We departed the Grand Canyon today by the Desert View Drive. It was much less crowded than the South Rim and we had some great views along the way. We stopped at the Watchtower designed by Mary Colter. She designed a series of structures in the Grand Canyon. The Watchtower was completed in 1932 and was designed to reflect the architecture of the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. At this stop we also were introduced to the air crash tragedy of 1956 in which two planes had a mid-air collision. This event was a catalyst for the formation of the FAA.
Our next stop was the Wupatki National Monument. See above photo. Wupatki means "tall house" in the Hopi language. This ancient Pueblo dwelling was made up of over 100 rooms and was several stories high. It was inhabited in the late 1100s. The building itself has been partially reconstructed by archeologists using the same methods as the original builders.
Further along the road we came to Sunset Crater. This volcano erupted just prior to the settling of Wupatki. Some theories have suggested that the ash made that region more fertile resulting in that settlement. As we drove we saw A'a lava fields which reminded us of our Hawaii trip. It seemed so strange to see this in AZ!
Off to Flagstaff for the night.
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