Today we learned that Flagstaff, Arizona is the coldest city in the lower 48 states. The fact that we found ourselves there of all the warm places in Arizona is quite amusing.We were not smiling this morning but now that we have picked a lemon and an orange from the trees surrounding our outdoor pool and hot tub here in Phoenix we can have a little giggle.
Apparently Flagstaff is where people from the rest of Arizona go in the summer to get a break from the heat.
It just figures the sun seeking Canadians would end up there.
When will we start camping you ask? We don't want to rush into things here. Camping requires some preparation and I think after spending the last year getting ready for this trip we are quite happy to flop into a hotel at the end of the day, have a glass of wine by the pool and fill ourselves in the morning with all the "free continental breakfast" we can eat. We've turned on the propane fridge tonight and made the obligatory stop at Costco for some inexpensive booze so maybe tomorrow we'll camp.... maybe not.
We stopped at the most interesting and inspiring place today. Arcosanti- www.arcosanti.org is billed as an urban laboratory. Back in the 70's an Italian architect named Paolo Soleri had a vision to build an experimental city combining architecture and ecology or "archology" that was high density and self reliant. It's very George Jetson but in an earthy, hairy armpit kind of way.
The project has been in the works for over 30 years now and only a fraction of if has been completed. Seems that the selling of cast bronze bells (which are very famous and expensive) don't quite cover the expenses of building this Utopia in the desert. My feeling though is that with the green movement this "city" will get a lot more attention and perhaps more funding.
A visit to the web site is a great place to learn more and see some excellent photos. We had the most amazing organic buffet lunch after our tour made with ingredients grown right on the property.
Volunteers come from all over the world for their 5 week workshops and some have just never left. We would seriously consider returning some day to learn more about this place and volunteer our time helping out with some of the construction.
-Liz
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