Camping In Cloud City (Not The Only Star Wars Reference In This Post!)

A few weeks back we realized with Mara studying for exams and getting application stuff ready, we really hadn't taken advantage of the cooler mountains to escape the heat of the desert.  About the time we thought of heading up to Payson the temps in the valley started dropping (below 100°F today!).  Then we checked the weather and it was forecast for rain pretty much all over AZ.  We decided we might as well go for one night.  At worst we spend it in the tent and Mara could regale us with stories about her patients.  I took off from work after lunch and we picked up Rohan and the dogs and headed North.  Since most of the time the weather in AZ is fairly predictable (Phoenix especially), we were glad to see lots of cool cloud formations and even a little rain on the way up.
We navigated our Rav4 through some pretty sketchy areas in terms of washouts and wet sand, but we only almost got stuck once, and got to see some of Coconino Forest's back country areas.  When we finally found a spot to camp it was amazing!  The clouds were about 200 feet below us, and we could see probably close to 50 miles, back towards Phoenix.  The view from our site was amazing, and if there wasn't the rain, someone probably would have snagged it before us.  We had lots of cool storm clouds in the distance and fast moving low clouds scrambling up the mountain all around us.  We got some cool videos of the clouds attacking.  One storm cloud in particular looked a lot like a Star Destroyer Battleship from Star Wars (See the pics for a comparison).
The forest was pretty damp, so firewood was scarce, but we were able to make a small one.  We found a nice area to cook our supper at, with views of the valley and sunset.  It couldn't have been much better (well...minus the rain).  We got rained out right around Rohan's bedtime, so that worked out pretty good.  He was so exhaisted that he didn't mind us chatting, or the dogs snoring or barking at forest noises.  We had a couple of June bugs attack our lantern light, but they eventually left us alone.
Saturday morning we checked the forecast and decided to bail instead of sitting in a tent with a 19mo old all day, and two wet dogs.  Instead of heading straight home we took a slightly longer route home through Winslow and Flagstaff.  On the way we swung by a climbing area called Jack's Canyon we had heard some friends talk about.  It turned out to be a gorgeous day (at least while we were in the canyon), and we were suprised how great the clmibing was.  We didn't have gear with us, but as soon as we get some rope, we are going to head back there and do some serious all-weekend climbing.  As we hiked out of the canyon we came across a HUGE snake.  Mara had seen it, but I almost stepped on it.  Not sure what kind it was, but it was about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long.  Maybe Chris, or one of our other nature nerd friends, can identify it in our pictures.
We got home Saturday afternoon (after hitting REI to browse).  The night was pretty low key, and Sunday was a lot of the same.  With Tim & Allison coming in 2 weeks, and Tim and I playing the TPC, I need to get working on my golf game a little so Tim doesn't make too much fun of me!  We capped Sunday off with a nice cool run, and some pool/hot tub time.
Hope everyone had a great weekend too!!!


Cloud City Campsite:


The clouds attack our campsite:




Rohan Laughing At Pine Trees:


Rohan Bouldering:


Rohan & Mara Do Some Yoga Before Getting Back In The Car (Sorry For The Wind Noise!:


One Last Run Before Heading Home! (Sorry, More Wind!):