The day after our sunny trip to the Grand Canyon, around a foot of snow descended upon Flagstaff (elevation 7,000 feet). We changed our plans from driving down to Sedona, to heading a bit higher into the mountains to a nordic center, where we rented cross country skies. The conditions were blizzard-like, with high winds and heavy amounts of snowfall. Our tracks were completely covered upon return to our original path, and the only way we knew we were following a trail was due to little orange blazes nailed to trees every fifty feet or so.
After the snowy adventure, we returned to Jacquie's and walked to a bar where Jacquie and Kate enjoyed beers and I had a refreshing Pepsi. Then it was dinnertime at Jacquie's place.
The following day we drove back to Vegas to return Kate to the airport for her flight home to Portland. We tried to convince her to change her flight back, but that whole work thing got in the way.
Jacquie and I then drove north to Zion National Park. Thanks to the National Park Service, I have posted a map to show our route (click to enlarge).
Zion was absolutely spectacular, and in such a remote setting. There were few tourists, but it was apparent that this will soon change with summer's arrival. We checked into a great little hotel in the quaint little town of Springdale on the edge of the park.
We planned a good hike up to Angel's Landing. In the photo above, Jacquie is pointing to where we would soon ascend.
Looking down at the route we had just followed.
And continuing up...
Soon we were in a snowier zone, and the climb was getting a little more precarious.
We reached the last stretch of this trail, which we began to ascend, but as we gripped onto chains and tried to find safe footing on ice, we decided to turn around.
The photo above shows the route we would have taken, which traverses over the narrow point of rock to the cliff in the center of the photo. Once again, this confirmed that our decision to turn around was a good one. The views were plenty nice from where we were too.
If you look closely, you can see the road far down below.
On our way back down, passing through a switchback section called Walter's Wiggles.
One of many Juniper trees along the trail
Jacquie and the beautiful layers of sandstone
View from below the upper falls, where the Emerald Pools lie.
After two days in the park, we had to venture back south to Flagstaff. If you reference the map above again, we made our way down to Hurricane, on to Pipespring National Monument, then followed Hwy 89 past the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Along this route was the infamous town of Colorado City, where a community of Morman Fundamentalists live. We stopped at the mercantile in town and were stared at by women who looked much different from us. They sported long, shapeless dresses, and their hair was braided in a peculiar way. This stop was all the more interesting to me as I am in the middle of the book
Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer, which addresses this town in particular, and the practice of polygamy.
In the photo above are the Vermillion Cliffs. Much of our drive through northern Arizona looked this way, with wide open expanses of arid land, and stunning rock formations. There were few cars and hardly a person was in sight. We arrived back in Flagstaff at dusk, ate Mexican food at La Fonda, and the following day Jacquie drove me down to Phoenix to catch my flight home. It was such an adventure of a trip, and reaffirmed that I am lucky to have friends like Kate and Jacquie.
After the snowy adventure, we returned to Jacquie's and walked to a bar where Jacquie and Kate enjoyed beers and I had a refreshing Pepsi. Then it was dinnertime at Jacquie's place.
The following day we drove back to Vegas to return Kate to the airport for her flight home to Portland. We tried to convince her to change her flight back, but that whole work thing got in the way.
Jacquie and I then drove north to Zion National Park. Thanks to the National Park Service, I have posted a map to show our route (click to enlarge). 
Zion was absolutely spectacular, and in such a remote setting. There were few tourists, but it was apparent that this will soon change with summer's arrival. We checked into a great little hotel in the quaint little town of Springdale on the edge of the park.
We planned a good hike up to Angel's Landing. In the photo above, Jacquie is pointing to where we would soon ascend.
Looking down at the route we had just followed.
And continuing up...
Soon we were in a snowier zone, and the climb was getting a little more precarious.
We reached the last stretch of this trail, which we began to ascend, but as we gripped onto chains and tried to find safe footing on ice, we decided to turn around. 
The photo above shows the route we would have taken, which traverses over the narrow point of rock to the cliff in the center of the photo. Once again, this confirmed that our decision to turn around was a good one. The views were plenty nice from where we were too.
If you look closely, you can see the road far down below.
On our way back down, passing through a switchback section called Walter's Wiggles.
One of many Juniper trees along the trail
Jacquie and the beautiful layers of sandstone
View from below the upper falls, where the Emerald Pools lie.
After two days in the park, we had to venture back south to Flagstaff. If you reference the map above again, we made our way down to Hurricane, on to Pipespring National Monument, then followed Hwy 89 past the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Along this route was the infamous town of Colorado City, where a community of Morman Fundamentalists live. We stopped at the mercantile in town and were stared at by women who looked much different from us. They sported long, shapeless dresses, and their hair was braided in a peculiar way. This stop was all the more interesting to me as I am in the middle of the book Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer, which addresses this town in particular, and the practice of polygamy.
In the photo above are the Vermillion Cliffs. Much of our drive through northern Arizona looked this way, with wide open expanses of arid land, and stunning rock formations. There were few cars and hardly a person was in sight. We arrived back in Flagstaff at dusk, ate Mexican food at La Fonda, and the following day Jacquie drove me down to Phoenix to catch my flight home. It was such an adventure of a trip, and reaffirmed that I am lucky to have friends like Kate and Jacquie.
