Day One: Henderson, NV to Flagstaff, AZ.
After a fresh early morning start in Henderson, NV, the first day of the trip began, heading towards a small town called Flagstaff, AZ. En route, we stopped at several places, such as the impressive Hoover Dam, Kingman and Sunset Crater National Monument.
Figure 1: Locations visited on Day 1 of the field trip (Google Maps, N.D).
Hoover Dam
The Colorado flows 1440 miles almost to the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico from Colorado State. The water from the Colorado feeds places such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
The Control of the designation of water to the different states, cities and towns was controlled when the Hoover Dam was built in the 1920s.
The Colorado flows 1440 miles almost to the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico from Colorado State. The water from the Colorado feeds places such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
The Control of the designation of water to the different states, cities and towns was controlled when the Hoover Dam was built in the 1920s.
Figure 2: The Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, NV.A trip to the Hoover Dam allows the visitor to see how the water supply in SWUSA is controlled.
It also allows spectacular views of Lake Mead where points are set aside to admire these.
There are also trips over the Hoover Dam by plane and helicopter that allows the visitor to take in the full scale of the beauty and resource management.
It also shows the trouble that the water resources are in due to the bleaching of the reservoir bank where the water has previously been at this level.
The emphasis at the Hoover Dam is on Goetourism and Resource Management, all the activities and sights are to show the visitor how the water is managed and the problems the states relying on this water face. The Hoover dam is primarily centered towards tourists and not towards the local community.
Kingman, Route 66
Kingman’s main road is part of route 66 which was built during the 1920s to supply the new demand for travel due to trade and the popularisation of cars.
The road is full of places to attract and interest tourists, including a visitor’s centre, museum and plenty of gift shops to keep everyone occupied.
Figure 3: The Kingman Train!The town does not offer much to the local people except for jobs through tourism.
Tourism seems to be the main industry and key to the town.
The two places were very tourism centred and were very welcoming, however for a more real experience I think we would have to integrate into society. I thought the Hoover Dam was a little disappointing as there was not much to see and was not as large as I thought it would be.
Sunset Crater National Monument.
Sunset Crater National Monument is located within San Francisco Volcanic field in northern Arizona, located close to the historic town of Flagstaff.
Figure 4: Sunset Crater Cinder Cone, AZ.Made a National Monument in 1930, Sunset Crater is a cinder cone and was believed to have last erupted around 1000 years ago. The protected area is maintained by the National Park Service. More can be read about the National Park Service and their role at Sunset Crater here : www.nps.gov/sucr
A number of geographical themes can be associated with Sunset Crater. The Physical Geography can be appreciated by a trip to the visitors centre, where park rangers and lots of information are available at your fingertips. The trail around the Bonito lava flow is well worth the trek, as you are able to admire first hand Cinder cones, miniature volcanoes and lava flow, which are all a product of the volcanic activity which has happened in the geological past.
Geotourism can also be associated with the park as a walk around the national monument or the visitor centre may highlight and interest any tourists who are keen on volcanism, geology and natural history.
The National Monument also invites tourists, both young and old, to participate in the Junior Ranger Program, which is designed to educate tourists about their surroundings and why or how it formed. It also educates tourists in caring for the environment that they are in and why it is just so special that it has designated status. The Junior Ranger Program is a good example of the potential for geotourists.
Figure 5: The Bonito Lava Flow and San Francisco Peak at Sunset Crater National Monument. On a personal note, Sunset Crater was a fantastic opportunity to experience physical geography first hand and apply knowledge which has been learnt prior to our arrival, which was a positive after an extremely long drive! The scenery was something which many of us have never experienced before and many of us enjoyed. However, the snow showers were slightly unexpected after the sunny start to the day and shorts weren't the best clothes to have been wearing!
Flagstaff
We began our journey to Flagstaff with ‘would you rather’ followed by ‘spot the beard’. The latter of the two was a slight challenge due to the lack of pedestrians wandering around the town.
We lugged our mountains of bags up to the 2nd floor (completely occupied by our group) of the Days Inn, to prepare for our venture into the heart of Flagstaff.
After we were better prepared for snow conditions we drove down to the centre of town. We waited to cross the road whilst the mile long cargo train went past en route to meet at the no loitering sign.
We learnt that the town was first inhabited in 1976 and gained its name from rowdy settlers celebrating the 4th of July by putting a flag up a pine tree.
Flagstaff is the largest town in Northern Arizona situated on the I17 and the I40.
Its railway has been its link to the east and the west of America.
The railway was first opened in 1880 when the towns population was under 200.
By 1890 other industries picked up such as hotels, bars and restaurants due to people being employed by the railway industry.
After interruptions by another couple of mile long trains and waving at the drivers, we wandered over to ‘North Side’.
Tourism picked up in the 1920s with Indian and Grand Canyon tours attracting visitors. The town is known as the ‘City of seven wonders’ due to its close proximity to National Parks and Monuments.
The ‘North Side’ of town is engulfed with old, yet newly refurbished upper class hotels such as the Monte Vista and the Weatherford Hotel that have welcomed the likes of Clark Gable.
We ended out discussion in Heritage Square which is surrounded by modern historical reminders and went our separate ways for food.
Flagstaff
We began our journey to Flagstaff with ‘would you rather’ followed by ‘spot the beard’. The latter of the two was a slight challenge due to the lack of pedestrians wandering around the town.
We lugged our mountains of bags up to the 2nd floor (completely occupied by our group) of the Days Inn, to prepare for our venture into the heart of Flagstaff.
After we were better prepared for snow conditions we drove down to the centre of town. We waited to cross the road whilst the mile long cargo train went past en route to meet at the no loitering sign.
We learnt that the town was first inhabited in 1976 and gained its name from rowdy settlers celebrating the 4th of July by putting a flag up a pine tree.
Flagstaff is the largest town in Northern Arizona situated on the I17 and the I40.
Its railway has been its link to the east and the west of America.
The railway was first opened in 1880 when the towns population was under 200.
By 1890 other industries picked up such as hotels, bars and restaurants due to people being employed by the railway industry.
After interruptions by another couple of mile long trains and waving at the drivers, we wandered over to ‘North Side’.
Tourism picked up in the 1920s with Indian and Grand Canyon tours attracting visitors. The town is known as the ‘City of seven wonders’ due to its close proximity to National Parks and Monuments.
The ‘North Side’ of town is engulfed with old, yet newly refurbished upper class hotels such as the Monte Vista and the Weatherford Hotel that have welcomed the likes of Clark Gable.
We ended out discussion in Heritage Square which is surrounded by modern historical reminders and went our separate ways for food.
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