sunset williams arizona

Of hail storms, tumbleweeds and crazy looking squirrels…

We have been here in the high desert about three months now.  Time is certainly flying by!  We are half way through our season at the Circle Pines KOA in Williams, AZ already.

I want to talk about a few unusual things that we have discovered here in this beautiful place.  Things like extreme weather,  tumbleweeds and funky squirrels.

Oh my!

santa fe new mexico

Northern Arizona was really not what we were expecting.  Having never been to Arizona before, I figured we would be living in a desert.  And true to form, much of Arizona is just that.  But the towns of Williams and the Flagstaff area sit at about 7300 feet above sea level.

And that makes all the difference in the world!

williams arizona

At such high altitude, we often have folks showing up at the campground with altitude sickness.  It takes at least three days for your body to adjust.

You also have to think about things such as adding flour to your baking recipes and the fact that water boils much slower.

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But I’d have to say that the biggest thing to get used to was the quick and dramatic changes of weather that are so common here in the high desert.

Monsoon Season

sedona storm clouds

When visiting the town of Sedona a few weeks ago, we took a bunch of photos of the beautiful rock formations and the gathering clouds behind them.  It was in the 80’s that day.  Sunny and warm.

And then we went into a restaurant to have lunch.

sedona storm clouds

We came out to several inches of pea sized hail and temperatures in the 60’s!  Freak storm?  Hardly.

It seems that at this altitude, these types of storms are quite common.

sedona hail storm

Especially during the Monsoon season of mid July through August.  Most days are sunny and temperate.  Most afternoons are full of interesting surprises.

We are right in the clouds.  Thunderstorms can be very dangerous.  The weather here can kill those that do not properly respect it.

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22 thoughts on “Of hail storms, tumbleweeds and crazy looking squirrels…”

  1. Beautiful pictures and as always, very jealous! You are living your dream and I am so happy and inspired by you! I haven’t been to AZ since I was 13, so uh, another lifetime ago…but would love to go back someday. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Hi Rhonda!

      Thank you so much for stopping by! We are so happy that we made the decision to travel full time. It was tough letting everything go,
      but we have never looked back! Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!
      suzy

    1. Hi Neil and Yoly!

      Yep, we thought about this one for a bit. I love Arizona, but wanted to go onto another state for the winter. But Tucson is very different from where we are and we are going to try our hand at food service this time. We are either going to hate it or love it. We will find out! LOL!

      suzy

  2. I bet that tumbleweed tree is very prickly! LOL I really enjoyed this post. I love the desert area. That hailstorm was crazy though!

    1. Those storms are insane! We had one yesterday -lightning struck the pine tree right behind our coach. Dave actually fell off the couch. Craziness.
      suzy

  3. So enjoy following your travels!

    Looking forward to a blog review of your upcoming gig at Tucson/Lazydays KOA as that is a corporate owned facility.

    Our first workamping gig has been at a corporate owned facility and it has been a great experience.

    1. Hi Susan!
      Our first two campgrounds were corporate owned- Bar Harbor, ME, and St Petersburg, FL. This one is privately owned and it is a whole new atmosphere. But it is all about the managers and so far we have had some great managers. So glad that you had a great experience at your first campground! It is great to love your job isn’t it?

      suzy

  4. We certainly enjoyed reading a little more about your current location. More beautiful scenery of course, and now we know a little more about the tumbleweed of western movies. What a great idea for that town to make a tumbleweed Christmas Tree every year!
    Continue safely with your travels and adventures, and we look forward to the next installment of life on the road.

    1. Hi!

      Thank you so much! We loved the tumbleweed idea too! We plan to see the tree in person this year since we will be in that area for Christmas. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

      suzy

  5. Wow that weather change was something else ! As you know Suzy I love following you on this journey. It is so interesting. I seriously think that if you recorded all this on cd that they would be lovely to keep. I for one would love to purchase one to look back on. Crazy idea ? nah, lol . As always take care and enjoy the journey 🙂

    1. Hi Heather!
      That is a good idea! Who knows? I just need a few more hours in my day. LOL! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

      suzy

  6. Thank you for the amazing pictures! I LOVE the Williams/Flagstaff area! One of my sons lived in Williams for a short time & another son & his wife lived in Flagstaff while she attended school. Needless to say, a few trips to the area & it’s one of our all time favorite places. I’d love to spend an entire summer in Flagstaff …. one day! Enjoy & be safe.

    1. Hi Susan!

      Yes! We were so pleasantly surprised with this area of Arizona! Beautiful weather all summer long, accented by a crazy storm here or there. We definitely plan to come back one day!

      suzy

  7. Curious as to why you started out your blog about AZ with a picture of you in front of the Fine Arts Museum in Santa Fe. If folks look carefully, they can see the New Mexico State flag flying proudly above that historic building.

    1. Hi Cindi!

      You are very observant! The photos in this particular post were from all over the high desert, including Sedona, New Mexico, and even Monument Valley which is partly in Utah. I wanted to talk about some of the things that are common in this area of the country that I hadn’t experienced before. Haven’t had a chance to write a full post on Santa Fe, but do plan to in the future!
      suzy

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