Nerdy Birders Attend Church

Day three in Flagstaff began with us a little foggy, and we cursed John Wayne for insisting that we have another drink. We remembered that Tony had pointed out a great place to get a breakfast burrito, so we threw on a pair of shorts and flip-flops (optimistic in retrospect) and headed out the door. Luckily for us, Martanne’s Burrito Palace was just around the corner so during our quick walk we didn’t completely freeze. Over breakfast we discussed the hotel room closet door opening at some point during the night. I think it was JoAnna but who knows maybe it was the ghost of John Wayne!  After an epic meal we walked past the train station to Macy’s, a local coffee shop. We bought a bag of coffee and headed back to the hotel.

At the hotel we got a text from Aundy that she and Jason were in the lobby and ready to head out. When we all found each other they teased JoAnna about hearing her laugh through the hotel window as we were returning from breakfast. We made the hour and a half drive north toward the Grand Canyon stopping only to get gas across the street from a full sized replica of Bedrock City from the Flintstones.

We pulled into the Grand Canyon National park, paid, parked, and quickly walked up to the rim of the canyon. As I expected JoAnna, Aundy, and Jason’s jaws dropped.  It is amazing to watch the look on someone’s face that has never seen the Grand Canyon before. At one point JoAnna openly wept at the sight. As I looked out over the canyon I felt so small. Our lives are so short in comparison to something that has been on this earth for so long. John Muir wrote “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out I found, was really going in.”

I feel responsible, like others have, to protect natural wonders and preserve them for future generations. I feel overwhelmed and compelled to go out and experience our nation’s parks because past generations have fought to ensure that they would be here for us to enjoy. I don’t want to take this gift for granted.

A few hours spent at the welcome center and Mather Point and we were ready to grab lunch. Over lunch we decided that we would find a nice safe place to view the sun set. We made our way back to the Grand Canyon Village, checked into the hotel, and walked a nearby path back to the rim. We found out that the path was about three quarters of a mile and decided hiking back at night without a flashlight was not the best idea. While on the hike we spotted a Western Scrub-Jay and a Mountain Chickadee to add to our life list. We hopped in the car and found a lookout closer to a parking area. The sunset was amazing but the cold quickly set in; It was time to head back to the hotel for some sleep.

Day four started early with Aundy jumping on the bed and saying “let’s go see the sun rise!!” over and over again. We headed back to the lookout point that we found the night before. Jason decided to hang back in the hotel room. For some reason he did not get any sleep (I think it was due to JoAnna’s snoring, but it could have been me). We parked and heard what we thought was a Screech Owl but after taking pictures of what we believed was the owl it turned out to be a clump of leaves.

The sun rise had a completely different feel than sunset the night before. So much possibility and life appeared with the sun. The birds were waking up and the sun was turning the canyon from shades of gray and blue to bright red and orange. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed.

Back at the hotel we cleaned up and packed our bags. Jason and Aundy got ready while JoAnna and I went out to bird around the lodge. We walked out the door and a woodpecker flew over our heads! It did not resemble the Acorn Woodpecker that we’d seen back at Oak Creek Canyon. We stalked it a bit and finally it flew from one tree to another and quickly disappeared. I had a pretty good idea where it had landed so I zoomed in slightly, focused my camera, and took the shot below. Can you see the bird in the picture below?

It camouflaged very nicely even with its red head. Later, we determined that it was a Red-naped Sapsucker. Fun fact about Sapsuckers: a group is called a “slurp”! We were really excited to have found him! We headed back to the hotel, packed and headed back to Flagstaff.

We wanted to hit a section of Historic Route 66. This was not terribly out of our way plus we had to get breakfast and what better place than an old dinner on 66. We stopped and ate, got our picture taken next to the sign, and then checked out some of the touristy shops. Unfortunately it was time to drop Aundy and Jason off at the airport. We said our goodbyes and hit the road for Jerome.  

Jerome is a small town built into the side of a mountain. It was once a mining town. Like many towns in the west, it was built quickly and then deserted. Jerome has a scenic drive through forest and switchbacks, has beautiful weather, and a number of wonderful shops making it a destination for vacationers, motorcyclist, and day trippers. Jerome no longer has very many full time residents. People arrive early in the morning, open their shops, and at the end of the day they head back home for the night. However the people that do live there live in some pretty amazing homes.

The home we stayed in was the John Riordan House. This house was in a group of homes purchased as kit homes from Sears and Roebuck. They were abandoned then reclaimed and most of them were restored. The John Riordan house was destroyed by a mudslide in 1953 and left in ruin until 2013. It was then purchased by someone that wanted to fix it up. They did a wonderful job restoring the house and saved a lot more of the original house than you would expect. For example the front porch is almost entirely original along with the red wood wainscoting in the parlor room and  the chimney. The feel of the house was amazing; antique phone, organ, a hand crank Victrola record player, a Royal 10 double bevel 1915 typewriter, and a working wood stove for guest to cook on. Who would cook on this stove you ask? JoAnna would if given the chance.  Anyway we could have spent the entire night looking around the house but we had Jerome to explore.

We walked down to a park where we were able to take off our shoes and put our toes in the grass. It was fun to watch the lizards run in and out of the rocks. We visited a couple of local wineries and stopped for drinks in Paul and Jerrys Saloon which was one of the two bars in town. The bar had beautiful woodwork and like many establishments in town had an amazing ceiling. The bartendress explained how the marble bar came all the way over from Italy on a trip that took it on the Colorado River and was also hulled by horses. All this before the Panama Canal was built. She also explained how the houses, including the John Riordan House, were built. During mining days there were explosions on a regular basis, which meant a foundation on a house would have led to damages. The solution was to build houses on stilts. The owners at the time would call the stilts walkers because as the explosions were going off in the mines the house would bounce or “walk” around leaving it undamaged. Having come from Ohio a house on the side of a mountain that moves around does not sound that safe.

View From House

House Circled

View From Patio

We ventured back up to the house and drink wine. With one and a partial bottle finished we went down to the Haunted Hamburger where they were serving $2 margaritas. JoAnna discovered that off the back of the Haunted Hamburger there was a bar that overlooked the valley. The bar was outside, the sun was just going down, and the stars were coming out; Absolutely breathtaking!. I tried to take pictures of the Milky Way, but unfortunately my photos do not capture what we could see in person. Jerome was truly an amazing place to be.

View From Haunted Hamburger Bar

The conclusion of our story will be coming soon. SPOILER ALERT: there will be DANGER and there will be BIRDS!