This was our third straight day that we had off, and the first time that we have had three days off in a row. We woke this morning to a low of 19 degrees and felt even colder when we checked the temps in Minnesota and found our old stompin’ grounds were warmer. We came south to avoid the cold temps, but altitude will get us every time. We are above 5,000 feet. At least it warms up nicely and the sun feels wonderful when it jumps free of the horizon.

So, we got out of Dodge again. We went back to the Flagstaff area and visited another national monument. This time it was Walnut Canyon. The monument was set aside to protect pre-historical human habitation sites. These were made by the Sinagua (Spanish for “without water”) people who were considered ancestors of the Hopis. The habitation sites were very different than the pueblos we have been encountering built out in the open. These sites were on the sides of canyon walls using naturally occurring rock overhangs. You can see one right in the middle of the photograph. We were so awed by the place that we spent most of the day there, making a much longer stay than we had anticipated.

Tomorrow we are back to work. We will work 4 days and then be off for three days next week, Mon-Wed. It is suppose to be warming up as we head into the weekend. Our outdoor chairs and bicycles are getting rusty from non-use. It looks relaxing out of doors may be in a pause mode  for the next 6 months.