Sunday, June 13, 2010

Flagstaff Arizona, on Vacation

A few days ago, we got a room for 3 nights in Flagstaff. I had pictured Arizona as being all desert, and with wide stretches of emptiness. WRONG. It does have desert areas, but Flagstaff is in a national forest. Arizona is a land of contrasts.
On that first night in Arizona, we went to Lowell observatory, where Pluto was discovered. They had a star viewing that night and I was able to view Venus and Saturn. This was my first time to see a huge telescope that required its own housing. It was surprising when the tires started turning as the dome rotated. Seeing Saturn caused me to say, “Wow!” I was actually seeing Saturn through a telescope, and not just in a magazine or on a website. We saw Venus through a smaller telescope, and it looked a lot like a round light bulb.
It was difficult to get back to the hotel that night. Flagstaff streets seemed confusing to us. We soon learned that the best thing to do is use I-40 as much as possible. We were eager to get back to the room and get some rest. The next day was going to be full of discovery.
southwest paintings southwest canvas prints southwest prints southwest framed prints southwest acrylic prints southwest metal prints southwest greeting cards southwest posters