While we've got a running list of places in and around Flagstaff we want to go to, when the right opportunity presents itself sometimes we stray from that in favor of a place we've never even heard of. Enter Concho, AZ. In the middle of nowhere not far from the Petrified Forest and the White Mountains (two places that are on our list) my coworker informed me that there was a lavender festival happening over the 4th of July weekend. After finding a Groupon for two entrance fees and two u-pick bundles of lavender, we knew we had to check out Red Rock Lavender and their annual festival. Okay, so maybe Johnny wasn't quite sold at first. He was interested enough to agree to the trip but upon exiting the farm admitted to me that it had been better than he expected. For the first hour or so we wandered around the fields of different varieties of lavender (who knew there were so many!?) and checked out their shop where we picked up a Betty Blue lavender plant for our own garden. Bees bumbled around our ankles and feet as we navigated the neatly and evenly planted rows but paid no mind to us. According to the staff, the lavender is not only a jackpot of pollen but, unsurprisingly, has a calming affect on them as well. After we had our fill of wandering and picture taking, we headed over to the u-pick field where we were handed clippers, instructions on how to clip only stocks of lavender at their prime, and were sent on our way. After a few morning sprinkles, the sun finally broke through the clouds and warmed our necks as we hovered from plant to plant. With lavender in hand and red clay stuck to our feet, we departed the farm and set off to enjoy our picnic lunch we had packed in the nearby Petrified Forest. One of the best investments we've made in our first year of marriage and living in Flagstaff is our Interagency Annual pass. We originally bought it upon our first trip to the Grand Canyon with the thought that we would likely end up back there at some point within the year. Despite having only been to the Grand Canyon that one time, we've encountered a multitude of other places that accept the pass. I plan to write a post in the future about where we've used it and how much we've saved in just a year but suffice it to say that had we not been passholders, we may not have stopped for lunch in the Petrified Forest as for those without the pass there's a $10 entrance fee. Our last stop on our way back to Flagstaff was at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook on Route 66. Johnny explored a rusted out truck and more well-kept classic cars while I marveled at the white, wigwams set against an unusually grey, Arizona sky. The scent of lavender filled our car the rest of the ride back to Flagstaff and promptly upon our return home we settled in for the night, tired from the sun, adventure, and lavender.
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"I hate Arizona! It's so brown and dry and ugly" - words that actually came out of my mouth many times growing up. Every summer, my family and I would pack our bags and say goodbye to Minnesota and all her glorious lakes and summer days to sweat it out in the Sonoran desert of southern Arizona while visiting my grandparents. I don't care how many times people told us it was a "dry heat," it doesn't matter when it's over 100 - it's still stinking miserable! It wasn't until college, and the opportunity to travel during less inferno-like times of the year, that I actually started to appreciate the saguaros and brown, mountain vistas - but still, I never thought I'd move there. Enter Flagstaff and my cross-country job search. I don't know what led me to it but after a simple Google search, I was surprised to discover that Arizona was not all desert wasteland. When the offer came just two short days after we married, the pros outweighed the cons and we both said "yes!" to the opportunity to make our first home together in this cool, Arizonan oasis. We're lucky to get the best of both worlds here in Flagstaff - snow in the winter but palm tree lined boulevards of Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas just a short drive away. Even luckier, our summers lack humidity but, unlike our neighbors to the south, typically hover around the mid- to upper-70s. And we still get those incredible Arizonan sunsets; sunsets my favorite book and author would describe as "smeared with too much color." We are the few and lucky folk that call such a place home. On a late June evening, we decided to head up the mountain, chicken pesto sandwiches and fresh cut watermelon in tow, to catch just one of the many spectacular sunsets we too often seem to take for granted now. Picnicking has swiftly become one of our favorite low-key activities. We usually pack leftovers or food we make at home and we always have the old quilt of my grandma's to spread out on. After a long couple weeks of Orientation, my body and soul were happy to simply sit and watch the sinking sun. Being up at over 9,000 ft, the air cooled as the sky deepened from warm oranges and reds to hazy, Smoky Mountain-esque purples and blues. And so we headed back down the mountain, happier than we had been in awhile to call this place, and even this state, home.
On our last day in Telluride, we again decided to do a hike. The hike to Cornet Falls, while much shorter (only .5 miles roundtrip!), was probably even more difficult than our previous day's. Catching the trail in a neighborhood on the north end of town just a short walk from downtown we started the steep incline to the top. The hike up must have taken at least 15-20, solely because of the steep grade. Despite some whining from a flat-lander (that was me!), we made it to the top and I can't tell you how worth it it was. Surprising myself, I suggested we take a walk on the other side of the falls and offered to be the first to do it - so unlike myself but something about this place made me feel like there was no better idea in the world. Scaling the washed out sides with a tight grip on the wet, red rock Colorado walls, I snuck behind as I was blasted with freshly melted icy water daggers. Those thirty seconds behind the rushing water was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. After a much faster hike down from Cornet Falls, we packed up, checked out of our hotel and said goodbye to this place that felt so special to us after spending just 48 hours there. Unable to completely say "goodbye" just yet, we stopped at Trout Lake a few miles down the road to take in the views and our leftover Thai food from the night before. Winslow took a nap on the rocky shore while we bathed in the late springtime sun unable to break from this break in reality. From the second we arrived in Telluride, there was never doubt in my mind that we'd be back again soon - in fact we're already in talks with some Flagstaff friends to return possibly as soon as later this year! Telluride might be tiny in size but, as cheesy as it sounds, it really is larger than life and we haven't forgotten about it in the slightest!
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