Flagstaff, Arizona

The pic's are still from the Rockys, sorry !

After saying good by to our new friends in Telluride we rode towards Arizona. The ride to Mesa Verde National Park was brutally hot and dry. But it was very interesting to experience the land of ancestral Puebloans and their world. About 1400 years ago, long before Europeans explored North America, a group of Native Americans living in the Four Corners region chose Mesa Verde for their home. For more than 700 years they lived and flourished here. They build elaborate stone communities in the alcoves and canyon walls. And then around 1200 they left there homes and moved away and left us wondering.

We didn't spend enough time to explore the whole park which would have required a couple of

days but on our way to Fagstaff we passed the Navajo Reservation and the Hopi Reservation and decided to stay in a remote Motel in Tonalea owned by Native Americans with a beautiful view at a red Canyon.

In the morning freshly recovered from our heavy riding the day before we thought 130 miles left to Flagstaff shouldn't be a problem. After riding an hour and trying to find out behavioral patterns of tumble weed balls in heavy crosswinds and finding out what to do when getting attacked by five at once, we arrived at a closed section by the police. As we got closer a huge gas transporting truck laying sideways was visible. The police closed the contaminated area and since 160 is a two lane road the cars in front of us turned into the dirt next to the street and Till and I followed the hope. A huge dust cloud was created by about 20 cars driving back and forth trying to find a way back to the street. Till managed to get out of there as soon as he realised that the sand got deeper as he rode into the prairie. I continued as long as I could and prayed not to stall the bike.

Of course I stalled the bike and getting out of one foot sand in a half mile dust cloud was not my specialty. But as I was kind of giving up suddenly a young gentlemen (good looking) send by an angle pushed me out of my dilemma. Till was already on the road and waving because he hung out with the cool crowd who just cut the fence to get back to the road and was the first one out and then helped to get me and my bike.

The rest of our trip was comparably easy, just crosswinds and wait.......... the vicious tumble weed balls.

Now we are enjoying Flagstaff for a couple of days.

And again my dear friends it is time for my beauty sleep

Zennure