been sharpened by the long ride and tonic.giving air, it seemed to us the most delicious of repasts. The principal object of one of the members of our party, in making the journey described in these pages, was to determine the advisability of building a railroad from Flagstaff to the Canon. Whether this will be done eventually is not, however, a matter of vital interest to travelers, since the country traversed can easily be made an almost ideal coaching.route; and with good stages, frequent relays of horses, and a well-appointed lunch-station, a journey thus accomplished would be preferable to a trip by rail."

"Night had already come when we arrived at our destination, known as Hance's Camp, near the border of the Canon. As we drove up to it, the situation seemed enchanting in its peace and beauty ; for it is located in a grove of noble pines, through which the moon that night looked down in full-orbed splendor, paving the turf with inlaid ebony and silver, and laying a mantle of white velvet on the tents in which we were to sleep. Hance's log cabin serves as a kitchen and dining-room for travelers, and a few guests can even find lodging there; but, until a hotel is built, the principal dormitories must be the tents, which are provided with wooden floors and furnished with tables, chairs, and comfortable beds."

" This kind of accommodation, however, although excellent for travelers in robust health, is not sufficiently luxurious to attract many tourists. The evident necessity of the place is a commodious, well-kept inn, situated a few hundred feet to the rear of Hance's Camp, on the very edge of the Canon. If such a hotel, built on a spot commanding the incomparable view, were properly advert is ed and well.managed, I firmly believe that thousands of people would come here every year, on their way to or from the Pacific coast — not wishing or expecting it to be a place of fashion, but seeking it as a point where, close beside a park of pines, seven thousand feet above the level of the sea, one of the greatest marvels of the world can be enjoyed, in all the different phases it presents at morning, noon, and night, in sunshine, moonlight, and in storm. Early the next morning I eagerly climbed the little knoll at the foot of which our tents were located, for I well knew that from its summit I should see the Canon. Many grand objects in the world are heralded by sound : the solemn music of Niagara, the roar of active geysers in the Yellowstone, the intermittent thunder of the sea upon a rocky coast, are all distinguishable at some distance ; but over the Grand Canon of the Colorado broods a solemn silence. No warning voice proclaims its close proximity ; no partial view prepares us for its awful presence. We walk a few steps through the pine trees from the camp and suddenly find ourselves upon the Canon's edge. Just before reaching it, I halted for a moment, as has always been my wont when approaching for the first time any natural or historic object that I have longed for years to look upon. Around me rose the stately pines ; behind me was a simple stretch of rolling woodland ; nothing betrayed the nearness of one of the greatest wonders of the world. Could it be possible that I was to be disappointed ? At last I hurried through the intervening space, gave a quick look, and almost reeled."

"The globe itself seemed to have suddenly yawned asunder, leaving me trembling on the hither brink of two dissevered hemispheres. Vast as the bed of a vanished ocean, deep as Mount Washington, riven from its apex to its base, the grandest canon on our planet lay glittering below me in the sunlight like a submerged continent, drowned by an ocean that had ebbed away. At my very feet, so near that I could have leaped at once into eternity, the earth was cleft to a depth of six thousand six hundred feet — not by a narrow gorge, like other canons, but by an awful gulf within whose cavernous immensity the forests of the Adirondacks would appear like jackstraws, the Hudson Palisades would be an insignificant stratum, Niagara would be indiscernible, and cities could be tossed like pebbles. As brain grew steadier and vision clearer, I saw, directly opposite, the other side of the Canon thirteen miles away."

"It was a mountain wall, a mile in height, extending to the right and left as far as the eye could reach ; and since the cliff upon which I was standing was its counterpart, it seemed to me as if these parallel banks were once the shore-lines of a vanished sea. Between them lay a vast, incomparable void, two hundred miles in length, presenting an unbroken panorama to the east and west until the gaze could follow it no farther. Try to conceive what these dimensions mean by realizing that a strip of the State of Massachusetts, thirteen miles in width, and reaching from Boston to Albany, could be laid as a covering over this Canon, from one end to the other ; and that if the entire range of the White Mountains were flung into it, the monstrous pit would still remain comparatively empty ! Even now it is by no means without contents ; for, as I gazed with awe and wonder into its colossal area, I seemed to be looking down upon a colored relief.map of the mountain systems of the continent."

And here we leave John Stoddard as he admires the magnificent Grand Canyon.

Excerpted from John L. Stoddard's Lectures, Volume X, 1989, Boston, Balch Brothers Co. Now in public domain.

Flagstaff Hikes

A little trip down to Barnes and Noble Bookstore has yielded enough information for a good start on finding out about local day-trip hiking trails. Materials now in hand:

• Flagstaff Trails Map by Emmitt Barks Cartography


• Street Map of Flagstaff Plus Northern Arizona Rec. (this to replace one with such small print it was useless) by North Star Mapping


• Flagstaff Hikes--97 Day Hikes around Flagstaff, Arizona by Richard & Sherry Mangum

You know that Flagstaff has some of the best hiking trails in the world. You know they're out there, so how to find them? The Mangums have given us the perfect book to help us learn about the ones in and close to Flagstaff. He wrote the text and drew the maps and she took the photographs.

They used an ideal two-page spread layout for each hike, complete with a small detail map and photo. It's all here in a nutshell, directions, driving distance, hike distance, difficulty and rise in elevation. With all the little extra bits of information that only someone who had actually gone on the hikes, Flagstaff Hikes is a keeper.

Flagstaff July 10, 2008

Cityscape Summer 2008

This is one trip we don't need to take. Cityscape is the quarterly publication of the City of Flagstaff and it comes right to your mailbox. It's forty-four pages filled with all the news about city-sponsored programs and events, plus information about the city government.

The Summer 2008 issue is just out. And since it is summer, Flagstaff Parks and Recreation takes center stage. But, you'll also find updates from the library, public works, the convention bureau, Flagstaff Pathways, water conservation, fire safety and community development. It really is an excellent publication.

Of special note in this issue is something new to Flagstaff:

"Flagstaff's 15-Minute Makeover...Coming this fall: the first annual Flagstaff 15-Minute Makeover! Together, we can put the clean back into our community. The 15-Minute Makeover will be a community-wide litter cleanup/beautification project that will take place simultaneously throughout Flagstaff on October 15 at 10:15 am. Keeping Flagstaff clean and beautiful is up to all of us. A clean city is a safe city! Stay tuned for more information..." From page 6 of Summer 2008 Cityscape.

What an innovative idea! Our grandmother's always said "many hands make light work" and this is especially true if those hands include all the citizens of Flagstaff. What a difference those fifteen minutes will make in our city environment. Mark your calendars and like Cityscape said "stay tuned for more information." Spread the word.

If you somehow missed your copy Cityscape or you need additional copies, contact the Public Information Officer at 928-779-7603. You can also download as a pdf from the Flagstaff website, but the summer issue isn't up yet, you'll get spring.

Photo from a walk this morning. Nothing like the scent of petunias.

Flagstaff Blogs

Take a look at the Blogs of Note that we've added to the side bar:

• The Lowell Observatory Blog--We talked about this one here. It's updated regularly with the latest news of what's happening at the Observatory on Mars Hill here in Flagstaff.
  
• Flagstaff Daily Photo by Dustin--This blog widget gives a little birdseye view of his most recent posts. He says he's a very amateur photographer, but his beautiful photos don't exactly back up that description. Hope you'll click on the widget title and go see his work. Be sure to check out the archived posts.

If you know about any other Flagstff Blogs of Note, post a comment and let us know.

Flagstaff, circa 1890

Our trip today takes us all the way back to the Flagstaff of the late 19th century, as seen through the eyes of John L. Stoddard, American traveler and lecturer. This is how he arrived in Flagstaff. We pick up his story, in his own words, during a visit to Lowell Observatory.

"Upon a hill near Flagstaff stands an astronomical observatory from which distinguished students of the midnight skies search for the secrets of the moon and stars. Few better sites on earth could have been chosen for this purpose, since Arizona's atmosphere is so transparent that the extent of celestial scenery here disclosed is extraordinary.

We visited the structure at the solemn hour that marks the hush between two days, when the last sound of one has died away, and before the first stir of the other thrills the morning air. Then, gazing through the lenses of its noble telescope, we welcomed the swift waves of light pulsating toward us from the shoreless ocean we call space. There is a mysterious beauty about the radiance of a star that far surpasses that of the moon. The latter glitters only with reflected light; but a star (that is to say a distant sun), when seen through a telescope, frequently scintillates with different colors like a diamond, and quivers like a thing of life. Moreover, the moon, forever waxing, waning, or presenting almost stupidly its great flat face, is continually changing ; but the fixed star is always there."


"It fills the thoughtful soul with awe to look upon the starry heavens through such an instrument as that at Flagstaff. Space for the moment seems annihilated. We are apparently transported, as observers, from our tiny planet to the confines of our solar system, and, gazing thence still farther toward infinity, we watch with bated breath the birth, the progress, and the death of worlds."

"To one of the most distant objects in the depths of space, known as the Ring Nebula, the author addressed the following lines :

TO THE RING NEBULA

O, pallid spectre of the midnight skies!

Whose phantom features in the dome of Night

Elude the keenest gaze of wistful eyes

Till amplest lenses aid the failing sight,

On heaven's blue sea the farthest isle of fire,

From thee. whose glories it would fain admire,

Must vision, baffled, in despair retire !

What art thou ghostly visitant of flame ?

Wouldst thou 'neath closer scrutiny dissolve

In myriad suns that constellations frame,

Round which life-freighted satellites revolve,

Like those unnumbered orbs which nightly creep

In dim procession o'er the azure steep,

As white-wing'd caravans the desert sweep ?

Or, art thou still an incandescent mass,

Acquiring form as hostile forces urge,

Through whose vast length a million lightnings pass

As to and fro its fiery billows surge,

Whose glowing atoms, whirled in ceaseless strife

Where now chaotic anarchy is rife,

Shall yet become the fair abodes of life ?

We know not ; for the faint, exhausted rays

Which hither on Light's winged coursers come

From fires which ages since first lit their blaze,

One instant gleam, then perish, spent and dumb !

How strange the thought that, whatsoe'er we learn,

Our tiny globe no answer can return,

Since with but dull, reflected beams we burn !

Yet this we know ; yon ring of spectral light,

Whose distance thrills the soul with solemn awe,

Can ne'er escape in its majestic might

The firm control of omnipresent law.

This mote descending to its bounden place,

Those suns whose radiance we can scarcely trace,

Alike obey the Power pervading space."

"One glorious September morning, leaving our train at Flagstaff, we started in stage-coaches for a drive of sixty-five miles to the Grand Canon. I had looked forward to this drive with some misgiving, dreading the heat of the sun, and the dust and sand which I had supposed we should encounter ; but to my astonishment and delight it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was only eleven hours in duration, and not only was most of the route level, but two-thirds of it lay through a section of beautifully rolling land, diversified with open glades and thousands upon thousands of tall pines and cedars entirely free from undergrowth. It is no exaggeration to say that we drove that day for miles at a time over a road carpeted with pine needles. The truth is, Arizona, though usually considered a treeless and rainless country, possesses some remarkable exceptions ; and the region near Flagstaff not only abounds in stately pines, but is at certain seasons visited by rainstorms which keep it fresh and beautiful."


Excerpted from John L. Stoddard's Lectures, Volume X, 1989, Boston, Balch Brothers Co. Now in public domain.

To be continued . . .

Yes! Rain! Sorry Flagstaff Community Market

It's actually raining! Not just sprinkles, which is all we have gotten for the last week. I know Flagstaff has officially (at least according to the Weather Channel) accumulated three-tenths of an inch for July, but we didn't have more than a few drops each time it "rained" here. If you look very closely, you can see that's real rain water on the rocks.

Apologies to the Flagstaff Community Market for my exuberance about the rain. They're right in the middle of their weekly market. In case you don't know about this farmer's market, it's open 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. each Sunday morning from June 8 through October 12, 2008. You can see the location and a map here. Once you shop the market, you'll be going back all summer.

Now it is really coming down. When it stops, hopefully sometime tomorrow, I'll be the first one out and about to get pictures. It always looks so fresh, and even more beautiful, after our rains here.

Fourth of July 2008

"They took the blue of heaven and the white of the milkyway

and bound them with the rays of the sun,

and made the American flag;

and when they placed that banner in the sky,

it became the flag of liberty,

and carried to every shore

and into every clime

the message of freedom

and human progress."

From "The American Flag" by Ross Winn

circa 1898

Eagle and American Flag
Pam Roth 2005

Flag with Lens Flare

Jonathan Thorne 2007

Hoover Dam Downstream Face

DOD 1996

Back in Time--A Trip to the Grand Canyon

1871 William Henry Jackson

Thomas Moran Fishing

circa 1929 George A. Grant

From Yavapai Point, Looking up Bright Angel Creek

circa 1930 Henry G. Peabody
Bright Angel Trail

circa 1930 Henry G. Peabody
Road at Grand Canyon

circa 1936 Natt N. Dodge
North Rim Forest Fire

Credit all photos: National Park Service Photograph Collection

Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library

Let's head out to the library. It's just short trip to Aspen and Birch Avenue, across from City Hall and right next to Wheeler Park. Of course, there is also the the East Flagstaff branch at 3000 N. Fourth Street.

Before you go, take a look at Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library. This page lists the library hours and the days they're closed.

While you're there on the website, check out access to Rosetta Stone. By selecting the link from the library and registering, you can access the Rosetta Stone Online Language Learning Center. You can learn English, French, German, Italian, Russian & Spanish. Remember that each time you want to log on to this great resource, you need to go through the library link.

Don't forget the Calendar of Events. They have some very interesting exhibits at the main library this summer. You'll also find events for all ages from newborn (really) through adult.

Since you'll be visiting the physical library for those special events, while you're there be sure to go to the circulation desk to ask about these resources:

• Playaways--Self-contained audio books. These little guys are battery-operated and play themselves. You check them out and use your own earphones and AAA battery. I had not heard of this format, but it sounds like a great idea. It's an audio book to go.
• Book Club Kits--Convenient storage box and eight books (8 copies of one book) with author information and discussion questions. One person checks the box out and distributes the books to the rest of the reading group. Twenty-three different book club kits are now available. Ever tried to find eight copies of a book to check out? And, you can check the kit out for 62 days, enough time to read the book and have discussions.

Flagstaff is really fortunate to have such a good library. It seems the staff really puts a lot of thought into gathering its reading resources.