June 8-11, 2014: We stayed in Flagstaff, Arizona, for a few days before our reservation at the Grand Canyon. The climate was dry, with daytime temperatures in the 80's and nighttime temperatures in the 50's. Besides grocery shopping, a hair cut, a bicycle ride through the historic downtown, and an REI trip, we visited the Riordan Mansion State Historical Park and hiked at Walnut Canyon National Monument. The dwellings there, sheltered by overhanging cliffs, were home to Walnut Canyon's inhabitants more than 800 years ago. The people today are known as Sinaqua---Spanish for "without water"---a tribute to their ability to turn a dry region into a homeland. They used plants in the canyon for food and medicinal purposes, farmed, hunted, and collected and stored water from the creek at the base of the canyon when water was flowing. So much history!
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