Flagstaff Country Calss

The Place to Be in Summer

"THE GOOD THING ABOUT FLAGSTAFF is you can be on a good wicket in no time." A "good wicket," as Australian David Forsyth explained to me, means Flagstaff is a good base for getting out to the forest, to water, or to other great places in short order. Forsyth and friend Nadine Perry, from the southern Australian city of Melbourne, called Flagstaff home as they camped and explored the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Oak Creek, the Hopi and Navajo reservations, and northern New Mexico. It's a common practice. Flagstaff's central location in northern Arizona and its many tourist-oriented accommodations make it an ideal jumping off point for day trips. The Grand Canyon is the most famous, of course (3 million of the Canyon's nearly 5 million visitors each year pass through Flagstaff). Linda Chandler, manager of visitor services at the city's visitors center, said, "We know the Grand Canyon is our bread and butter," but Flagstaff also is trying to show itself as a hub and tell people about day trips to places such as Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Wupatki National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, and other attractions. "The buzz word," adds city special events coordinator Kris Swanson, "is experiential tourism." That is, people who have done a little homework before they come, and who are ready for a real experience. I sought Kris's advice on how I might best see my hometown through the eyes of a tourist. She suggested a good place to find the "new" breed of tourist would be at a bed and breakfast. So I headed to my neighborhood B&B, the Dierker House in west Flagstaff. Innkeeper Dotti Dierker, who has lived in her house for 40 years, kindly obliged by introducing me to Nadine and David.

On an unusually rainy morning in August, I met the pair over coffee and poached eggs. They had just arrived from the Black Hills of South Dakota, where they had attended a Lakota Sun Dance ceremony. For their Flagstaff stay, they'd booked several nights at the Dierker House, where they could walk the few blocks to a downtown cafe, see the sights, do their laundry, and get groceries. This was Nadine's second trip to Flagstaff. Two years earlier, she had arrived weary and anxious for a place to sleep for the night. But it was the Fourth of July weekend, and nearly everything was full. Room rates were whatever the market would bear, and far beyond Nadine's budget. When she found the B&B, it completely turned her trip around, she said.

Nadine and David graciously agreed to be my token tourists. A few days later, eager to be out of their rental car, they were happy to walk the half-mile up Mars Hill to Lowell Observatory.

Lowell is one of Flagstaff's oldest institutions, founded by amateur astronomer Percival Lowell in 1894, the same year Flagstaff incorporated as a town. One hundred years later, on May 28, 1994, the mayor of Flagstaff cut the ribbon to open the observatory's new Steele Visitor Center. Inside the center, Nadine, David, and I tried out a few of the high-tech interactive exhibits we tested our night vision and watched Nadine make a computer image of herself, much as Astronomers do of the planets and galaxies.

After a fact-filled lecture, guide Josh Rigler led us up the path to the big white dome that houses the historic Clark telescope. The 24-inch refractor telescope, a silver tube 32 feet long, was the final masterpiece of famed telescope maker Alvan Clark; Percival used it in his observations of the planet Mars. Though the lenses on the Clark were the

like what I'd be doing on my days off," David told her, and Diane laughed in agreement.

Raindrops started to fall, and thunder and lightning danced around the San Francisco Peaks. It was time to go back into town. When we returned, I parted from Nadine and David with promises that I would try to get to Australia someday and let them reciprocate.

Being a true tourist at heart myself, I had always wanted to ride the rubber-tired red and green trollies that cruise the streets of Flagstaff in summer. So one afternoon, I hopped on one and met Chuck and Kathy Soucy and their 14-year-old nephew, John. Upon deplaning in Flagstaff, these three Bowie, Maryland, residents assembled their bicycles, strapped backpacks onto the bike frames, and pedaled the 80 miles to the Grand Canyon. Then they hiked from the South Rim to the North Rim, rode mules, and hitched a ride back to Flagstaff.

For the rest of their two and a half weeks, they made day rides out to Walnut Canyon and other places. "We've taken just about every form of transportation," Kathy said. "Mule, bus, plane, bike, car."

They came self-contained, carrying all the gear they needed. "Basically," said Chuck and Kathy, "we've been camping, with stove, pots and pans, food, tools, tires, and inner tubes." And, they added, "We're lucky, we didn't have any flats."

The Soucys were lured to Flagstaff because of the cool summer temperatures of the ponderosa pine forest. They found they also liked its friendliness and relaxed atmosphere. The roads here have far less traffic than back home, they said, an important consideration when you're pedaling through your vacation.

When I found them on the trolley, they were heading for the Northern Arizona Pioneer Historical Society. The big twostory museum on Fort Valley Road was once the county hospital for the indigent. Now the rooms display memorabilia from ranching, lumbering, and other enterprises of Flagstaff's early days.

Chuck, who'd built their log house outside their hometown, was fascinated by the broad ax and other antique tools. He and John examined the old iron lung, a cold reminder of the days when that was the latest medical technology for polio victims. Outside they poked around pioneer Ben Doney's small cabin and closely inspected the museum's latest addition, a logging locomotive named Old Number 12 and her caboose. The Number 12 awaits restoration, a job that greatly appealed to Chuck.

When the trolley bell rang, we didn't make it in time to catch it. But that was fine with Chuck, Kathy, and John; they welcomed another hour to look at the exhibits.

I, in the meantime, was thankful that all I had to do was follow them for the afternoon. I'm sure I couldn't have kept up with their bicycling pace.

It was an education to see my town through travelers' eyes. I learned that despite the bermuda-clad, camera-toting stereotype, there is no such thing as the "average" tourist. Though they leave their wristwatches at home, they don't leave behind their personalities, creativity, and interests.

Additional Reading: The country surrounding the San Francisco Peakssur-rounding the San Francisco Peaks is a diverse landscape filled with enough variety and natural attractions to keep any out-door explorer enthralled for a lifetime. Rose Houk explores the region in the newest Arizona Highways travel book, The Peaks: Flagstaff, Williams and Northern Arizona's High Country. The 64-page softcover book contains 78 full-color pho-tographs and maps, and costs $10.95 plus shipping and handling. To order, call tollfree nationwide (800) 543-5432. In the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., call (602) 258-1000.

WHEN YOU GO

The friendly folks at the Flagstaff Visitors Center on West Route 66 in historic downtown Flagstaff can help you plan your stay in northern Arizona. Telephone (520) 774-9541, or toll-free (800) 842-7293. In addition to the Dierker House, there are several other bed and breakfasts, three youth hostels, and some 4,200 hotel and motel rooms in Flagstaff.

If you want to avoid summer traffic jams, try the trolley or commercial bus tours; for information, contact Nava-Hopi Tours, 114 W. Route 66, (520) 774-5003, or (800) 892-8687. If you're walking or bicycling, the Flagstaff Urban Trail System is a network of trails that connects shopping areas, parks, Northern Arizona University, and downtown. Bicycles can be rented at several local bike shops. Flagstaff is served by Greyhound Bus, Amtrak, and commuter airline.