Spring Flowers

We came home from vacation and had spring flowers in bloom, not as many as I would like but some. I think the squirrels have enjoyed the bulbs a little to much over the winter. I have something burrowing in my flowerbed. I fill the hole with dirt and next day it's dug out again. Will I have to set a trap? The red tulips on the south side of the house are in bloom and the others around the back and north side will pop open next week. Pretty soon it will be mowing time.

Sedona Day 8

Our last day in Sedona started out like the rest--bright sun and a little cool, but with a promise of warming up later. We left Sedona around 9 AM and went to Phoenix, AZ. We went to Snow Mountain,a city park which had excellent mountain views of Phoenix. This is billed as the biggest city park in the world containing over 16,000 acres. It was mostly a high desert area witn many different kinds of cactus, miles of walking trails, cliffs from which to hang glide, and many high mountains with breath taking views.

We left the park for downtown Phoenix to find the old historic section. After much searching, we found a city museum and was told we were in old Phoenix. All the old buildings had been razed to make way for new developments. The mayor of Phoenix at the time convinced the city council to buy one old house and about 3/4 blocks to preserve. The house is in the slide presentation and is an excellent example of houses of the time.

After the tour of the museum, we went to the Botanical Gardens. This was a desert botanical garden and was one of the best gardens I have been to. Dale Chihuly gave a presentation titled, "The Nature of Glass". He was sold out, but they did have displays of his glass creations throughout the garden. Most of the pictures in the slide show are of his glass art.

The plants in the garden were fantastic. A lot of the different varieties of cactus were in bloom and had very beautiful flowers. The glass displays were amoung the flowers. The flowers made an excellent backdrop for the glass pieces.

We caught a 11:45 PM flight out of Phoenix to Atlanta, then to Dayton. We finally got home between 9:30 and 10:00 AM. We had a very enjoyable trip, but were glad to get back home. We left 80 degree weather and returned to snow showers...a true Ohio welcome home.

Sedona Day 7

The last day in Sedona and we took it a little easy today. We sent to Soldiers Day at Fort Verde whiich is an old fort that is now a State Park and Museum. Unfortunately, we got there before the enactors had set up so we did not see much, but did take a few pictures. I tried to take pictures in the museum, but most displays were behind glass walls. There were so many windows that it was impossible to get an angle that did not reflect light. After about an hour we left for Prescott, AZ.



Prescott is a nice old town, but I did not take many pictures. We went to one of the oldest saloons in Arizona. Wyatt Earp, his brother, and Doc Holiday supposedly spent a few nights at the Saloon. For more information go to www.historicpalace.com . The had a good restaurant, but we decided to eat at a Microbrewery to try their beers. Their food was great and the beer even better.



We made our way back to Sedona around 3 PM the earliest we have returned on the trip. Both of us were a little tired after so much traveling and walking around. We went to another local brewery to try their beer and had dinner. When we got there, we were told they no longer served meals. We enjoyed a pint of their beer and ate a lot of their shell your own peanuts. After the beer and peanuts, we were no longer hungry and returned to our Cottage.

To end the night, we went to another flute concert if you can call 1 flutist and 20 people a concert. The show was good, but not as good as the flutist we heard last night.

Tomorrow we check out and head to Phoenix for a day. Our flight out is around 11:30 PM. I think by the time we get on board, we will probably sleep all the way back to Dayton.

Sedona Day 6

Day 6 has been the worst day for weather that we have had. When we got up it was cool and cloudy. Our first stop of the day was at a State Park called Montezuma's Well. This is a sink hole which contains water fed by a spring. The water stays at a constant 76 degrees throughout the year. There have been many generations of Indians who have lived around the well and you can see some of the living structures on the sides of the cliff as well as on top of the hills around the well. It was an interesting stop for us.



Our next stop was at a State Park called Riordan Estate Grounds. This is a beautiful 13,000 square feet house. It is actually 2 houses joined by a great room which is about 1,000 square feet. Two brothers who ran sawmills, railroad, and other ventures married two sisters. The brothers built the houses and the families lived there the rest of their lives. One house was furnished in period furniture and we could not take any pictures. The other house was set up as a museum and did not necessarily have period furniture. We were allowed to take pictures here. The first house was loaded with Gustav Stickley furniture--all in outstanding condition.
We enjoyed the museum and then went into Flagstaff. Go to http://www.azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/index.html to view their webpage



When Linda and I were here with the Schmdt's, Frank and I went to an old hotel that served imported English beers and Ale while Linda and Nancy went shopping. I enjoyed my time there and decided to try to find the hotel and eat lunch. The ranger at the Riordan Estate Grounds told us it was the Weatherford Hotel and the restaurant was called Charleys Pub. We found the hotel and it was the one I had visited over 25 years ago. Zane Grey had stayed in the hotel and had written one of his books while there. They have a webpage, www.WeatherfordHotel.com , that you can check out.

We decided to go through Williams, AZ to the Pine Country Restaurant--the place we had dinner a few nights ago--to get a slice of pie and travel some more of Route 66. The pie and coffee were great.

We left Williams and went to Prescott, AZ to check it out. We planned on going there tomorrow. We stopped by the tourist information center, got brochures on Prescott and returned to Sedona via Jerome and cottonwood.

The winds were extremely high today and not a pleasant day to drive, but, we did enjoy the things we saw. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

We had to arrive 45 minutes before departure time to check in and get our tickets. This gave us time to visit their small museum which was housed in a renovated boxcar. We also had time to relax before getting on the train.

We had first class tickets and the accommodations were great. We were told their would be snacks for us. It turned out it was more than a snack. To start the tour, they served us champagne which I suppose is a great way to begin a trip.

After the train started, we went to the open car to get a better view of the valley. The scenery was absolutely great--many high cliffs containing red and grey rock layers with a lot of green bushes sprinkled throughout. The canyon we were traveling through was a habitat for the bald eagles. On the way back, I saw two eagles perched on a cliff overlooking the river. Unfortunately, Linda could not locate the eagles. It sure was great to see them in their natural habitat.

What a day for a celebration of our anniversary. I had told them this was our 42nd wedding anniversary and they brought us some kind of a desert that looked like a huge marshmellow and a glass of champagne in a glass that looked like a water picture. I ate the dessert and drank the champagne. Unfortunately, I woke up, found my self in our bath room with the pillow from our bed missing and the commode half empty of water. I had a strange tickling in my throat, coughed, and feathers blew everywhere. I guess it was just the after affect of the free cactus pear margarita that they served. Actually, the trip was great--great food and great views and the best of all was 4 wonderful hours with a beautiful ladies that has put up with me for 42 years. If you want to rediscover your love for your spouse, Sedona and surrounding attractions is the place to do it.

We got back to Sedona Pines in time to enjoy a free mixer--free margaritas and snacks. There was also a singer with his guitar who played and sang a lot of country songs. A good way to end a perfect day.

We are off now to take the Flagstaff loop. We have already taken part of it so we will modify the route. More later

Sedona Day 5, Jerome

Jerome was the next stop on our journey and it also was a little disappointing based on all the information we had received. People who had been here said it was great. I suppose our mistake was going to the Grand Canyon before going to the local towns. We did have a great meal there called the Haunted Hamburger. Seems there is a ghost in the house. I have included a picture of the menu describing the ghost, but, you may not be able to read it. Basically while remodeling the house, teh new owner had hammers disappear and he could not figure out why. Sometimes later, an individual stopped by and asked if he had any hammers missing. That there was a ghost that only took hammers. Don't know about the ghost, but the hamburger was great. The guide that told us about the place also said they had a chocolate cake that was almost a foot high. We saw the cake and it was very high, but we were too full to try a piece. We left for the Verde Canyon Railroad Ride.

Sedona Day 5, Tuzigoot National Monument

Our visit to Tuzigoot was much better than Cottonwood. The ruins are well maintained; the small museum was informative; and the signs posted around the site gave a good description of each area of the site. It is built on a hill like all the other ruins that we have visited. I suppose for protection from their enemies and to get above the flood plain. According to guides and other information we have read, the rivers can get pretty high at times.

I must say the national parks we have visited have been well maintained; the rangers and guides very friendly and helpful; and everything well marked and easily accessible. At the first park we visited, I read their admission schedule and discovered that I could get a senior lifetime pass for 10.00. With the pass, I can take 3 guests with we. Linda and I have visited all the National parks and have not had to pay since the first.

Sedona Day 5, Cottonwood, AZ

Day 5 has been one of the best days weather wise that we have had--sunny, warm and no wind. Our day started with a visit to the town of Cottonwood, AZ. From the description on their pamplet you would think it was a great place to visit. However, it was not. We got there after 9 AM and no shops were open. by 9:20 we had walked both sides of main street and looked in all the windows--both of them. We visited the old jail house which was built in 1929 to contain bootleggers and sometimes held a dozen people. However, there was only two small cells with one wooden bunk in each cell. The cells were made of plate metal welded together without windows. The doors were of crisscrossed square metal bars and did allow in some light. The most interesting building in town and we forgot to take a picture. There were a few movies made in the area and some important people--Elvis Pressley, John Wayne, May West, etc.--did stay in the Cottonwood Hotel. We did take a few pictures of the streets.

Sedona Day 4, Get Your Kicks on Route 66

After a hard day of enjoying the sights, we headed back to Sedona. We decided to go to Williams, AZ for dinner. The family we met on our Hummer ride had told us of a restaurant they had eaten in in Williams. They didn't tell us the name of the restaurant so we decided to look for it.

We got off on old Route 66 for nostalgic drive down "Memory Road". We have been on parts of old Route 66 many times and have enjoyed the drive. This was no different--looks like the town had been frozen in time.

As we drove past old diners, restaurants, motels and other businesses, we saw a restaurant named Pine Country that had a sign that advertised home made pies. We parked and went inside. Based on the family's description of the restaurant, this had to be the place. The basic description was an old restaurant with good food; huge portions; and pies that looked like they were a foot high. The restaurant certainly lived up to that description. Linda and I had the chicken fried steak dinner. Everything was very tasty and there were huge portions. Unfortunately, after eating the dinner, we were not able to sample the desserts so Linda did the next best thing--took pictures of the desserts. There was a woman with two children who sat in the booth behind us. They ordered slices of pie. She said that they had eaten dinner there one night and came back just for the pie. From looks of the pie, it would be worth the trip. If we are back in the Williams area, we will have to stop by just for the pie. Looked like each piece was 1/4 of a pie. It was a little expensive, but one slice would serve 2 people and probably have some left.

We are taking our train tour today and will probably stop by some more Indian ruins; walk through an old copper mining town; stop by a couple of museums; and whatever we come across. We have discovered that some of the best times on our trip are the unplanned stops that we make. For those who know us, you know we very seldom make plans--just get in the car and drive and I suppose that is what we will do until time to get on the train

Another bright, sunny day. The balloons are floating through the air and it is supposed to be a warm day.

Sedona Day 4 Grand Canyon

Grand day; grand weather; grand view; Grand Canyon! Except for the wind. As we stated in the other blog update, it was extremely windy. It felt like we were going to be blown off the rim of the canyon. It made it almost impossible to take a picture. It also stirred up a lot of dust.

We probably walked about 10 miles today. There is an 8 mile route that has about 9 overlooks on it. There is a shuttle, but Linda and I decided to walk to 4 of the overlooks. We decided to ride the bus after that.

The sun was so bright that it was difficult getting good pictures. I tried to adjust, but discovered that it depends on how you have your screen angled on a LCD screen how the colors look. So you may have to make your own adjustments.

Sedona Day 4, Sunset Crater and Indian Ruins

We decided to do things a little differently today. Rather than do one update, we will break our day into sections. We woke up to a day that was a little overcast and very cool, but, we decided to go to the Grand Canyon anyway. This was our third trip to the canyon and decided to take a different route. We left Sedona about 8 AM and went to Flagstaff. From Flagstaff we took 89 to 64 to get to Grand Canyon. This would take us to the edge of the Painted Desert which we wanted to see. On the way, we saw a sign that said Lava Flow and Sunset Crater Volcano which was a National Park. We decided to divert to the Park. The Park also had some Indian Ruins (Wupatki). What we didn't know was that it was about a 32 mile trip to see all the sites. We stopped at the Park Entrance and talked to the Park Ranger. We told him we wanted to see the Painted Desert and he said, "Not today. Winds are gusting to 49 MPH and their is a wind advisory. It is so dusty, you cannot see anything".

We stopped at the lava flow and it brought back memories of the Azores. The island we were on was the top of a volcano and there were lava flows all over the island. The Range had told us that if we wanted to walk to the top of Sunset Crater, it would take about 45 minutes. We did not think we would have the time so we just visited the lava flow area.

From the lava flow, we drove to the Painted Desert viewing area and sure enough, there was so much dust you could not see anything. It looked like a heavy fog from a distance and nothing was visible. We did make it to the Indian ruins and took some pictures. The ruins were interesting and very beautiful in a rustic way. Slide show will show the pictures. Will post pictures of the Grand Canyon Later