Ithaca? or Flagstaff? Here's a clue.

Hint: look at the sky.

This sign seems vaguely suggestive, but I'm not sure why. "Stop in for our signature $5 Downtowner!"

 

I have been told that this hotel is haunted, specifically the bathroom I used.  There were no unexpected encounters.

I don't have a story.

Historic Flagstaff has free parking for cars. We were incredulous, and so put eight quarters into a paperbox.

Obligatory Route 66 picture. No, I mean Route 66 will take YOUR picture.

This young man is on the cusp of wishful thinking.

The Ithaca Commons used to attract the goth kids. These are definitely cheerleader girls.

I'm crazy for bead shops, and I wasn't disappointed by Animas Beads. 

We agree that Flagstaff feels very comfortable. It's like we could slip right into the groove here, if we had a groove. But, OH! their winters.

Here's a rundown of Ithaca: Rundown of Ithaca

You can run down Flagstaff, too.

Most amusing statistic: 

     Ithaca's annual "chance of sunshine" is 49%. This seems high. Flagstaff's is 78%. This seems low.

Far from the madding crowd.

Little Maddox had his first birthday party last night. I know, right? He didn't like cake, but he did like the talking card his Gigi got him.

A baby and a birthday party, and you thought there'd be no picture? You're getting off easy.

But, enough about the adorable baby. Lori surprised Annie and me with a vegan "cheese"cake for our birthdays. You know how you might try a vegan dessert and think "well, if I were vegan I could eat this and survive"? No. You would BEG to be vegan for this cake. You would go home and pour your dairy milk into the streets for this cake. You would picket Elmer's glue for this cake.

Lori asked when she bought it (New Frontiers) if it was really vegan. They checked with the pastry chef who confirmed. We ate it and our taste buds ruled it "completely full of delicious animal products." Lori went back this morning to be SURE it was really vegan, and they gave her the ingredient list. SCORE!

We braced ourselves for the holiday weekend here in the piney woods, and it happened. Sites filled up with toy haulers. What? Everyone is considerate? The really big group right next to us is utterly silent at night, and even in the morning their generator is almost inaudible. They start riding mid-morning.

This is a good crop of riders, and people (including the small kind) seem to be staying on the road. It may be becoming obvious to everyone that the national forests could institute a charred-earth scenario if damage is not stopped and reversed.

The rarely-seen Piney Woods cactus 

Putting the LAG in Flagstaff

We've just been holding down the lawn chairs lately. We'll do the social stuff later this weekend, when we will attend an entire party all at once.












  

I haven't been paying attention to the news, but I think this might be National ATV Weekend. It's when people take their city noise for a ride out to the country. I suspect the fresh piney air makes them nauseous, because they bring fossil-fuel fumes for comfort. 

A huge (HUGE!) party moved in next door, and they were the quietest neighbors you can imagine overnight. Now that I've written that, it occurs to me I told you that about another campsite, so it's possible your hearing is gone.

Temple Grandin was here? Single-file, you cows. There's water enough for everyone.

TOTALLY a bald eagle. LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Parker Posies

We're still in the area, and I was in the mood for something people-y. Not a gala, but something to do in town. I stopped into the Chamber of Commerce and they told me to get my pale, feathery behind out the door and onto an ATV if I planned to keep showing my beak inside city limits. Really, they never even showed their own beaks, so I stole a bunch of their information and left. HAHA! I really screwed them.






I'm being catty about Parker, but it has a lot of outdoor activities available. It's right on the Colorado River. It's surrounded by BLM land where you are permitted to make a lot of noise late at night and drive noisy vehicles through RVers' personal space.






And, if you pay for a special permit, you're also allowed to walk around the desert with a stick.*







Once Sunday night rolls around, peace prevails and the less-fortunate go home, throw some dirty clothes into their electric laundry bucket, and get ready for work.






I think we're mainly here waiting for mail, but it's a nice spot to be boondocking, so why not?








*I'm lying. ATVs do have to pay for a permit, though, which is probably why their engines are so whiney.