Moments in Dirt and Ink

Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve Click for map. Picture Canyon is a little bit of open space developed jointly by the City of Flagstaff and Arizona State Parks. It boasts cultural artifacts and plenty of birding. The Tom Moody Trail makes a loop through the area to take in some of these. It sits at the edge of a couple bits of industry and my nose can't help but tell me that one of those is sewage treatment. Um, I mean "waste water". That won't dominate the whole area, but it is noticed in the wetter spots. A place to start with some parking. Signs include an area map. Ground zero for the stink up ahead, but certainly not the source. That is throughout the city. Trail heads toward the smell past an "outdoor classroom" that is benches and a semicircle of educational signs, then the loop splits. I head left away from the smell and into the trees, but also away from the cultural artifacts. It's an old road through gentle hil...

Coconino National Forest Click for map. Enough with common things, time for something a little out there. I think I would have visited Little Eldon on the way had Sunset Trail been open, but I think I could still do it. A nice little loop looks available with a few possible starting places. I pick Little Eldon Spring. From there, I will toddle along the Arizona Trail (as it follows Little Eldon Trail) for a few miles until Heart Trail. That climbs to Sunset Trail, but at that point, I want to start following the ridge on up to the peak, which is on the open side of the trail. Once I've been to the top, I'll follow a different ridge down to Little Bear Trail near its intersection with Sunset, then back down and around on the Arizona Trail again. Someone might think I'm just being sneaky in avoiding the closure of the trail, but with the peak as the goal, it feels totally valid to me. Across from the access road to Little Eldons Springs Horse Camp is a short acce...