May 2, 2013 - Sedona, AZ and Red Rock Country

Today, Paula and I decided to take a road trip to the Sedona, Arizona area. We also stopped off at the visitor center for the Red Rock Country in the Coconino National Forest. The views are breath-taking in this area. We are planning to go back up here for a little hiking before we leave AZ. We strolled through an arts and crafts mecca - Tlaquepaque - in Sedona. And we had lunch at the Wildflower Bread Company.

Mar 31, 2013 - Sedona, AZ

We are moving on to Sedona, a picturesque town with red rock formations rising up all around it. We wanted to get back to Sedona ever since we visited briefly about 6 years ago. Back then we had spent a few nights here but used Sedona as a base to tour the surrounding countryside on a 'Pink Jeep Tour'. We discovered that Sedona itself was worth seeing but we didn't have time. This time we are taking a Pink Jeep Tour of the Sedona area. Sedona's elevation is 3,500 ft which is about 3,200ft above Phoenix, and it is amazing what a difference...

Mar 25, 2013 - Last Day in Sedona

Today was our final day in Sedona and the weather was gorgeous. Amaya wanted to go to Slide Rock State Park one more time so we packed a picnic lunch and took off. Audra and Amaya took the low road and headed for the river and Don and I took the high road to watch them from above. My knees may be bionic but climbing rocks is not my strong suit. After a couple of hours, we all met up at the picnic area and had lunch, spicing it up with some good laughs. Audra, Amaya and I particularly like it when Don sets the camera on timer and runs to be...

Mar 24, 2013 - A Day in a Pink Jeep in the Desert

Today was a fantastic day of adventure which began with a trip through most of the shops in the tourist part of Sedona. Of course, you must see the mountains before reaching that area and are surrounded by them the entire time you window shop and drop some money. We had lunch at a great restaurant and started with appetizers of rattlesnake bites and cactus fries both of which were delicious and I do mean delicious. Then there was bison chili for some of us and pulled pork for the part time traveler who we call Audra. With full tummies and...

Mar 23, 2013 - A Family Day

Well Audra and Amaya arrived about 1:30AM and we were awake. Surprised? We are so happy to have them. We haven't seen any family in more than two months. Gave them the first day of their Redrock tour and they were impressed. All are amazed at the beauty of this area. We went back to Slide Rock and Amaya fell in, we assume by accident. She had a blast. A great picnic lunch followed by a family laugh at the Old Man running to be in the picture before the timer snapped it. Audra says I ran like an old man. What a surprise? Aud and My still...

Mar 22, 2013 - A Day of Beauty

This is actually yesterday's entry, as the Internet decided that we weren't writing last night. Oh well! We had another day of red rock beauty and even a picnic. Took a ride through Oak Creek Canyon, did a bit of mountain hiking, saw Slide Rock Park, visited Chapel of the Holy Cross, and a fabulous view at the airport. We shared a picnic surrounded by the beauty of this area and even learned how to use the timer on the camera that we've owned for several years. This is still the most beautiful place I've ever been, and I'm sharing it with...

Mar 20, 2013 - A Red Rocking Day to Remember

Today we toured the area around Sedona Arizona and saw the most beautiful natural wonders either of us have ever seen. The red rock formations are simply out of this world. We haven't even begun to see it all, but we have a week. We got some ideas of places to go and started driving. The greatest treat was when we took a scenic loop through Red Rock State Park. A very steep and winding mountain road with views to dream of. Even a stop for road construction couldn't spoil God's handiwork. I added comments to only a few pics tonight. We'll...

Mar 5, 2013 - Sedona - Bear Mountain hike

Day 51 (am temp 31.5) Bear Mountain Hike – Sedona Well, I just couldn’t leave this area without tackling Bear Mountain, which is one of the more difficult hikes in the area – according to the volunteer at Palatki. Besides, I still had a couple domestic chores to take care of before heading out. I guess you could say a 2000 foot elevation gain in 2.4 miles is difficult. Again, if my math is reasonably correct, that represents a constant 15% slope. Of course, it wasn’t constant, so there were several sections much steeper – especially...

Mar 4, 2013 - Sedona - Palatki and Honanki Ruins

Day 50 (am temp 39) Palatki and Honanki Ruins If only I could remember more of what I was told today…… My arrival at Palatki was prompted with the notion that if I arrived early today, and if they had extra staff, a tour of the Agave roasting pit area might be possible. So I got there early. And they had the extra staff. As there were no other visitors expected for another hour, the volunteer docent took me to the roasting pit and spent nearly an hour showing and describing pictographs and other historical info. This was a special...

Mar 3, 2013 - Sedona - Highline hike

Day 49 (am temp 34) Sedona – Highline hike When I’m in an unfamiliar area, I like to stop at Ranger Stations to obtain any needed hiking maps and generally check things out. When doing so on my way to Flagstaff the other day, the desk volunteer pointed me in the direction of a “new” trail that was still being worked on by the Forest Service, but was open. Apparently, there are “system” trails, and “non-system” trails. The latter are not “recognized, condoned or maintained by the Forest Service”. The Highline trail was actually identified as...

Jan 30, 2013 - Sedona, oh magnificent Sedona!

Sedona, AZ has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Nestled in among glorious mountains of red rock, sheer white rock faces, and trees of several varieties, it should definitely be on your bucket list. We opted to hit the trails in Sedona rather than the highway for a view of the Grand Canyon, and what a reward we got for our choice. (we'll make a longer trip to the Grand Canyon from San Diego). The receptionist at the Junipine suggested we hike the mountain behind our cabin for a local experience, or drive into Sedona...

Jan 29, 2013 - return to winter

In Illinois I-80 is a clear line of demarcation between upstate (urban, Chicago affiliated) and downstate (rural, agrarian, conservative). It's a rather arbitrary line, but folks who live on one side or the other can feel different and somewhat alienated from their Land of Lincoln colleagues on the other side. We've seen this same phenomenon in Florida where the redneck panhandle feels like another world from the cosmopolitan lower part of the state. In Arizona this line is much less political and delineated by geography. Phoenix is at...