Wednesday morning in Flagstaff the weather was not looking great. The forecast includes an assortment of rain, winds, and thunderstorms, and for dessert the morning news reports a tornado alert for the area. Riding up to the Grand Canyon was supposed to be one of the highlights of the Ride, but a tornado was not in the plan, so I decide to go by car, and pretty happy I did. On the way up I see lumps of white frozen hail on the ground, and on the way back trees rooted out by the violent storm. The next day riding through Bellemont, west of Flagstaff, I also see an entire RV park with all RVs lying sideways like a deck of cards, smashed by the tornado. But the rough weather also brings with it a surprising gift – a concert of full size, colorful rainbows that appear above the Canyon each time the sun comes in for a glimpse.
Here’s a short video showing the sights. Notice the “enlightenment” on the last picture 🙂
