Flagstaff is about 145 miles from Surprise, with MapQuest giving us an estimated 2 hours 13 minutes on the road. We left Wednesday morning, wanting to arrive in Flagstaff about lunch time, then spend a couple of hours in the early afternoon getting the lay of the land before checking in to our room at the lodge. Before long, we ran into rain, and as we climbed, the rain turned to a rain-snow mix, and finally, just snow. There was also several feet of snow on the ground in and around Flagstaff.
After lunch, we checked out the Snow Bowl Ski Resort for down hill skiing and The Flagstaff Nordic Center for cross country skiing, our plan being to spend one day at each place. With so much snow on the ground, and the forecast calling for sunshine and clear skies the next couple days, we were anticipating a great couple days of skiing. We were not disappointed!
Thursday we headed to Snow Bowl. The snow conditions were perfect, the crowds manageable, and the weather in the morning was perfect. After lunch it started getting foggy, then the snow clouds followed the fog, and soon it was lightly snowing. We skied a while more, but when visibility kept diminishing, we decided to pack it in. It was a really fun first ski of the season.
Friday we drove to the Nordic Center where we spent the day cross country skiing. The weather was pristine! Clear blue skies, nary a breeze, and the sun shining off the snowy forest floor like sparkling diamonds. It was peaceful and quiet, everything blanketed in white, the snow absorbing the ambient sounds. Sometimes all you could hear was the swishing of the skis across the snow. Although we weren't the only ones there that day, at times that is how it seemed.
I've included some pictures the lodge, Snow Bowl, and the Nordic Center.
Even though we are in sunny 