AZ Sunday, On our own

On Sunday morning Kate and I bid Mandy and Ryan goodbye and set off north towards Sedona. It was a nice drive and as we climbed in elevation we saw the cactus change from scrub brush and eventually to trees. The first day on the road started off with a ding in the windshield which was a bummer. A rock was kicked up by an 18 wheeler passing us at some point. Luckily, so far to my knowledge I have not been charged for windshield repair.

Our first stop along the journey was Montezuma's Castle. The pueblo is an impressive 1000 year old cliff dwelling. It was a introduction to many Pueblos that we would get to see along the journey.

After walking a short trail at Montezuma's Castle and taking in the visitor's center, we once again hit the road and headed toward Sedona. Sedona was set in a surreal location in the middle of towering piles of red rock and ledge rounded by the ages. The town itself was certainly interesting. It is a contemporary version of the tourist traps that used to dot Historic Rt. 66 as well as many major interstates throughout the country. Tacky brightly covered gift shops, attractions, and mystic and psychic stores line the road. Sedona is a hot spot for those who believe in certain types of alternative medicine and spirituality. Believers think it is a hot spot for "vortexes" (not vortices). A vortex is said to be a swirling energy center that can affect people positively who are near it. As a result of this belief the town attracts a large new age contingency. We drove through the town to get to Red Rock State Park.
Here we are with our trail refreshments. Soda like the true city slickers. And for me this trip will mark an end to my regular soda consumption. After an unfortunate dentist experience, that of course should have been avoided, I'm cutting back by about 90%. But anyway, in Red Rock State park we could not have asked for a better day. Nice and warm, crystal skies, and who knows, perhaps some good vibes from a vortex or two. As soon as I took this picture I commented that the shadows made Kate look like some strange Star Trek alien. Well perhaps not that strange, they always are Hominid form.

Self-shot, part way up the peak!

Kate is looking out at the view. My sneakers are still filled with red dust from the trip.

There I am with my vice in hand.

I wish I was here right now!

A candid moment along the trail.

Prickly Pear! Makes me think of the "Old Yeller" because it was featured in the story. This stuff was everywhere. I definitely found myself being much more cautious than the George of a few years ago. In the past I had bound down hiking trails or sat upon a ledge. I just really didn't have it in me this time, and admittedly Kate was the brave one when it came to getting close to a cliff. But perhaps it isn't just me being old, perhaps it is because around here if you fall down you bump yourself up on some rocks, or get caught on a tree. In many of the places we went if I fell I'd come out looking like a pin cushion, or worse, I'd just be dead.

After hiking for a few hours and checking out the visitor's center we headed back to town and checked into the Hotel. For supper we ate at a Mexican restaurant per request of the staff. Casa Bonita, a small local chain had some great food, however like many things in Sedona, it was in a strip mall. After dinner we walked around a little bit, and then ended up exploring the town in the car. The narrow road with periodic rotaries that heads through town gave me the feeling that I was on one of those "antique car" tracks at an amusement park. The town was dead, and almost everything was closed because it was Sunday. We had fun however, the night was beautiful, the stars were bright and the cliffs were dark and imposing against the night sky. When we got back to the hotel we decided to go for a swim in the pool. The pool was outside, and it took a little coaxing on my part to get Kate to go out. There was a Jacuzzi as well, however in the Sedona valley, the desert cools off fast at night. It probably was only in the mid 50s out. However as I suspected the pool and Jacuzzi felt great once we got in. After swimming for 40 minutes or so Kate checked out the TV listings on the hotel computer, and then we headed up to the room to rest up for a new day.

Time in AZ

Kate and I returned last Saturday from our week long jaunt in Arizona. We had a great time, visiting with my cousin Mandy and her husband Ryan, and then heading out into the wilds of northern Arizona for several days.

Mandy and Ryan fixed us a great steak dinner when we arrived on Friday evening. It was a cool night, however we did spend a little that night around the fire in the back yard, and their neighbor Layton joined us later in the evening.

The next day Mandy, Ryan, Kate and I headed out to see some Phoenix attractions. We saw the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix which neither Mandy or Ryan had seen before. Despite being a little out of season Kate and I appreciated it a lot since we are not used to the plant life of the southwest. Ryan shared his wealth of knowledge about the plants at every turn, it was though we had our own personal guide (first picture).

One of the interesting things about the park was in places it was tough to see where the park ended and the original desert began. Below you can see Kate snapping such a picture.

Mandy and Kate look out at the Phoenix landscape from a park overlook.
Kate grinding maize.

A wigwam.

After the park we headed to the area around Arizona State University in Tempe where we had a nice Mexican meal. I can't recall the name of the restaurant, and unfortunately Kate has the picture of this one.

After lunch we had some misadventures getting to the famous Biltmore hotel in Phoenix which was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. After getting a little lost in the exclusive neighborhood where it is at, an elderly woman followed us around because I guess she thought we were up to no good or something.... We did see the hotel as we drove by it, but by that point we were happy to get back to the main drag.

Next on the agenda was downtown Phoenix. We first went to Heritage Square where we toured the Rosson House pictured below. It was a nice tour and a very unique building. They were doing some strange "death theme" which I suppose was related to Halloween. The had decorated the home as though its owners were in mourning over a loss in the family.

After this we drove to see the capitol pictured below and the various monuments situated in a park in front of it. The city was very dead, and this area was primarily the "working city", and is un-lived in. We did see some street walkers.

At this point we were really tired. We returned with Mandy & Ryan to their house. They picked up some candy for the trick or treaters. We had pizza delivery for supper and later enjoyed some smores and drinks around the fire in the back yard.

In the next couple of days I'll post the pictures from the rest of our trip!

Cupcakes!

Kate and I had a nice relaxing weekend. We had some great walks in Melrose looking at the foliage and Halloween decorations. And I made a nice chili today, along with cupcakes. Frosting and decor was provided by Kate.