Grand Classroom - Day 3

Once again I am back at our hotel late at night and almost too tired to write. That's how exciting our day was.

We started at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, which features the anthropology, biology, geology, and fine arts of the Colorado Plateau region.

I got some good lessons in digital photography during our visit, because flash photography is prohibited. I actually got better photos with my Kodak easy-share camera than I did with my new Canon Rebel, plus expensive optional lenses. Sometimes less really is more.

The museum has some fantastic displays of local dinosaurs, including a life-size skeletal model of a Dilophosaurus-a carnivorous dinosaur found in northern Arizona and the famous Therizinosaur - a sickle-claw dinosaur.

Most memorably, we learned about poopologists-scientists who study the where-abouts of poop. I'm not making this up, I swear.

After the museum, we traveled to Jerome-"America's Most Vertical City" and the "Largest Ghost Town in America." We had lunch on the main lawn and free time to explore the old hotels, eclectic shops and infamous sliding jail. One shop in particular, Nellie Bly, had the coolest selection of kaleidoscopes that I have ever seen.

From Jerome, we backtracked through Sedona to Slide Rock State Park-a 43-acre historical apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon. We had a blast sliding down the slick rocks and playing in the "gently" sloping creek.

We ended our day in Sedona for dinner at the Open Range Grille & Tavern, with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, and a bit of shopping at the Joe Wilcox Trading Post where we stocked up on Original Red Dirt Shirts.

Each day just keeps getting better and we haven't even been to the Grand canyon yet. That's tomorrow.

And on that note, I have to sign off and start drinking my water for the Big Canyon Hike.

Nianya