Sedona by Air

First off, let me apologize to everyone who's been looking for the next posting. I managed to over-run the limit on my cousin's internet account and they cut us off. So we had to go in to the office and get things straightened out and get a higher ceiling, so now we're all set.

It turns out that my cousin has a son-in-law who owns an interest in an airplane and the airplane, a Cessna 170 tail dragger, is stored in a hanger down the road.

He graciously offered to take me up to see Sedona at daybreak one day when the winds were calm. Tuesday of this week was that day. I got up at 4:30 and we took off at 6:00 just after dawn. The winds were glassy smooth and the weather was perfect. We flew at an altitude of 500-800 feet so the view was just magnificent. I could see cattle and deer on the ground. We crossed over into the Verde Valley and headed North.

That's the Mogollon Rim in the background and the Verde River is the strip of green. A little later, we passed over Montezuma Well.

The well is part of Montezuma Castle National Monument located 11 miles away and is a natural limestone sinkhole. It is 368  feet across and 55 deep and flows 1,500,000 gallons of naturally carbonated water daily. The well is home to several unique species and contains high levels of arsenic.

This is the village of Oak Creek. Sedona is behind the set of hills on the right.

Here's a look at one of the hills on the way into Sedona. The opening photo shows Sedona in the background. If you look carefully at the left side of the opening photo, you'll see the other side of Coffee Pot rock that I showed in an earlier post. Their were so many views, it was hard to keep up with them.

I took along three cameras and used them all. I took what I thought at the time was a lot of video, but in the end I only wound up with 11 minutes of usable footage. I'm working at editing that into a viewable film but here is one clip:

At one point, we were able to circle by an ancient cliff house.

Running out of Clarkdale is the Verde Canyon Railroad. It once served the copper mines up the valley and now runs excursions. We were able to see part of the track layout and I hope that we can soon ride it. That also brought us back down the valley so that we could see Jerome in the distance. All of the towns around here have a large white letter posted on the hillside so pilots can tell where they are. The large factory in the foreground is a cement plant mining in the largest naturally occurring cement deposit in the Southwest.

On the way back, we stopped at the Cottonwood airport to top off the fuel tanks. Aviation fuel cost $5.63 a gallon and we used 6.2 gallons per hour.

We discovered that the back tire on the tail wheel was flat after we finished fueling. We had to wait for a friend of the pilot to show up with an air compressor to pump it up so we could take off. It went flat before we landed again but we made it without incident. We did take time on the return to do a fly by of the house where we are staying. You can see the motorhome parked next to the shop.

It was just the greatest way to see Sedona and, again, my pictures just don't come close. I really appreciate the unique opportunity to view the area. Thanks John.

Sedona Redux

Friday we made another excursion to Sedona. It won't be our last. This was primarily a shopping trip. We wanted to revisit some of the shops we had been to previously and see a couple of new ones and perhaps locate a garage sale or two.

On the way into town we stopped so I could photograph a couple of the local plants in bloom. There were large clumps of Soaptree Yucca.

There was also an Englemann Prickley Pear cactus in bloom.

 We then continued on into to the Oak Creek mall. When we came out of the first store, this is what we saw.

It turns out that block behind the mall, a propane tank had exploded and set a house on fire. We watched the black smoke curling up and finally heard the sirens of the approaching equipment. Everybody commented on how long it seemed to get the fire department on the scene. I saw a picture later taken by a woman who was garage sale-ing in the same block and the house was fully involved including a truck in the driveway before help arrived. The big concern was whether they would have to evacuate the area. I think they did evacuate the immediate neighborhood but the mall was not affected.

We continued on to the Paw Prints thrift store I had mentioned before but it was a disappointment with a lot fewer items than we had hoped. All was not lost, however, as I picked up a book on cooking with a convection microwave like the one in our motorhome. Then it was time for lunch.

We stopped here:

I'm thinking that since we were in  the RED rocks area, this RED Planet Diner was a takeoff on that. Anyway it was a kitschy, retro space-themed place. Spaceships hanging from the ceiling and all of the menu items named with space themes. If you just got carried away with the whole experience, you could get your picture taken with an alien.

How do you like that shirt? I've got another one even worse. They are vintage cowboy shirts that my cousin had in the closet and they had never been worn, so she gave them to me. I oughta be able to turn heads now!

This was the view coming out of the diner.

We cruised up and down the road looking for another thrift shop and finally concluded it was out of business and time for some garage sales. We spotted a sign leading us to an estate sale so we drove down one of the side streets looking for it. We never did find it but wound up on the other side of the valley. When we turned around we had a great view of Coffeepot Rock. The Rounded hill to the left is Sugarloaf Mountain.

This is all a residential area spread over the sloping foothills of the mountains. How would you like to sit out on the porch of the house on the left and watch the sun go down? It would set to the left, casting shadows over all the notches in the hills. What a view!

After striking out on garage sales, we left town to the South and traveled a road which follows Oak Creek. Along the way were several wineries. I was surprised to see vineyards in the desert but the micro-climate along the creek seemed to suit them just fine. We stopped at a couple and bought a bottle of white zin at the first. The second had live jazz and was packed so we didn't hang around there.

Saturday we decided to try the flea market in Prescott Valley and hit some garage sales. The flea market was interesting but cold and very windy. It was pretty good size and had pretty much all old stuff. Not the racks of new Chinese junk I find at home, this was old Western rusty junk along with some saddles and tack and lots of stuff that wasn't worth much when it was new, much less now. No deals, but I did pick up a 10pt. Disston D-7 in pretty good shape with a clear etch. Not old but straight and it should clean up well. Later on at a couple of garage sales I picked up some more small tools but nothing special.

The highlight was the first sale we stopped at. It had the usual baskets and knick-knacks but there in the driveway was this:

It was for sale but I don't know what the price was. The woman running the sale had a number you could call to talk to the owner. It is a 1969 Jeepster in immaculate condition with 89,000 miles on the speedo. It has an automatic transmission and four wheel drive and of course, the convertible top. Black leather seats. What a hoot that would be to own. How about towing it behind the motorhome?

We're hosting a bachlorette party for one of the grandchildren on Monday so we'll spend the rest of the weekend prepping for that.

Behind the Wheel

This mockingbird flies up to the top of this basketball backboard every evening and sings and sings, letting everything in earshot know that this is his territory.

We went into town for some groceries yesterday. The grocery store is a local chain called Fry's. It has simply everything, much like the Wegman's in the North and what Harris Teeter attempts in the South. One difference is that they employ enough people to do it right. We always look for the power carts when we shop and are used to finding a row of them not working or no carts at all. WallMart is particularly bad for carts, but most places are not much better. Fry's is different. They have carts at the ready and they all work and they have an attendant who gets it ready and hands it over. After checkout, the bagger accompanies us to the parking spot and drives the cart back to the store. I don't know how Fry's prices compare with the other outlets in the area but the customer service is just great.

We take route 69 into town. We're about 20 miles from Prescott, but the Prescott area is expanding toward us through a suburb called Prescott Valley. It has all of the big box stores and most of the small stuff, too. So town keeps getting closer. Driving out here is a little different. The traffic is dense but then, it is in a lot of areas. But here, at least in Prescott Valley, you don't speed. The main road into town is a 55 zone that slows to 45 when you hit the shops. If you get off the main route to travel the side streets, the speed limit slows to 25. And they mean it! There are traffic cameras everywhere waiting to snap your picture if you transgress and send you a nastygram with a high dollar fine. They have mobile camera units deployed about the area as well. And there's no grace. The limit is the limit. So all the time we're driving I'm watching the speedometer like a hawk and trying to watch the traffic at the same time while I'm trying to find my way around.

The main roads are in good shape but we're staying in an area off route169 that might be called a rural development. Just off the road is a community called White Horse Ranch. There are maybe 100 homes each on several acres of land, most with corrals and horses. The roads don't seem to have been laid out with any logic or plan. We drive through to an area above and beyond to get home. And the whole thing is dirt road. Washboarded and rutted and rocky. The speed limit is 25 but we do about 15 or so to keep the dust down and try to spare the vehicles. We're about a mile and half off the main highway so it takes a bit of time going in and out. Not uncommon to find auto parts lying along the road. There has been some talk about getting the road improved but no real plan and a lot of fear that better road will just increase speeding.

There is no mail delivery here so my cousin has a box in the next town over for mail. UPS seems to know their way around and I see the big brown truck often. I haven't yet seen a FedEx truck.

Water is from wells but many are not sufficient to the need so many people drive to town to fill up large tanks for utility water. It costs about 50 cents for 50 gallons. Everybody drives around with bottles of drinking water in the car. Although water is scarce, the area manages to keep a half dozen golf courses going.

I was a little surprised that there is so little Western wear in evidence. I kind of expected a lot of boots and hats and Western shirts like we had seen in Nashville. There is some, but for the most part it looks like New York or North Carolina. Not a lot of Western clothing shops, no Western clothing in the thrift shops. No accent in the speech, either. And I've seen more Mexican Restaurants in Burlington than I've seen here.

The taxes are high. Land tax in Prescott is the highest in the state, even more than Phoenix. Maybe because it's a very popular retirement destination. Sales tax in Prescott is a little over 9%. In Sedona, it's 10.35%.

Oh well, enough rambling for today. I just thought I'd give a glimpse of daily life rather than just the tourist stuff. Everybody have a safe and fun Memorial weekend.

On the Road to Jerome

This a shot of Route 89A going up Mingus Mountain on the way to Jerome. When I was doing research prior to coming on this trip, all of the RV travel sites warned that this was not a road on which to take a motorhome. It was too steep and curvy and the turns were too tight going up and down and the streets were so tight in Jerome that you'd get stuck. Well, it's not quite that bad but I still wouldn't take a motorhome on it. It reminds me of Rt 81 in North Carolina going up to the Blue Ridge out of Morganton. The difference is that 81 has several slow vehicle lanes at critical points and 89A has none. Trucks are limited to 50' in length. there are a very few pull-offs to cool off brakes or engines and only a couple of scenic overlooks. But boy, is it pretty. The pass over Mingus tops out at about 7000' which gets you up into the Ponderosa Pine region. There are several 15 mph switchbacks and great views. Big rocks, too.

There were many spots with great picture possibilities but no place to stop safely to get them. Next time, I'll get someone else to drive and I'll shoot out of the window. Going down, there was one place to stop and get a look out into the Verde Valley.

A couple of miles after crossing the top, you drop down into the town of Jerome. Back in the late 1800's, it was the center of mining for silver, gold and copper. In 1916 the UVX mine produced $10 million dollars of the valuable metals. The town gained a reputation as "the wickedest town in the West". The last of the mines closed in 1953. The population in 1929 was a little over 15,000 people. Today it's about 400.

Now the the town is a National Historic District and home to a variety of artists, museums and galleries. The turns in town are still tight.

The town is perched on the side of Cleopatra Hill and reminds me of the scenes in West Virgina with buildings set in notches in the hillside. When the mines were active, vibration from blasting once sent the jailhouse a whole block downhill, intact. It might not be possible to keep a motorhome in it's lane making the turns through town. Parking is very restricted and walking is the order of the day.

There is a neat old mining museum that I'd like to explore on the next trip.

Lots of galleries, including one offering nothing but articles made from copper. I didn't get a picture of that one. I have no idea what this one offered.

At first I thought that this was a hotel as there is one in town, but this turned out to be a  a whole collection of artist studios and galleries.

Jerome is only about an hour away for us so we'll be sure to back and do the walking tour. Today's trip was to scout it out and get a sense of the place.

It's supposed to start cooling off here today. On Tuesday it was 95 but the forecast high for Saturday is 66. We're planning to travel back into Sedona tomorrow for some shopping. There's supposed to be a great thrift shop up there called Paw Prints that supports the local animal shelter. And we want to go back to the book store. Nothing is planned for the Memorial Day weekend as we all like to stay out of the hubbub on the holidays.

I try to post when I have something to say. That means there are days when there's not much going on and I don't want to bore my readers with my ramblings. I could post on the off days if folks want to read more but I have so few comments on the blog that it's hard to tell if anyone's out there. So let me know, either in a comment or an email if you'd like to see anything change.

We Have Shade!

Today we installed the new awning fabric. My cousin's daughter and her family were down for the weekend so we had some extra help on hand and decided this would be the day to install the awning, early in the morning before the wind came up.

I had done some prep work ahead of time. Of course, I had ordered and received the replacement awing. I ordered a generic replacement from Carefree of Colorado thru PPL Motorhomes. It was well rated in reviews on line and it certainly seemed to be at least of as good quality as the one I was replacing. I had researched how to do this on line and watched a coupled of you-tube videos so I thought I had a good chance of getting it installed without too much disaster. I even read the directions first!

The first step was to remove the old material. Being the OEM equipment, it had the decorative flap sewed as a piece of the larger flap, that is, the whole awning was once piece of fabric while the replacement was in two pieces, the main awning and the decorative flap. These awnings are held in place by a pocket of fabric which is sewn in the edge and filled with a plastic rod. The whole assembly is then slipped into a mating groove molded into the roller and into a strip fastened to the body of the motorhome. Now, the ends of these grooves in the roller are covered by a decorative metal cap. The cap has a clearance molded into it for ONLY ONE GROOVE! So here we are with a one piece awning with two rods sewn into the edge and only one is exposed to allow us to slide it out. Just whose idea was that? To expose both grooves would require taking apart the whole end arm assembly and relieving all of the tension wound into the internal spring. Well, SharpTooth to the rescue. I whipped out my trusty pocket knife and minutes later we had a two piece awning. Then we could rotate the end cap to expose one groove a t a time because I had already drilled out the rivets that hold it in place. Of course, I had also drilled out the rivets on the other cap, the one on the right hand end, which I should have left alone and had to replace at the end of the job.

Next we had to remove the bracket on the upper left hand leg in order to slide the upper part of the awning down the rail and off the end. Of course, when you do that there's nothing to hold that end of the awning to the body, so it's quick run and grab the stepladder to support the outboard end. After taking out the tiny screws that actually secure the the fabric into the channel, everybody pull left and there we are. At this point I remembered I had a camera and tried to record some of the rest of the action.

Now, nowhere in the directions I found or the videos I watched did anybody say anything about having to put the plastic rod in the hem before you start! But the directions spelled it right out. They've included a pull string in the hem. Just use the pull string to pull the rod through. We even have this clever piece of woven stuff that acts like one of those Chinese finger pullers. You tie a knot in the end of finger puller, tie the pull string below the knot, insert the rod and pull away. First off, the pull string looks like something you'd sew a button on with. Then I tied a knot in the end of the puller and pulled the knot as tight as I could get it with a pair of pliers and then trimmed it off neatly. Tied the string on with a trusty square knot and inserted the rod. Pulled on the string and clearly, the knot was just not going to go into that seam. So we poked and prodded and tried lubricant and then broke the string. I looked at the seam and looked at the rod and just poked the free end of the rod into the seam and pushed. And pushed, and then pushed some more, but finally, there it was. After that we just retired the directions and did it our way and things went better. That turned out to be the toughest part of the job. The remark was made that a root canal would be a delight in comparison.

We decided to assemble in reverse order. Do the big part first and then follow it up with the flap. But the channel on the motorhome extends all the way to the rear of the body so we have eight feet of awning to hang in the upper channel before we can get the lower part started in the roller. The directions say a helper might be useful. Try four helpers. We had people everywhere.

With one person running each end and another supporting and guiding the fabric into the slot, it went right in. You'd have thought we  knew what we were doing. We got it slid into place on the upper rail and reinstalled the bracket for the upper left leg. Then we put the little screws back in the anchor each end. By this time the roller assembly had worked its way sideways so when we centered the awning up on top, it was way off on the roller. Brute force to the rescue. A few pushes and shoves later we had it pretty well centered. Then it was time to install the flap. Rotate the end cap, slide it in, piece of cake. We're rolling. Now it's time to rivet the end caps and we're nearly done. The awning is installed but pretty limp so I extend the arms as if I was pitching it and smooth it out.

Next, it's reverse that little lever on the right side and let it roll up. Except it doesn't. Not enough tension on the torsion springs inside the roller arm. Well, no problem, I've read how to do this. It's just that they warn you that if you slip and let go of the vise grips, you can break a wrist. Faint heart ne'er won fair maid so off I go. Take out the bolt that holds the end cap in place grab the end cap securely with vise grips and give it a couple of turns to tighten it. Now, I'm no dummy. I've rolled up the awning by hand so it's up at the top where the tension is the least. Safer that way. So I lift the end cap carefully out of the end of the leg. Oh, when you do that the leg falls to the ground and I'm up on the ladder holding onto the tension spring. Help! Trusty helpers are nearby and come the rescue once again. Two turns on each end and back into place and it rolls right up like it was meant to.

Thankfully, through all of this the wind has been very mild. An hour later it was whipping everything in sight. But a good job well done and many thanks to all of the help.

Old Timer Fiddlers

This is called Red Eye Prickly Pear Cactus. It's just coming in to bloom where we are. I had hoped to see desert flowers when we came out West. That's one reason we came in late spring. That has not been a problem, there are plenty of flowers. I missed the great patches of Bluebonnets in Texas but there have been many flowers to search out here. I say search out because they are scattered and the blooming is timed not only to sunlight and temperature, but also altitude. As we travel to different spots, I see flowers different from what I see right around where we're staying. When we went to Phoenix, the Saguaro cactus were just coming into bloom. We need to get back down there to seem them fully bloomed out before they're done. I need to make a drive around just to take flower pictures. So far it's just been seeing them as we breeze by. In the cities there are many very colorful flowers but I don't know what's native and what's not. I did pick up a Peterson's Guide in Sedona the other day that I'm trying to use, but it doesn't have enough colored illustrations to suit me and no actual pictures, just drawings.

Yesterday we went over to my cousin's daughter and son-in-law's place for the afternoon and evening. They are hosting a fiddler's get together and barbeque this weekend. Actually, the barbeque had to be done in the oven because there is a county wide ban on fires. It was delicious none the less. I didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be just like the music events we've attended in North Carolina, but with fewer youngsters. In fact, most of the attendees were of advanced age, but quite spry. And talented. All of the normal strings were there so it wasn't just fiddles. We had mandolins, banjos, guitars and a bass as well. The plastic strings on the base were dyed red, white and blue. There must have been close to a hundred people there, drawn to the event by word of mouth and that informal network that musicians have. Several came early and are camped out for the duration. The location is a small farm so there's plenty of room. There was plenty of food too, as many folks brought a dish to pass.

The highlight of the evening was a birthday party for a woman who had come from quite a distance. She sat in a power wheelchair and had oxygen but she also brought her fiddle and played right along. She's in her nineties. They had a giant birthday cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. The cake was a carrot cake and it was delicious.

What a great time we had. The food was great. The music was great and it was a special treat to meet and talk with all the folks we met there, including several relatives we haven't seen in over a generation.

Sedona

Yesterday we went to Sedona, a town named after the wife of the first postmaster. It's actually a collection of related villages including Oak Creek, Sedona and West Sedona. It's the signature red rock formations of  Schnebly Hill sandstone that are the attraction and pervasive influence of the area. Sitting at the lower end of Oak Creek canyon, these rock formations occur nowhere else. They are just breathtaking and are a constant presence as you travel through the area. Even if you've never been to Arizona, you've probably seen some of Sedona. The town has been the setting of over 44 pictures from 1938 up to 1973.

Most of the pictures that we've seen of the red rock formation are careful to exclude the context of the area. Unlike Monument Valley, which is entirely in Navajo reservation territory, Sedona is a heavily settled area. It can be very difficult to get a clear shot of some of the formations without including signs of the surrounding settlement. I tried to minimize them but they are a part of the landscape and I think the pictures are more honest with some included.

This is called Coffee Pot Rock. We drove around and around a neighborhood trying to get a clear look at it.

This Bell Rock because it's supposed to look like a dinner bell. I guess you have to be in the right mood.

As you go about in the community, you're surrounded on all side by these imposing rock structures. The houses and businesses back right up to the lower slopes. The town has strict housing codes to make sure that any new structures blend into the outdoor color scheme. Even the McDonalds has turquoise arches instead of yellow.

The Cholla (choy-ya) cactus was in bloom and made a good foreground for this shot. We started out shopping at a little outlet mall in Oak Creek and then went in search of scenic views. One of the complications is that while there are several good picture taking pull-offs, the town requires that you have a permit in order to stop at them. So we cheated and just shot out of the window for the most part.

One of the more striking viewing spots is at the Chapel of the Holy Cross which is integrated into the sandstone rising from the valley floor.

The chapel has soft music playing and people are encouraged to enter and enjoy a moment of peace. Looking down from the parking lot on the village below, we saw this house (estate, mansion?)

There are reputed to be homes belonging to the rich and famous in the area. We saw one spot where there was a house once owned by Lucille Ball. I assume real estate is quite expensive here. The houses are of moderate size but most have little to no area around them. Yards are practically non-existent at most of them.

After wandering around the town for awhile, we stopped at an up-scale shopping experience called Tlaquepaque (tell-ock-a-pock'-ay). It was once a walled Mexican hacienda and is now converted into a series of galleries and shops.

The first shot is of the motor entrance and the second is the pedestrian entrance. The interior is full of courtyards and each seemed to have a fountain.

There was also a variety of sculpture at every turn.

Sedona is a fascinating place that is going to take several visits to absorb. There are high end, very wealthy parts and ordinary down home parts. There's a micro-brewery to investigate. All of it is continually watched over by the fabulous red rocks.

It's a Dry Heat

The sky has been very clear since we got here, making the sunsets less than spectacular. So yesterday, when there was a little cloud cover, I took advantage of the reflection to take the above picture from the deck of the house. Yesterday I was surprised to learn that the temperature hit 100 degrees at the peak of the day. We were out in it and I wouldn't have thought it went over the high 80's. The humidity was 5%. Now understand it was hot, in the sun you felt like a bug under a magnifying glass, but the discomfort I would have felt back home at that temperature just wasn't there. Back home, I'd have walked out the door and felt a blast of suffocation. Here, it just felt hot. There really is something to this "dry heat" thing.

We've been following the news of the wildfires burning in Arizona right now. The national news is about useless but the local out of Phoenix does a pretty good job, much like our storm coverage back home. Right now, there are five wildfires burning. At least the two largest are out of control. The one nearest to us is the Gladiator fire, the nearest town to it is Crown King which was named for the Crowned King Mine. So far, it's burned two houses, a trailer and over 1700 acres of land. It's zero contained. It's about 50 miles South of us but we can clearly see the smoke. That's like standing in Burlington and seeing a fire in Raleigh. There was also a smaller fire yesterday about five miles away but that was quickly contained and confined to about 30 acres. The big problem is the wind which has been blowing strongly and steadily since before the fires started.

I picked up the motorhome from the repair service today. They seem to have repaired the cooling issue. It was confined to the bent radiator hose and once the water flow was corrected, the engine is cooling about as well as it can. I still can't climb hills any better than I was but the more level ground goes OK. I test drove it for about 20 miles today with the mechanic on board. He was able to listen to the engine under load with the cover lifted and determined that the exhaust gasket to the number 5 cylinder is blown out. So while I have the rig back for a few days, I'll take it back in next week for some exhaust system work. I have to face the fact that the engine is being asked to move more weight than it really wants to. It will remain a challenge in the West but we'll be OK once we get back East of the Mississippi.

Playing Tourist

Yesterday we traveled up route 89A through the Sedona Red Rocks area and through Oak Creek Canyon. This area is reputed to be the second most visited spot in Arizona after the Grand Canyon and it's easy to see why. The canyon is about 12 miles long and runs between Sedona on the South and Flagstaff on the North. It's depth varies between 800 and 2000 feet with Oak Creek running along the bottom. It lies within the Coconino National Forest which is mostly Pondersa Pine forest and is quite a contrast to the desert area just to the South. It strikes you as being this cool oasis in the midst of the desert heat. The road is narrow with frequent pull-offs affording access to viewing spots or enabling fishing or swimming in the very cold water. Like many of the canyons or gorges we're used to, it has it's share of bed and breakfasts and even a trout ranch. At one spot there is a natural rock slide similar to the one in North Carolina and like that one, it was covered with bodies when we drove by.

One of the different features is that it also offers a couple of places where the native Navajo offer their handmade jewelry and decorations for sale. While there are a multitude of places advertising "Indian Jewelry", the National Park Service, which administers the area, makes sure that this is the real thing.

Of course, Diane was in her element and we didn't leave empty handed. Prices started at about $15 and went up into the hundreds. These are all items specifically made for the tourist trade and many are very nice while others are more of the trinket variety. There is another class of jewelry that the natives have made for their own use that tends to be more exquisite. It is available at some trading posts as "old pawn".

These somewhat odd looking ceramics are a sort of madonna type head which is slip-cast and then decorated with a glaze containing horsehair which produces the black wiggly lines.

Since we entered the valley from the Southern end, we encountered these stands at about the half way point in a parking lot that also contained a Dairy Queen store. Then we proceeded up the canyon to the overlook at the upper end. At this point the elevation is about 7000'. There were many stands set up here as well and we enjoyed looking at all the wares. Diane got another ring bought directly from the maker who included a certificate of authenticity. I was satisfied with a T-shirt. The view from the edge was pretty spectacular and pictures just can't do it justice. As they say, you had to be there!

And for all those readers who complain that they never see me in any of the pictures.

It was a really fun day and we capped it off with dinner at the Red Lobster in Flagstaff to celebrate Mother's Day. We'll be going back to Sedona to get a better look at that area. What we saw along the way was spectacular. And on the trip back down I17 to Camp Verde, we even saw a half a dozen elk grazing in a field.