Climbing From Warm to Cool

Quote of the day:
“The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away.”
--Barbara Kingsolver

Quote of the day no. 2:
“If those who owe us nothing gave us nothing, how poor we would be.”
--Antonio Porchia

We took a drive this afternoon north from Cottonwood, Arizona, through Sedona to Flagstaff. The scenery along this route is stunning, as is the temperature change.

Cottonwood is in the high desert. The weather is quite warm in the summer, but is moderated by an altitude of 3000 feet. The air is a touch thinner, too.

Travel half an hour north and 1000 feet up and you’re in Sedona, which is set among spectacular towering red cliffs. It is a long-time magnet for artists, tourists, real estate brokers and seekers of the mysterious energy vortex.

Another 45 minutes and 3000 more feet brings you to Flagstaff, the coldest populated place in Arizona. You won’t find any cactus here, except in kitchen window boxes.

Flagstaff is not what most people think of when they think of Arizona. If you blindfolded me and dropped me in the middle of its charming downtown, I would assume I was in Colorado.

From there it’s just an hour and fifteen minutes to the Grand Canyon. And a lot of folks don’t realize that it’s in Arizona, too.