Category: Vemturning out

We drove the car up to the visitor center and walked out to Mather Point,   What a view,  Every time I visit it’s like the first time.  It’s just that spectacular!

Had to take the obligatory pictures (like hundreds of others)   We got there before 11, but there were already a lot of people there, and after a bit of gawking we hiked toward Yavapai point and looked back.  It seemed a few tour buses must have just arrived and let off a large group of people!  After that it was our mission to get as far away from them as possible.   Walking  around the rim, there were beautiful views as far as you could see, different around every bend.   We even found a tiny place where you could see the Colorado River at the bottom and it looked so small.

Everyone wanted to pet the pups.   They were on their best behavior as they again were allowed on the trails on the south rim.   They were little troopers!  There were very few other dogs on the trails.

Kathy had checked and there was zero chance of rain, but maybe a mile or so down the trail it started to rain big drops.   We just paused under some trees and when it slowed down, we moved on down the trail.  After Yavapai there were very few people too.    Then I heard it,  thunder, and I realized pausing under trees was no longer a good idea.   It actually got down to 60, and being wet we headed away from the trail to the village looking for patio covers and lunch.   We  bought sandwiches at a deli and munched them outside under the covered roof.

Since we were cold and wet now,  (no rain gear due to zero chance of rain, ) I headed over to the bus stop to hitch a ride back to the car.  Pups are not allowed on the buses and it was raining a lot harder now.    I got even more wet getting out to the north forty where the car was parked and drove back and picked up my passengers.

(We had water for us and the dogs,  proper shoes to walk, but with sunny blue skies, didn’t bring our rain jackets, and our snacks were in the car.  Gloria has warned us about being prepared for anything, but who can carry it all?  I only had a visor and was wishing I had my hat when those big drops started!)

Kathy was aghast that after Baxter did his business on the trail and I was holding it in the poop bag, I then  decided to tie the duty bag to his harness.   (It was much too embarrassing to have that hanging off him.   Much better that I carry it.  🙂

 

We made it back safe and sound, but boy were we all tired!!!

An old work buddy suggested we go find the Well.  We did,  it was pretty amazing.  A deep spring in the middle of nowhere that has thousands of gallons of fresh water coming in every day.   And there were some rock dwellings along the cliff face.

The day after visiting Montezuma, Jerome and Tuzigoot we ventured out to Sedona.   I just love all the red mountains. (like everyone else)   It was a 17 or so mile easy drive to the town.  I am amazed how many roundabouts they have now.  We went thru 25 if we went thru 1.    I was shocked how many stores had been built since ’89 but i guess that is progress of sorts.

We parked around the old part of town just prior to heading out of town on the northern end and started looking for a breakfast joint.   Prior to finding breakfast we were found by what I will call a “Sedona hawker”   It seems that one out of every four storefronts are in business to resell tickets for the four things that tourists must want to do.  The pink jeep tour,  the Trolley,  the Train or the Helicopter ride.   I kid you not,  there were so many of those shops I wondered how anyone could pay the rent.   This guy was pretty smooth,  and almost sucked me in.  Talking about a new camping spot right in town that he can get us.   What he failed to mention was it was a timeshare place we would have to endure the few hours of high pressure sales.   We said we would stop by again on the way back to give him time to get us an RV Site.   Luckliy I looked the place up while at breakfast/lunch and found out I wouldn’t ever want to stay there, let alone sit thru the sales presentation.

Afterward we wandered thru many trinket shops and art studios but it all looked somewhat tourists chic…

After a non existent breakfast at a Panera Bread clone business that stopped serving breakfast at 10:30..  Ala McDonald’s…  we wandered back to the car on the other side of the street to miss that smooth hawker…

I have to say that the views from town of the red mountains were incredible.   Once we got back to the car and headed toward the Red Rock Loop road out west of downtown.    Just a gorgeous road that was supposed to go down to a large pool on Oak Creek and small water falls.  The gal at the ranger booth told us that this time of year it’s pretty dry,  but once the monsoons start,  next month that would be an awesome place to be.

On the way out of Sedona we went looking for the chapel.   Once we found it we were in awe of the surroundings.   You must park at the bottom and walk up to the chapel and it’s worth the hike.   Incredible views from all sides.  There is even a gift shop underneath the chapel,  just take the inside stairs down one flight.

It wasn’t much of a climb maybe a couple hundred feet.    But it was fairly warm in that valley so you knew you were going up.   It was an ancient pueblo Indian dwelling,  not on a cliff but a promontory above a lake.. that I could on see on the GPS..   It wasn’t the Roman Forum but was impressive.  

I had been to Jerome back in ’89 on a motorcycle trip with my Cuz and another friend.   I really liked it and knew I would be back to spend more time there.   It took a while but we made it.   It was a beautiful sunny and fairly cool day, mid 70’s with a slight breeze.   As we traversed the three levels of the town we started thinking about getting breakfast.   Since we had the pups we needed to find a place with a patio.      We found two of them,  one was closed and the other was a hole in the wall,   Downstairs off one of the streets that intersected two of the levels.   Our little patio was not much more than four feet wide.

The pups were a big hit in this town, everyone wanted to pet them.

This was an impressive site.   I’ve always wanted to see some of the cliff dwellings.   They are more impressive in person than in the pics.   We got there early as the day was supposed to be hot.   To our amazement our pups were allowed to hike the trails with us.   Everywhere else we’ve been excluded dogs from the trails.

The pups received their Bark Ranger Credentials.