Walnut Canyon National Monument, Flagstaff, Arizona

Our last day in Flagstaff we explored Walnut Canyon National Monument. I think it gets its name from the aerial view--it looks just like a walnut with a stream running around it. Long ago, it was home to cliff dwellers in the area. To get to the cliff dwellings, you have to walk down over 200 stairs. As you walk down the stairs, you can see cliff dwellings in the sides of the cliffs all around you. Only the ones on the 'walnut' are open to visitors.

 This elevation marker was near the visitor center.

 Here you can see the dwellings that haven't been excavated. They are on the opposite cliff from the visitor center as you walk down the stairs.

 The ceilings of the dwellings seem low to us, but the people who lived in them had an average height of 5'2. Bob was able to stand up outside this room, but inside, he had to duck.

 The west side of the shell was shaded most of the day and had growth to prove it. Trees and plants were healthy and tall.

 Bob and I have been having fun with his new camera. The self-timer takes three pictures whereas the old camera only took one. We try to change poses for each flash!

 Once again it was amazing to see how plants and trees clung to the rocks to live. The east side of the 'walnut' was in the sun most of the day and the plants lived in a more arid zone. This Indian paintbrush found just enough soil in the rocks to survive.

 On our walk back to the top, Bob took a picture of the trail as we looked down to see where we had been.

 Once we regained our collective breaths from the climb, we walked the rim trail. Bob and I both thought the rock across from us had petroglyphs on it, but it was hard to tell. It may have just been black marks where the water drains from the rocks.

We enjoyed our trip to Walnut Canyon, but it was time to head back to Sol to plan our next stop. When we got back to Sol, the camp host invited us to happy hour. Another couple, who live 6 months in Germany and 6 months in the states had arrived. Once again we found out how small a world this is. The gentleman who lives in Germany asked where we were from and we found out his parents had lived in Deland for many years! Then we told them about Bobby--the lady has a cousin who lives in the same village!  We enjoyed our visit and will return to Pine View RV Park the next time we are in the area.