Leaving the sweltering Valley heat behind us, we arrived two and half hours later in Flagstaff where the temperature was in the high 60's and the sky was overcast. What a sweet respite! We soon found our first geological formation, Humphreys Peak (#87 on my "100 Things to See in Arizona" list).
Humphreys Peak is the highest natural point in Arizona with an elevation of 12,637 feet. It is the 153rd highest mountain peak in North America. Number one is Mount McKinley in Alaska (20,320 feet).
Humphreys Peak is part of the San Francisco Peaks. A very long time ago the San Francisco Peaks were joined together in one huge volcanic mountain. Eventually the volcano erupted blowing off the top of the mountain and leaving a ring of peaks which we see today. We could easily see this from Sunset Crater.
Humphreys Peak looks "short" only because it is so far away. Agassiz Peak, the second highest at 12, 356 feet, is often mistaken for Humphreys Peak. While I have seen the San Francisco Peaks many times, I was never quite sure which one was Humphreys Peak - until now.
And turning 180 degrees around, we saw Sunset Crater!
Sunset Crater was not on my "100 Things" list because I have explored it several times in the past; it is well-worth the trip!
We contemplated hiking to the peak of Humphreys Peak... briefly. It is about a four and a half mile trek with a 3,333 foot elevation gain to the summit. The trail is rocky and narrow at the summit which has caused more than a few hiker's demise. Winds at the top can, and often are, over 50 miles per hour. Lightning strikes are frequent. Weather changes in a heartbeat. Park rangers told us only serious, well-prepared hikers should attempt it - and many don't make it to the summit the first time due to weather or altitude sickness. That was enough to convince us to enjoy it from afar!
I was happy just to finally figure out which one was Humphreys Peak.
After lunch, we drove another hour and a half north and the forested mountains gave way to a sandy, high desert terrain. Our destination was Page at the edge of Lake Powell. There are several places in the vicinity we wanted to explore and Page was our home-away-from-home for a few days. Our hotel room overlooked the Vermillion Cliffs (#74) and I never tired of gazing at them!
From our balcony, shortly after sunRISE, the cliffs were lit up like they were on fire.
The Vermillion Cliffs are actually one layer, or step, of a much larger geological feature called the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona and southern Utah. These escarpments extend north from the Grand Canyon and are named for their color (Chocolate Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs, White Cliffs, Gray Cliffs and Pink Cliffs). The sandstone rock is rich in minerals which gives each step its unique coloring. The Vermillion Cliffs, for example, get their vibrant color from the iron oxide in the sandstone.
We wanted to watch the color changes on the west side of the Vermillion Cliffs as the sun went down. It rained every afternoon we were in Page but we hoped it would be clear enough on the afternoon we set out to tour the Vermillion Cliffs that it would be a pretty sunset. We headed out US-89, turned onto US-89A and the rain began. After an intense but short rain shower, we were treated to the stunning beauty of the cliffs.
The cliffs rise 1500 feet; to describe them as "impressive" is an understatement!
The scenery looked like it came straight out of a western movie. It wasn't difficult to imagine the bad guys in their black Stetsons, with their horses tethered to a tree, splitting up the loot from the train robbery in one of the small canyons at the foot of the cliffs.
As the rain clouds moved off and the sky cleared, the cliffs took on a reddish hue.
We turned off on a dirt road to watch the sunset. We were there for about an hour and didn't see another car. It was quiet - just the chirping of birds and grasshoppers broke the silence. The air smelled clean and sweet from the recent rain and a slight breeze cooled the air.
This stretch of the Vermillion Cliffs is about ten miles long.
I set up my camera and began taking photos every 15 to 30 seconds. There wasn't much difference comparing one photo to the one immediately after it - but the difference was huge when comparing one photo to one 50 frames later. Change occurred so slowly it almost appeared not to change at all. Until it had.
The Vermillion Cliffs in glorious technicolor!
The cliffs changed color several times as the sun dipped lower and then disappeared beyond the horizon and again as sunlight was reflected off the clouds. Just when we thought the show was over, they would light up again.
Our dirt road stretched on for miles and miles.
"There is no way in which a man can earn a star or deserve a sunset." G.K. Chesterton
As we watched the last bits of color fade away, we concluded it had been a very good sunset and a perfect end to our day.
Thumb Up or Down: UP!
Miles Round Trip: see next post
Miles to Date: see next post
Percent of List Completed: 80%
Date of This Trip: August 30 - September 3, 2012
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