Destination: Flagstaff, Arizona

The Saturday before Christmas break, Nick and I made the two hour drive North to Flagstaff, Arizona for a day adventure. It was so exciting to get out of the car just after reaching Flagstaff and feel the brisk air and see the snow on the ground. While it didn't snow while we were there, it was cold, with the low during the evening when we were there being 18 degrees. Definitely different than Phoenix, which we returned to at 58 degrees.

We started off our day with a romantic, fancy breakfast at Burger King haha We arrived at the Lowell Observatory by 11:00 a.m. The Lowell Observatory is a astronomical research center, with telescopes still used by the world's astronomers today. The Observatory is famous for housing the telescope that found the planet Pluto. We were able to learn more about the history of the discovery of Pluto, see the telescope where it was discovered, view the 5th best telescope in the United States, and learn more about the Universe. We journeyed back at night for their other programming, where we were actually able to look out of the 5th best telescope at a star cluster as well as through a smaller telescope at the planet Uranus. The stars were unbelievably clear due to the city ordinance in Flagstaff making it a dark city i.e. all of the street lights are pointed down and buildings can't be above a certain height. They do a presentation on the different constellations and we plan to go back during the Summer when the sky is still a bit clearer and it's not so cold outside. We had a hard time standing outside in the freezing cold, but the time we did spend outside we were able to see the Milky Way, that is the cloudiness of it.

 

After the Lowell Observatory in the morning, we journeyed to the Rousan House, the mansion of the family that founded Flagstaff. The house is in INCREDIBLE condition, having only been turned over the state in 1981 and barely any changes made to the house since it was built. The family kept it pretty much the same--same furniture, same electrical wiring (there are only like 2 plugs in the whole house), same linens, and many of the original family members clothing!

The house was incredible--a fountain in the breakfast nook, a beautiful grand piano, amazing wallpaper, a swing in the living room, and a giant family room joining the two sides of the mansion that housed two of the Roussan brothers and their families.

We ate at India Palace, which was very reasonable and had some yummy Indian food. (GROUPON)

Then we journeyed to Bearizona, our original reason for heading up to Flagstaff. Nick and I got a great Groupon deal ($12 for both of us) to view the light show and see the animals. I think I've said this before, but if you're not using Groupon, that needs to change! Groupon is the best idea for couples that anyone ever had :D Anyway...we enjoyed walking around seeing the lights, the bear cubs, and the foxes. I am grateful that we didn't drive up just for Bearizona because honestly, it wouldn't have been worth it. They used the same light show every hour and due to the extreme cold, very few of the animals were out. We plan to go back during the summer, when we can drive through and see the wildlife in the warmth!