The Dusty Intangibles of Travel

Northern Arizona, Flagstaff

It will be difficult to keep updating this blog. There is so much to share with you dear reader however, most of the time, we are constantly on the move from one place to another in a relatively carefree manner. We take a boatload of images and have so many interesting experiences that it takes time to select the best ones to post for you. The technology allows for so much documentation, all of which requires a bit of time to sit down, think about and edit what we will share for you.

Travel blogging is not a two-way conversation between friends and we don't want to just show you pretty pictures and write nice things that don't resonate in a meaningful way. We also don't want to enslave ourselves to the camera and computer to the point where we feel "stressed" that
we "hadn't posted something in a while". I suppose true WOAs never blog because they are just too busy living every second.

arizproverb

We are now in Flagstaff AZ, aka 'Lumberjack Country' visiting our nephew-student-lumberjack. It's colder up here which is refreshing. It has been an interesting 48 hours so far. We took the nephew bowling then to a movie titled, '"The Book of Life" which we all enjoyed. 'The Book of Life' is a visually gorgeous animated story about Dia de las Muertos or Day of the Dead. The movie is about Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. He embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears. We very much liked how the movie conveys how each of us is made up of "parts" from our past ancestors. 5 Thumbs up! Go see it!

We came to Flagstaff specifically to see Justin, his university and to hike the Grand Canyon. But I find Flagstaff to be an ideal place to stay as a home base while traveling to other parts of No. Arizona. It's a short distance to the GC, Sedona, Williams and to many beautiful hiking spots which seem to be all around. The old town section has a nice mix of places to eat and drink and fairly friendly people.

One morning, as we walked along old-downtown Flagstaff, we noticed this older guy walking just ahead of us decked out in sort of formal cowboy attire, wearing a bluetooth on his ear. We ended up in a conversation at the stoplight. Turns out we met Dusty Adams who is a professional musician who plays steel guitar and the fiddle with many famous country musicians on albums and tours. He's worked with Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Dolly, Willie (who is a close friend), and so many more. He's also appeared on the old TV show 'Hee Haw' along with his uncle Buck Owens . Dusty mentioned how he came from a long line of musicians and was particularly proud of his father who was also a famous musician. George was reminded of the movie from the night before and felt that this was also somehow "mystically connected".

Dusty was only in Flagstaff for a little R&R as he winds down his musical career with a final tour. Much was said during our time with him and he kindly offered to get us free tickets to any concert in Nashville (and into the after party!) should we make it there. His generosity and twinkling eyes reminded me of another generous artist I had met, Maya Angelou. Although Dusty seemed to be approaching his 80's, he did not seem 'old'. He just seemed like someone naturally propelled to experience the love that is 'life'.

So I guess we have to visit Nashville now, tour the museum where Dusty and his dad (another country star) are honored and perhaps take him up on his offer. I still regret not taking Maya Angelou on hers but I won't make that same mistake this time.

Afterwards we toured the Riordan mansion and then met up with Justin to take a wonderful hike in Buffalo Park. It's a very popular place, not very big but it is easy to feel lost among the pine forests and surrounding mountains. Pea sized snow flurries fell around us like confetti as if thrown by squirrels. To my surprise, Buffalo Park turned into one of my favorite short, easy hikes of this trip. The terrain varies and your ears take in the breezy quietude of the mountains. If you find yourself in Flagstaff, try the Oldham Trail, a 5.5 mile loop trail "that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, trail running & walking and is accessible from April until November."


It's on to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Durango, Colorado next.