We approached Sedona on the Scenic Byway 179 snd entered Coconino National Forest and stopped off at the visitor centre where we bumped into Smokey again and were told there were 89 trails to hike in the Sedona area … where to start … 2 days was obviously not going to be long enough!
We continued to Oak Creek, where we decided to stop and hike the Llama Trail, a loop hike with views of Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte and Cathedral Rock. There was a photo at every turn, and different undergrowth too, with a variety of cacti and flowers, and we even saw a horned lizard.
Maybe it was only a matter of time, and we were lucky it hadn’t happened sooner to one of us … I turned an ankle! I hobbled a mile or so back to the car and after an evening of ICE, the swelling had reduced by the morning sufficiently for some sightseeing, if not hiking.
We stayed at the Baby Quail Inn, motel rooms, with a pretty garden and hot tub … and a celebrity! The owner is Dick Curtis, who had a long showbiz career, including appearing in shows like The Jonathan Winters Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show as well as live in theatres in towns all over the US and abroad. The walls of the breakfast room are testament to his career.
Coffee and muffins inside us, we went for a scenic drive round Boynton Canyon then the Red Rock Loop, taking more pics, but there are only so many views of red rocks you want to see …
The final stop was near Airport Mesa. We didn’t realise before we came, but Sedona is woo-woo central! There are several vortex spots around town that can apparently rebalance your energy and they attract many people who want to experience this. Not surprisingly, there are also lots of new age shops and spiritual services here too. The airport vortex was the closest one to the road for me to hobble to. As promised, there were twisted juniper trees, affected apparently by the energy … but we’ve been seeing those everywhere. I sat, and listened to the helicopter coming in to land at the airport, the cars driving up the road, and looking over towards downtown Sedona … and couldn’t quite connect with the promised energy … maybe I have some distance to travel yet on my path!
Later we stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which was set in front of an amphitheatre of red rocks. Looking down the aisle, the huge cross was set into an enormous window overlooking, the valley … certainly quite a site … and a sight!
Lured by a giant chicken, we couldn’t resist a little retail therapy and happy snapping round the Son Silver West Gallery, a treasure trove of southwestern trinkets.
On our way again, north to Flagstaff.
A few days ago, we didn’t know that the the Grand Canyon would be reopened, and the last part of our trip could actually go according to plan. We didn’t want to take the chance of Glen Canyon not being open to take a trip on the Colorado River on our wedding anniversary, or that we would be twiddling our thumbs instead of hiking South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
We couldn’t resist a stop at Goldfield Ghost Town, an old mining town, ‘Gateway to the Legendary Superstition Mountains’ for lunch and a couple of snaps, then returned to ZenYard and had a dip in the pool. In the evening we celebrated with cocktails and enchiladas at Ticoz Restaurant.
An unexpected bonus of visiting Phoenix is that we were able to visit Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home for not just his family, but also his business and architectural school, summers being spent in Wisconsin.
On leaving Cortez, we drove along the McElmo Canyon, where we found Sutcliffe Vineyards. We met Joe the winemaker, and David the nephew of the owner who told us about the winery and how the canyon has been used for growing produce since the Navajo grew peach trees there. He let us sample a couple of wines … only a sip of each as it was barely 11am … and we ended up choosing to give a home to a bottle of Merlot.
We drove on towards Mexican Hat, and stopped off at Gooseneck State Park which has one of the most striking and impressive examples of an entrenched river meander in the USA. The San Juan river twists and turns below, while higher up there are steps in the canyon wall as softer layers erode. We even saw some rafts floating by … they enter the water at Mexican Hat then take 5 or 6 days to cover 50 or so miles to Lake Powell, camping on sandy spits along the way.
Chris got up in the saddle for a photo opportunity he couldn’t miss at John Ford Point!
The original plan was to visit Mesa Verde NP, but it is too far from Cortez to even photograph the sign! Instead we had an early start and made our way to the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. A bit chilly here in Cortez, at some 6,200ft, and will probably be the coldest day of our trip. We had a nice chat on the bus with Faith and Nancy who come from Sante Fe and were staying next door to us in the motel.
We took a quick look at Four Corners Monument, as it was quite close, and is the only place in the USA where four states meet … Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico … so now our tally of visited states is up to 5!
Breakfast was at the Silver Bean, an Airstream which was bought from a pawn shop and converted 14 years ago into a coffee shop. The girls are known locally as The Bean Girls, and we had marvellous coffee and breakfast burritos.
Well here we are in Moab for 4 nights, the home of Arches National Park (the park we most wanted to see) and Canyonlands National Park. There is no chance of a drive-by, a glimpse or a sneaky peak here … this is the best we could do!
Day 2 we hiked just over 4 miles round trip to see Fisher Towers, an amazing rock formation popular with climbers. It was the most demanding hike so far with an elevation gain of 670ft, and the highest peak being the Titan, a thousand feet above, but it also rates as one of our best ever hikes.
Day 3 we awoke to the first overcast day of our trip, but the sky cleared as we hiked to Corona Arch. On the way, we crossed a railway line which only has a couple of trains a week carrying potash for making into fertiliser … and Yuki and her friends stopped for a snap!
Corona Arch is 140 by 105 feet and several people have said it is at least as impressive as the arches in the National Park. So here it is from each side, even with people to show scale …
The rain had fallen as snow on the La Sal mountains.
We reached Torrey, checked into the Austin Chuckwagon Motel and had a fabulous meal at Cafe Diablo, where we made friends with Glen and Susan from California. We then walked back, which was tough as the temperature had fallen to zero over dinner!
On our way down, we met Dan, who had parked his truck and was getting ready to go hunting on the first day of the elk hunting season in his hi-vis jacket to ensure he wasn’t the target for another hunter, and carrying his 300 Winchester Grand Magnum rifle.
He was hoping for a 200lb elk. The hunting permit system is complicated, involving a state draw and it appears Dan has only a 12 day season to bag his elk, he is only allowed one animal in this time, and if successful, may have to wait a couple of years before he can apply again … which is probably ok as 200lb of elk meat will last him that long!
We saw several formations from the road such as Twin Rocks, Chimney Rock and the Castle …
Next stop was Goblin Valley State Park which was first called Mushroom Valley which seems rather more appropriate. We were free to wander round the valley as we pleased, in and out of the formations … every view a photo opportunity! incidentally, the yellow flowering bush that keeps popping up in pics is rabbitbrush.
On leaving Springdale, we stopped off in Grafton, a ghost town, once a Mormon settlement which had been inhabited from 1859 until the last people left in 1945. There was a cemetery where people buried included two girls killed by a broken swing, men killed by Navajo raiders as well as a whole family who died of diphtheria. There was also a church and several houses which had been used as a film set in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The Federal Shutdown has rather affected the itinerary! The National Parks are closed until further notice, as are all trails and hiking routes, with apparently a $150 fine for being found in a National Park, although not sure who will see you when all non-essential staff are on furlough! We will have to wait and see whether everything will be back to normal in a few days or not, but one way of looking at it is that we don’t know what we are missing! In the meantime though, there is plenty to see without the National Parks, even though they were meant to be the focus of our trip. State Parks are open, and many are linked with great scenic routes, so we will just have to make the most of things.
Off Travelling Together 