Happy New Year 2009

Just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a peaceful and happy new year!

Stay safe out there!


See you in 2009!

Arizona Snowbowl is Open for 2008-2009

It's been a great two weeks for the Snowbowl. The latest snow report is:

• 12-16" in the last 24 hours
• 13-17" storm total
• 36-60" settled snow depth

And the latest forecast is for an additional 12" or more by Friday.

If you want to get in some skiing over the holidays, just remember that chains or 4-wheel drive are required.

Get the latest snow reports and details for the lifts and lodging at Arizona Snowbowl.

Northern Arizona Snow

Just the beginning of our first heavy snowfall. It's difficult to get a true picture of how much snow we saw in the early morning light, since I'm not venturing any further out than the deck. At least 9 inches around Flagstaff. Maybe Friday morning I'll be brave enough to get out and about to get some pics at the end of this winter event.


Schools and college classes are cancelled, so it's a great day to be snug and warm inside.

National Monuments Trip

If you haven't visited Flagstaff Area Monuments for a while, it's time to think about taking that day trip. Last week we visited Walnut Canyon, stopped in at the Sunset Crater visitor center and then took the loop drive around to Wupatki and Highway 89. We didn't have enough time to take any of the trails or visit the Publeos at Wupatki, but will get back soon if the snow doesn't ruin the plans.

This should remind you of why you need to take this trip:

Down into Walnut Canyon

Walnut Canyon Wall

Toward Wupatki on the Loop Road
Painted Desert in the Distance

Here's the link to an article about the Flagstaff Monuments that I wrote for Southwest US Travel at About.com.

Coconino Chronicles Celebration

This is Post #100 for The Coconino Chronicles! It's an exciting day around here. But, no rest for the those who have so much to explore and write about.

We'll be starting on the the road to 200 posts tomorrow, with an update on our day trip to Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater and Wupatki. Here's a sneak peek:

San Francisco Peaks

Walnut Canyon Visitor Center

Mars 3-D Photos Released

Remember the Mars Exhibit at Lowell Observatory? Now you can seesome spectacular pictures online, at the Arizona Daily Star. Thanks to Arizona Geology Blog for this link.

The University of Arizona High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter did fantastic work.

Kudos!

Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona

USS Arizona Memorial

Courtesy NPS Collection

Today we remember Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona and all those who lost their lives in the December 7, 1941 attack and those who live with the scars and the memories of that day. The USS Arizona sank within nine minutes of being hit by an armor-piercing bomb that ignited her forward ammunition magazine, taking 1,177 lives. The USS Utah and the USS Oklahoma were also destroyed. A total of 21 ships were either sunk or damaged. A total of 2,388 lives were lost and 1178 were wounded.

This attack led to the United States becoming involved in WWII. The citizens of Northern Arizona, including Flagstaff, Hopi and Navajo communities, joined the rest of the country in the massive war effort. If you want to learn about this time, read Arizona's War Town: Flagstaff, Navajo Ordinance Depot, and World War II by John S. Westerlund.

The National Park Service is tasked with preserving and protecting the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, which spans the mid-section of the ship that still lies underwater where she sank. The Memorial website gives an overview of the history of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, including historic pictures, a submerged cultural resources study and the thoughts of survivors.

For more resources, visit the Arizona Memorial Museum website.

Eugene Shoemaker Video

We just discovered this video from TLC' "Solar Empire." It features a wonderful two-minute clip of Eugene Shoemaker. This is the first video of him that I've seen.

He talks about "discovering" evidence of a meteor impact crater right here in northern Arizona, after looking at it for 30 years. I just wish it was longer. Flagstaff and the world certainly lost a real treasure when we lost him.

See the video at Solar Empire: Impact Craters on Earth. If you aren't familiar with Dr. Shoemaker, you can learn about him, his work and how his life was cut short at USGS About: People.