Vermilion Cliffs, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volano National Monuments

September 16th and 17th-  If you ever have the opportunity to drive south from Utah into Arizona, you will discover there are only a couple of options for highways to choose from- Highway 89 or Highway 89 Alternate.  We have driven both in the past, the first heading more east/northeast into Page before heading south, the second just heading south.  Both are considered scenic drives.  However, 89 Alternate drops down into a valley, then hugs the base of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.  The monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, not the Park Service, so has no visitor center or developed roads by which to explore.  However, what you can see from the highway is really beautiful.  This particular drive was nice, as there was blue sky but lots of fluffy clouds to create shadows on the red cliffs.  As you near the end of the cliffs, there is a small pull-off with large stones, an old stone cabin, and almost always a group of Native American women set up with jewelry and other items.  We always stop and purchase a few items.  Turns out one of the women's sons was an emergency responder who had just gone to North Carolina to help out.

As you may have figured out, we decided to head south from Bryce into Arizona, planning to stay somewhere in the Flagstaff area.  There are two monuments located just north of Flagstaff, with a circular drive off of 89, that we planned to see.  Our thought was just to do the drive, get back on 89 then head to Flagstaff.  In the meantime, we remembered what a nice experience we had in Williams, just west of Flagstaff, so called and booked to stay there.  Williams is one of the few towns that Rt. 66 still goes through the downtown, not as part of I-40.  

After reached the drive to the monuments, Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano, we made one stop on the way into the visitor center to see an old pueblo.  When we reached the Visitor Center, we were surprised to find there was more to this monument than we thought.  In back of the center was a self-directed tour of the Wupatki Pueblo.  This pueblo was built and was occupied during the 1100's, when puebloan people came together to build large farming communities.  By 1180, thousands of people farmed this area.  In a region that has little water and the climate can be extreme, they developed self-sustaining systems in order to survive.  Trade in this area was vital, with Wupatki a mix of the Sinagua, Chorina, and Kayenta Anasazi traditions.  The Wupatki pueblo, the largest in the monument with 100 rooms, plus outdoor plaza areas and sports areas, utilized materials at hand to build the multi-storied structure, including using standing cliffs as parts of the walls.  A really interesting tour.

After the tour of Wupatki, we continued on the drive, noting increasing amounts of black lava rock and some evidence of old lava flows- we were nearing the Sunset Volcano portion of the monument.  Unfortunately, we had spent so much time at Vermilion Cliffs and Wupatki, the visitor center for Sunset Volcano had closed.  We were able to get some information.  This volcano erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100.  It is the most recent eruption in the 6 million year history of volcanic activity near Flagstaff.  The volcano itself is 1000 feet high.  When it erupted, ash- the lightest of the particles sprayed from the vent- for about 800 square miles.  The entire event probably lasted between 6 months and one year.  The final glow from burning cinders surrounding the vent reminded people of a sunset- thus the name.  

The sun was setting by the time we left the monument.  We arrived in Williams somewhat later than we preferred- driving in the dark on unfamiliar roads with road construction most of the way- never fun.  However, we found a great restaurant right down the street from our hotel- all was well!

The next morning, we made a decision to stay an extra day.  Time for a little golf!  We found that Elephant Rocks golf course, a course we played in 2009 and liked, was still around, so opted to play there again.  It is a tough course, but nicely kept, so fun to play.  We joined up with a couple from the Tucson area, RV'ing in the mountains to get out of the desert heat.  We enjoyed playing with them, had a beer after, and got to know their history.  One of the benefits of travel- meeting new people!  We shared our information with them, and recommended they think about traveling to the southeast on one of their trips.  Next morning, we left to head further south, to the Sedona area.  Before we left, we went through the old downtown, again one of the remnant towns the Rt. 66 still serves.  Looks like they are more prosperous than our last visit, so good to see.