Greg and I spent this weekend in Flagstaff. I love Flagstaff - it is a combination of the mining and timber industries meeting cutting-edge geology and astronomical research, with a lot of environmental activists and young neo-hippies. It's a small town with all the usual amenities, scenery that can't be beat, and a night sky that makes me giddy.

I also love our approach to our Flagstaff weekend getaways - do a little hiking, enjoy food at our favorite haunts (Macy's Coffee House, Beaver Street Brewery), and take guilt-free naps. This weekend was particulary lovely.

On Saturday, we visited Walnut Canyon National Monument. One of the amazing things about living in Arizona is that pueblos and cliff dwellings dating back almost 1000 years are all over the place. Walnut Canyon is great because you have direct access to the dwellings.

The first thing that you see from the visitors' center is cliff dwellings across the canyon - see those things that look like windows?

After a mildly strenuous hike, you can reach some dwellings and get a feel for how extensive they were.

Greg likes hiding in cliff dwellings.

This canyon was forged by Walnut Creek, and the south-facing side exhibits desert flora, while the north-facing side is alpine - a contrast seen throughout the Flagstaff area.

We started off our Sunday morning by hiking the Buffalo Park urban trail. Flagstaff has over 20 miles of urban trails. Nice view, eh?

And, of course, the view doesn't stop once you leave Flagstaff. You just have to love the view of Sedona from the rest area near McGuireville.

Hmm...Sedona...haven't been there in ages. Guess we'll have to plan another weekend trip.

Hope you enjoyed the images!