The inflatable mattress we picked up before leaving Deming just barely fit in the tent, but made all the difference in the world. The overnight temperature was in the low 50s, making It a bit chilly in the tent and the 4am walk to the bathroom daunting. But, the mattress…it felt enough like a bed that I didn’t care.
The Lo Lo Mai RV Park had WiFi, but only in the vicinity of the main office.
After we turned in, another couple pulled arrived in the park...late...so late, they decided not to pitch a tent.
Camping out does not get much simpler than this.
Our campsite near Oak Creek was about as beautiful as they come.
Lani returned to our tent to work on her journal.
And, even though this was Arizona and the sun was up, it was still 50°F and pretty chilly.
It's Sedona's elevation of approximately 4300' that keeps it so cool, especially at night. Oatmeal and raisins, then we're off...
Red Rock State Park was acquired by the State of Arizona to ensure that the public had access to the trails around Oak Creek. After we broke camp, we headed on over.
To be perfectly honest, we were a bit disappointed with Red Rock Canyon. The rocks just weren't that red, not like the hills overlooking Sedona proper.
A panorama stitched together from three images. Click on the picture...I dare you.
On theother hand, I was there with Lani, so that made it special.
If you're looking for the an ultra-light go anywhere tripod, check out the ZipShot. It easily attaches to my bike rack. It was also attached to my camera bag when I ascended Kilimanjaro.
In the middle of Red Rock Canyon, perched on a hill, alone, is the House of Apache Fire, built in 1947 and later given to the state when the original owners divorced.
As you enter the Red Rock Canyon Area, the House of Apache Fire sits in the middle of this massive canyon. From a distance, it looks intact and you cannot help but wonder, "who lives there/" A fence now surrounds the house and this is the closest one can get.
We exited the park and drove through Sedona, stopping at a Yelp-recommended restaurant, Casa Bonita, to split a burrito. It turns out that, aside from Red Rock Crossings, the best place to appreciate the red rocks of Sedona is from the town itself. The road out of Sedona, heading North, parallels Oak Creek and climbs out of the canyon, flanked by parks, rock slides and swimming areas. At the top of the canyon, Native American Indians sell their handicrafts.
Lani looked, but we weren't in a buying mode.
There were throngs of tourists.
There were all sorts of art and crafts, but we moved on.
You can see our route from Phoenix, AZ to Sedona, AZ right HERE.
Today is my 28th wedding anniversary and, for the first time, Susan and I will not be spending a special evening together. Hopefully, she’ll join us next week when we make it to Santa Monica.
Leaving the Motel 6 and stopping at a Waffle House for breakfast, we turned North towards Sedona, reaching the Sonoran Desert.
The Sonoran Desert has a singular appearance, marked by the stately Saguaro Cactus. You know the Saguaro...after it's grown a couple of sidearms, the first of which takes about 75 years to sprout, if you put a hat on the tall center arm, it will look like a cowboy. They grow slowly, taking about a year to go from seed to one inch. I love Saguaro cacti, as well as the Sonoran desert. You'd think I'd have some really awesome photos of the Sonoran Desert and a Saguaro, or two, or three, or 50. But, I don't...can't really explain how that happened except to say that Bob messed up.
Moving farther North and climbing in elevation, the Saguaros disappeared. So sad.
Without even seeing road signs, you can tell you’ve reached a special area because of the change in the rock face of the cliffs and mountains: visible from a great distance is a large red seam, corresponding to a geologic event 230 million years old (the Permian period, of course.) The famous red rocks of Sedona are formed by a thick layer of red to orange-colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity.
Entering the greater Sedona area, we called a few RV parks to find that tent camping in Sedona proper probably doesn't happen. We were finally referred to the Lo Lo Mai Resort in nearby Cornville (a rapidly growing community that supports Sedona and is home to Senator John McCain) and pulled in.
The RV park was filled with some seriously impressive mobile homes.
If I get a re-do on life, what would I do differently? Two things come to mind...I'd read even more to my children when they were young, and I get a mobile home so we could go camping as a family. I was envious of the families camping in the park. I think it's a great thing for kids to learn from early on to love the outdoors.
The Lo Lo Mai campground had a great location along Oak Creek, and so did our tent.
Lani gets comfortable before we hop into the car to go cruising around Sedona.
Sedona is home to Cathedral Rock, one of the most photographed sights in Arizona.
Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossings is the iconic photograph associated with Sedona. When I was preparing for this portion of the trip, researching Sedona and its sights, I came across this image many times...I had to go there as well.
A short clip of Cathedral Rock in the distance.
The core industry in Sedona is tourism. The Sedona Visitors Center receives more than 400,000 visitors per year. Sedona is ensconced by the 1.8 million-acre Coconino National Forest, which surrounds this city.
Even the family dog can't wait to frolic in the water.
The area around the parking lot was scenic, shaded and graced with picnic tables.
Would lunch be lunch without PB&J?
Oak Creek by Red Rock Crossingturned out to be a popular destination.
The beauty and vibe was so positive, people ignored the fact that the water was freezing.
There are some places that are too appealing for words. Okay, maybe if I was a poet, I could weave a phrase that captured the beauty...but I ain't no poet. On the other hand, if a picture=1000 words, then a short video clip even better:
We made our way towards Cathedral Rock along the water.
...just another reason to come back in an RV and hang out for awhile.
This is one of those places where I just can't put my camera away. In addition to its beauty, there was a special feeling from watching so many people enjoying the area in their own way. I'm just going to include a bunch of photos without narrative. It was a beautiful area and it just felt good to be here.
Florida tourists at Red Rock Crossing, below Cathedral Rock.
Lani came across a frog at the water's edge.
Oh yeah...gimme some warts.
This was the only frog we saw. It was well-photographed.
So, I'm laying on the ground with my Canon 7D in high-speed burst mode, ready to get an action photo sequence of the jumping frog. Result? In 0.1s, the frog was practically out of the scene.
I was looking for an area where Cathedral Rock reflected in the water, but couldn't find one.
It would be cool to come back when there's snow on Cathedral Rock.
Sedona is a popular destination for mountain bikers and hikers.
People stacked rocks like an outdoor Jenga championship.
I had absolutely no temptation to stack rocks.
Lani jumped right in.
Okay...the rock piles looked sorta cool.
Lani proudly demonstrates her finished rock pile.
One rock pile to rule them all.
I kept trying to do something artistic with the rocks.
One of the guys on his mountain bike parked it and decided to take advantage of a rope swing.
The water felt like it was 55°F when I walked barefoot through it
Before turning back, I shot one more video clip:
Heading back to the car, we stopped at the water wheel next to the parking lot.
Around 1930, new landowners in the area ordered a custom built water wheel from "back East". The water wheel drove a water pump and powered a small electric generator.
Just spending some time here was worth the effort to come to Sedona.
We returned to our campsite along Oak Creek and settled in for the evening.
The full moon was like a celestial spotlight over the camp grounds.
Our road trip from Deming, New Mexico to Phoenix, AZ can be found HERE.
A late start out of Deming, New Mexico, we stopped briefly [again] at Walmart before jumping on to I-10 for the 330 miles to Phoenix at 80mph. We stopped at the New Mexico/Arizona border for the usual photo-op.
Zipping along I-10 at 80mph, we stopped, as usual at the border crossing.
The railroad was a constant companion throughout the South and Southwest. Both of us continued to develop an appreciation for how rail moved product and merchandise across the country.
US90 and I-10 paralleled the railroad, which were non-stop throughout the day
After biking through scores of miles of nowhere, we continued to travel by car through hundreds of miles of nowhere. The Arizona desert was stark, spare and largely featureless, until we saw a familiar billboard.
I know what you're thinking: "Fresh jerky? Really? Isn't that oxymoronic?"
If you've traveled CA395 between Mojave and Mammoth Lakes - and I have, 50-100 times over 30 years - the "Really Good Fresh Jerky Signs" dot the highway from as far away as 100 miles. You think "Is this a joke?" But, it's not.
We drew ever near...and had to stop.
While the original jerky shack in Olancha was just a shack, this location was upscale.
Gas, jerky and honey...a must-stop in Bowie, AZ.
So, we stepped in and had the pleasure of meeting Dwayne, the co-owner of Dwayne's Fresh Jerky.
Dwayne, the co-owner, talked jerky with us. Even better, he allowed me to ask him the question: "Fresh jerky? Fresh? Really?"
Dwayne explained that what made his jerky "fresh" was the use of only natural ingredients and the rapid turnover on the shelves.
Dwayne's store was attached to a gas station/C-store which carried the usual items, as well as some local bonuses.
Lani bought some jerky and I picked up some more honey. Hot coffee in the mug and with a fresh supply of jerky and honey, we moved on.
Stopping in Benson, AZ for gas, we took what should have been a short detour through town to return to I-10. Lani, however, saw an antique store that also had old/used books, which compelled us to stop. ( Benson, population 4,934 was founded in 1880 when the Southern Pacific Railroad came through, coming overland from California and chose this area to cross the San Pedro River.
My iPhone allowed Lani to detect the presence of book stores in the smallest of towns.
Lani picked up a few books, including an interesting book on Chinese proverbs published in 1946. I spotted a copy of The Communist Manifesto by Engels and Marx for $7.50, published in 1947 which I couldn’t pass up.
The shop had a large array of collectibles, many from the Old West.
My Mom had a collection of Coca Cola collectibles. It covered a couple of walls and was artfully displayed. When I see Coke collectibles, I think of her. She was a member of the Coca Cola Collectors Club
With only clipless cycling shoes and sandals, we stopped at the Sports Authority in Phoenix for some decent running shoes.
We both picked up a pair of Nike Lunarglide 2, currently my preferred running shoe.
Phoenix was the largest city we'd been through in ages and is a legitimate tourist destination, but it was getting late, so we looked for a place to have dinner.
It was Lani who spotted the sticker on the STOP sign with a little Libertarian sentiment.
Using Yelp and TripAdvisor and filtering for "Mexican Food", we had dinner at Esi Es La Vida ("Such is Life"). We almost walked out when we saw the menu; it lacked the usual Mexican food menu items. It turned out that the restaurant reflected the cuisine of Mexico City. It was an excellent and memorable meal as we were exposed to a completely new flavor palette.
We had an outstanding fresh guacamole dip and a Filet Mignon done that introduced us to a new flavor palette.
After dinner, Lani met a friend she has known from 4th grade in Palm Beach Gardens, through UF.Steven Weiner came to Phoenix to teach physics at the Middle School and HS level.
Lani and Steve had known each other since 4th grade.
We sat down at a coffee shop for awhile. A long while. I sat inside, sucking up WiFi bandwidth. Steve and Lani chatted.
Lani and Steve had last each other a little over a year ago.
I had hoped to make it to Sedona, but by the time I could tear Steve and Lani apart, it was late...we headed towards the nearest Motel 6.
