I headed towards Flagstaff under very windy conditions. Please make it stop! Fortunately, I didn't have more than a two hour drive to my destination just north of Flagstaff at the Sunset Crater Volcano, NM. I had read there was a Forest Service Campground there as well as several other areas on BLM land that allowed overnight camping. I checked out the BLM spots on the east side of Highway 89 just north of Flaggstaff and they weren't really suitable. There were large drainage ditches that I would have to drive over to get to the sites and I don't have enough clearance. Next, the Bonito Forest Service Campground located in the Sunset crater Volcano NM. Closed! Won't open for a few more days. So plan C, a gravel road just off the entrance to the park which was listed in my Days End. It turned out to be a great place to crash for a night a two.
Once I got settled Sandi and I headed out towards the crater. I didn't realize that you really can't see the crater, but you can see lava flows.
The Sunset Crater road continue on to Wupatki NM linking the two parks together. There are several pueblo ruins along the road, but after seeing Canyon de Chelly and Chaco Culture, the ruins were sort of anti-climatic. We did stop and see the main run of Wukoki Pueblo near the visitor center.
The structure is a little different in that the masonry incorporates some of the rock formations of the area.
A very large, simple Kiva is set away from the main house.
Now why would I post a picture of a chimney. Well, its not a chimney but a blow hole. Apparently there is an underground tunnel of some sort and depending on the barometric pressure, air blows up through the hole. On a hot day this is the place to be, because the air coming up through the hole is cold.
The back side of the pueblo.
The scenic drive connecting the two monuments is less that 40 miles and loops back out to Highway 89, so I made my way back to the RV in time to catch a few sunset pictures.
And this is the view from my window. It is so nice to see mountains and pine trees again even if its hazy from all the wind.
Tomorrow a quick trip (very quick) to the Grand Canyon.
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