The Painted Desert

I woke up this morning with every intention of arriving in Flagstaff this afternoon. However the desert called me off the highway and I ventured on a 36-mile detour through Coconino National Forest via Wupatki and Sunset Crater National Monuments. As I dropped into the basin my jaw dropped at the beauty. After taking a brief moment to capture it on film, I was back to cruising down hundreds of feet. All of a sudden a large gust of hot wind nearly pushed me off my bike while I was moving over 30 mph. I somehow maintined control and averted a true catastrophe!

Now I'm camping just off the highway and am looking forward to Flagstaff tomorrow. I should arrive early and plan on leaving late. I sent emails last night to the local media outlets but so far no dice.