Last July, on our way back from the lavender festival, we stopped off for a picnic lunch at the Petrified Forest National Park. Since then we've been itching to go back and when better than with my parents in tow? We opted for a lesser known, largely unmarked trail at the recommendation of a coworker (thanks Justin!) and agreed, after having not run into another soul on the trail, that it was a sound choice. The Blue Forest trail starts out following an old road with vistas of the colorful teepees and Blue Mesa surrounded by glaring white sandstone. We took our time moseying along the old road keeping our eyes peeled for any evidence of petrified wood. Little did we know, we'd soon find ourselves surrounded by remnants of the old tropical forest this desert once was. Despite the midday rays, we completed most of the 1.2 mile one way trip but turned around after we couldn't determine which knife ridge to follow. I'd recommend this trail for adventurous souls that want to get away from the "crowd" and by "crowd" I mean the few hundred people in the park that day. In my opinion, one of the most appealing things about this park is that even on a beautiful Saturday in March, you can find your own corner of the park to enjoy in solitude.
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After a crazy few weeks spending time with our families down south, we finally had the chance to explore something closer to home when my parents came to visit last week. It's always so fun to have them in town and I'm incredibly proud to have such adventurous and supportive parents. Every time they visit, we have the best time exploring new places and usually baking a yummy dessert or two. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my spring break! One of the adventures we decided on was something we had again avoided prior to having our Forester: Fossil Creek. Read any guide or post about it online and you'll pretty much scare yourself out of attempting the drive. I saw the 14 mile winding gravel road described as "torturous" in more places than one. Don't let this scare you off too much though! While the drive isn't for the faint of heart (thanks to Johnny for driving!) isn't not as horrendous as most online resources claim. And even if it was, boy is it worth it. After the long drive, a short mile walk, peppered with smaller waterfalls, will lead you to the finale, Fossil Springs. There you will find plenty of people, a few brave cliff jumpers, and cool, inviting turquoise waters. We chose to go when my parents were here partly because it was outside the permit season. As of April 1, you will need to buy a parking permit through Recreation.Gov website prior to making the trek. I was the only one that day brave enough to get in the water but the cliff jumpers, blue waters, and large falls provide plenty of entertainment for those who would prefer to stay dry. Fossil Creek is a place we would readily return to, despite the foreboding drive in. Thanks for braving this unknown adventure with us mom and dad!
One of the perks of having a higher clearance vehicle (we bought a brand new Forester - check out Instagram if you missed it!), and a deciding factor in our car search process, is all the places in northern Arizona we can now (safely) access! Our Honda Accord has brought us so many great memories and carried us to the most incredible places but we've definitely pushed it to its limits (maybe even past!) more than once or twice. It was time to say goodbye and hello to hikes and vistas only available to those with SUVs. Grand Falls, or "Chocolate Falls," was one of those places we longed to visit but avoided in our Honda. The majority of directions to this seasonal spectacle suggest a 4x4 or at least an SUV. To our surprise, the seldom maintained Indian Road 6910 was nothing more than slightly washboarded and totally passable in any old passenger car. So glad we were finally able to check out another one of northern Arizona's natural wonders!
It's been a while since our last post. Since returning from our cross country trip back home, we've been pretty idle. After a year and half in Flagstaff, this place has started to feel like our home (for now). Because of that, we've caught ourselves taking for granted this incredible corner of the country where we live. Between falling into familiarity with Flagstaff, new jobs, and the stresses that come with life in 2017, our introverted natures got the best of us. This last weekend, however, we pushed ourselves to check something off our "Flagstaff Bucket List" and explore somewhere new: Navajo Nation. So we actually just explored one teeny, tiny corner of Navajo Nation. At a whopping 27,000 square miles, that's all we could do in one day. We'd passed through on our way to Telluride last year but hadn't actually taken the time to explore it. Our first stop was Elephant's Feet, a hard-to-miss roadside stop along 160. Being off season, we had these two, towering mountain pillars to ourselves. There's nothing more to do here that stretch your legs and admire the unique formations but it's definitely worth the stop. After, we had decided to catch the sunset at Coal Mine Canyon. Fifteen miles south of Tuba City, although it's just a short jaunt off 264, it's not the easiest to locate. It's unmarked and the last 1/4 mile of the drive is not on a distinguishable road. Regardless, it's passable in our new Subaru Forester but our old Honda Accord would have done just fine as well. Despite the brief difficulty in locating the canyon, the trouble is beyond worth it! There are a lot of canyons in this part of the country but this is probably my favorite one we've seen so far. Even though it was a Saturday night, we had the canyon to ourselves. It was indescribably peaceful and deafeningly silent. On the ride back home, we both agreed that it was exactly what our adventurous, but equally homebody souls needed.
Happy 2017 all! The new year brings our latest travels to an end (a 2,600 mile road trip!) but I'm so excited to see all the places we'll go in 2017. My hopes for this new year not only include more travel but doing more of what I love and that's capturing authentic moments between families and couples set against the very best backdrop: the great outdoors. I can't wait to create imagery that captures the here and now but will stay with you for the long haul. Stay tuned for exciting opportunities and announcements as I work towards this goal.
To kick this whole thing off, I've been dying to share these sweet shots I got of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law on Christmas eve. We woke up in South Dakota to frosty trees and the whole town engulfed in a dense fog. After a little arm twisting (not!), I convinced them to bundle up for a few shots. |
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