Thursday, December 29, 2011

Dispatches from the Road: Cold White Volcanoes and Fiery Red Sunsets

Mostly a day on the highway, making the 400 mile long drive from Tucson to the Grand Canyon. Didn't stop for photos at all, really, except for the moment we crossed a snow covered meadow at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona's active volcanic field (the last eruption was only 900 or so years ago at Sunset Crater). The peaks reach nearly 13,000 feet, and Humphreys Peak is the highest point in Arizona. They once stood much higher. The stratovolcano lost its summit during a major eruption/avalanche similar to Mt. St. Helens, or from the much slower process of glacial erosion.
We arrived in Grand Canyon in the last moments of a beautiful sunset. The canyon was already falling into shadow, but the sky was on fire all around us.
 Getting some rest tonight, and looking forward to some sightseeing tomorrow!

2 comments:

Gaelyn said...

Got to love those canyon sunsets. Make me homesick. Yet I'll be there at the end of January.

Does this mean you next summer field trip will go to the South Rim instead of the more spectacular North Rim?

Garry Hayes said...

Hi Gaelyn! I hate to say it, but yes, we are going to the south rim this year. I tried for the north rim but the group sites were already taken on the dates that we needed.