The Flagstaff sun-democrat., 1897-05-06
COCONIN0 CYCLING CLUB.
Fourth Annual Run to Grand Can-
 yon of the Colorado.
Near Points of Interest; Thence Returning Around San
 Francisco Peaks.


 THE START will be made at o'clock
 AM. from the rooms of tho Coconino Cycling Club. Flagstaff. Arizona. September i. The sth. 9th and 10th will be spent at the Canyon. and the return trip made on the l1th.
 DISTANCE
 THE DISTANCE to the hotel at tho
 Canyon is about seventy miles. The trip can be made in from eight to twelve hours according to tho speed and endurance of the rider Any good amateur rider can make the ride In from ten to twelve hours.
 ROAD.
 THE ROAD is good and level. in the main. although thore are some heavy grades on 1t. It winds among the foot hills and over the lower slopes of the San Francisco mountains for the first twenty to twenty y-nve miles, passing through nns forest of pine for this distance. The sue cesding twenty-five miles leads through rolling prairie region, and for the remainder of the distance the road runs through the Cocouino Forest which here skirts the rim of the Canyon for several miles.
 A rest station, where lunch will be pre- pared, is found at Cedar Ranch. about half way to the Canyon
 TEMPERATURE
 ~ HoNTRARY to the popular idea sug- N gested by the word "Arisona." the temperature of this region. owing to its slti- tude, seldom rises above & deg. Fahr.. even in midsummer. and the mornings and even. ings are delightfully."- cool md pleasant. No finer summer climate can bs found any where in the United States.
 SCENERY.
 HE ENTIRE ROUTE to the Canyon
 is . succession of interesting and beautiful sIghts. The dim. shsdowy vistas of the pine forest stretching away on eithe side the charming little glades and valleys with which its expsnse is broken here and there, the magnificent views of the noble San Francisco triad, the changing hues and shapes of the cliffs and hills along the -csd the black carpet Of volcanic cinders Co the right, Sunset Crater with It's somber slopes and crest of eternal sunshine. all combine to make the first tsenty miles Of the journey a scenic panorama of lndesCribable beauty while the fragrance of the pines and the crisp, fresh mou ntain air render every breath delight
 Passing out of the pines. the road stretches away over the praris region sl- ready referred to, Many of the hills of this vicinity are extinct craters. some of them timberless. some covered with scrub juni- pers. The view throughout this part of ihe Journey Is very extensive. On to the west ward rise Kendrick and sitgresve mountains and Rcd Butte. while to the northeast. some fifty miles away its varied hues shimmaring and blending in the sunlight, lies the Painted Desert. ono of the most unique and most exquisite sights in tho entire Rocky Mountain region.
 Up from the prairie. the forest Is entered again. and when the hotel at the Canyon is reached. 1t Is found. surrounded by the stately whispering pines. in little glen just st the brink of this wsudrous. Mighty 0orRe. But the crownins scenic feature. of courss. Is the Canyon. Whatever fatigue one may have endured on the journey is forgotten at the sight of this mighty gorge. eighteen miles in breadth 5000 feet deep. No imagination can conceive. no mind can comprehend, its ls. vtA A sp, eading labyrinth of towering. csstellated clifYs and massive, crested buttes. hewn into every conceivable shape by the power of wind and water, and all with such matchless blending of rich coloring and with such In. expressible effect of distance and depth that the brain fairly reels at the mere en- dsavor to take 1t in. On the brink of this grandest piece of all Dame Natures handi. work. one fingers for hours, yet never wearied with It's attractions. There Is not upon the earth sight moro worth tho seeing. ACCOMMODATIONS. IH ooD HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS, at lo special rates, will be provided at Flagstaff for all who may attend tho run. Lunch will be served, as has been stated, at Cedar Ranch, the half-way station on the Canyon road. At the Canyon hotel has been established by the Railroad Company. where irst-class meals will be furnished and good tent accommodations for sleeping pur- poses afforded
 ExPRNsE
 THE CoCoNINo CYCLING CLUB will arrange and meet all expenses of the run, charging each participant sli.Oo. Thia will include sleeping Accommodation