New Life In Flagstaff

DISCLAIMER: This is Dan as opposed to the usual author of this blog. I wanted to do an entry to describe some of the fun things we have done since arriving in Flagstaff. The town itself is great with not too many people and PLENTY of outdoor activities.

Flagstaff and the surrounding areas have a wide variety of climates and landscapes ranging from the largest contiguous ponderosa forest in the U.S. to the barren dessert that most people associate with Arizona. Since arriving we have gone hiking (albeit short hikes with Shad and Solo) and biking several times.

We have hung out at the park across the street quite frequently (at the request of our son and dog). Shad likes to ride his bike in the playground bark and I’m pretty sure it’s because he thinks he is mountain biking. He lifts his front tire and pretends to jump off of stuff with the bike. We have also had good friends to come visit and spend time. Some of the coolest things we have done involve places that we have gone to see.

My personal favorite was the safari with many of the animals from Africa. We were able to see a lot of animals up close and even feed a giraffe. Even more interesting we were able to see the park staff play with untrained tigers and bears in an enclosed area. It was amazing to see and afterwards the staff talked about how there aren’t any other parks open to the public that play with those animals the way that they do. I will include pictures and video because it was pretty indescribable.

We went to see a lake that is a short ways away and in the middle of the forested area. Shad enjoyed throwing rocks in the lake while we were there but I don't think the fishermen enjoyed his efforts as much.

We have been able to visit the Arizona Snowbowl, the local ski resort. It is pretty hokey compared with the resorts in the Salt Lake area but it’s a great bike ride so no complaints here.

We also visited the Grand Canyon. For anyone that’s been there they know how breathtaking it is and for others I would encourage you to go. It’s only about an hour and a half away so I’m sure we will visit it again and cover more ground (we were only there for about 4 hours).

Shads favorite things about the Grand Canyon in this order: The shuttle bus, a squirrel that wanted a snack, a lizard, jumping on rocks and a bird. Was there something else there he was suppose to notice? Anyways, things have gone reasonably smooth with the transition and Flagstaff really seems to fit our little family.