Highlights of the Day:
1. Coffee with Lori Goldberg
- Someone Wren met in NYC on her trip there a few weeks ago to meet up with Salif Keita; turned out she spends her summers in Flagstaff. Is building an orphanage in Haiti (husband is a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch). Turns out she knows some young guys building homes out of containers, who we might be able to meet up with in Phoenix or Tucson.
2. Flagstaff Photographers Gallery & Raechel Running & James F.
- Raechel is the photographer who's show is opening at FPG tonight. She's interested in the 'one-ness' of indigenous cultures stretching from the Colorado Plateau across the border into Mexico. She suggested a number of places for us to visit further south (inc across the border) -- and she'll be there herself in Sept, so our paths may cross again
- James F. Is the young gallery co(?)-founder, who just held an exhibit on (and gave a workshop on) wheat-pasting. We'd seen examples of wheat-pasted B&W street art on S. Beaver Str on our previous wanderings -- and apparently there's a Navajo (?) Artist who has various indigenous sites (on reservation land?) covered in it.
3. Museum of Northern Arizona
- Fabulous little museum with a fantastic collection of Hopi-Navajo-Zuni pottery, rugs, basket weaving, dolls, jewelry -- and great exhibits on the history and anthropology of indigenous peoples. Plus a highly instructive exhibit on the geology of the Colorado Plateau, complete with timeline and dinosaur skeletons. The bookstore and gift shop were fab too.
4. Drive to (and through) Sedona along Hwy 189
- Like driving through the Grand Canyon (or at least: the last mile of our hike, ie the bit closest to the rim). Spectacular cliffs and red rock and verging-on-Monument-Valley-like formations. Love the signs that read 'Watch Out For Rocks'. Someone had inserted a sticker reading 'Big Red' [rocks]on one of them. We'll visit Sedona 'properly' tomorrow
Journal:
Short night (1am-6am). Emailed from BB in bed. Feeling down. Manchester girls in my dorm room left early for the Grand Canyon. Talked with V. Hostel breakfast 9.45am. Showered, packed, checked out for 11am. Headed over to Macy's with Imogen to join Wren & Lori. 12.30 took a walk around Flagstaff (finally). Stopped in at Bureau of Environment (picked up some info on green building). Had lunch at DB's (organic burger joint in odd cylindrical building with fairytale mural) on the main square. Happened to stop in at Photography Gallery as we were heading back to the hostel - and had nice contact with Jason and Rachael. Stopped in at dingy gallery I'd located on previous wander and bought Hopi ring. 3pm-5pm Museum of N AZ, just north of the center. 18 miles to Sedona, first woods then descending hairpin bends overlooking dramatic rock landscapes. Sedona itself (at least the bit along 189) = upscale mall-ville, v touristy. Didn't inspire us to stop, and we continued to Cottonwood, another 12miles or so south. Debate about dinner & accommodation resulted in Greek salads at the Verde Lea deli and 'back-country' camping off 189.
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