The End of a Journey through Time

26-29 September 2012

We arrived home on Saturday, 29 September, ending a 3 month trip through time. Traveling back through the history of this great country, exploring the history of our family’s ancestors and observing the vast geologic age of the land.

The last few days were spent doing some sightseeing in the Flagstaff/Sedona, Arizona area.  We visited the Meteor Crater which is the best preserved meteorite crater on Earth. What I found interesting was that it wasn’t understood until the 1940s that this crater was created by a meteor about 50,000 years ago and was not the result of a volcanic explosion.

We have been to Sedona before and knew the area was beautiful.  It was very peaceful to just drive around the area and gaze at the rock formations.  Fun to look at all the art also, even though it was way outside my budget. It is said that Sedona is one of these “energy vortexes.” I don’t know about all that, but I do have to say that I feel a sense of calmness and relaxation in Sedona that I don’t feel in most other places.

One day, we took a long loop drive north through Flagstaff, Wutapki National Monument and Sunset Crater Monument. We had beautiful weather that day and saw lots of wildflowers, some wildlife and pueblo ruins that were about 1000 years old.

Then it was a slog through the Mojave Desert for the last leg. Not my favorite part of the world – dry, monotonously grey/brown and hot. The highlight was a stop at In-n-Out Burger in Barstow for lunch; I missed In-n-Out!

I think this trip, Part 1 of our family history searching, was a huge success. I learned so much about parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and even some great-great-grandparents.  I was amazed at the drive that these people showed to improve their lives and that of their children. Russ’ parents, and their siblings, went through college during the depression with great sacrifice on their part and that of their parents. I found records on at least six ancestors that homesteaded or claimed land as part of their military veteran benefits. These people lived in unbelievably harsh times, putting in long, hard years of work so that they could prove up their claims and own land. I read about the deep Christian beliefs that wove through the lives of some family ancestors and saw how they lived their beliefs as ministers, a deaconess in one case, and good solid church members. And I met relatives who continue that tradition of working the land and serving the Lord. Actually seeing some of the land our ancestors claimed helped me to more fully appreciate that our ancestors were part of the building of this country.

Along the way, I saw a lot of the country that most people fly over on their way to somewhere else. A lot of corn and soybeans, but I never tired of it. So many little towns dot this country, towns that look eerily alike.  Some more prosperous than others, but all showing a pride in their work and their land.

And the beauty of this country cannot be overstated.  The western states have the breathtaking vistas of deserts, mountains and mesas. But the Midwest has gorgeous rolling hills, endless miles of fields broken by sections of woods and an occasional river.

I can’t wait to start planning Part 2 of Digging for Our Roots. I think we will spend some time in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.

 

Terrific idea for framing beautiful vistas and making a picture.



This crater was caused by a meteor, estimated to be about 50 meters across (half of which vaporized before hitting the ground). A 3 foot segment was viewable in the museum, it weighs about 1500 pounds!

Russ trekked all the way to the bottom of the crater for this photo.  Just kidding!  This was a photo opportunity in the museum.



Earlier in the 20th century, excavations were undertaken to mine the meteor.  No remains of the meteor were found.

View heading into Sedona.



The art villages have beautiful flower pots and architecture.

Some of views along the Red Rock Scenic Byway.



North of Flagstaff, heading out to Wutapki National Monument.  The Painted Desert is in the distance.



This pueblo had 100 rooms and was a wayside for travelers.



The circular room was used for sports.

The San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff.  All are volcanic in origin.

The explosion of the Sunset Crater 900 years ago coated the surrounding area in ash. Some areas have been cleared because of wind erosion and plants are returning.



A lava flow in the Sunset Crater area.

Trees grow in this twisted fashion so that they are more flexible and can tolerate the high winds.