The rest of the day, however, dragged as we hung in limbo thinking there was nowhere for us to stay in the town we had stopped in for the night. Lucky for us where Walmart failed, Cracker Barrel saved. Before settling in for the night we savored our last In and Out for what will be a long time and cherished how it wasn't McDonalds.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Day 134 (Sunday 12/2/12)- Phoenix, AZ
Before leaving Phoenix we made a stop for our friend Kurt, who after growing up in Corvallis lived in Phoenix for school and when he did he lived at the Gold Bar coffee shop. We can see why. Leave it to Kurt to find the equivalent of The Beanery in the middle of Arizona.
The rest of the day, however, dragged as we hung in limbo thinking there was nowhere for us to stay in the town we had stopped in for the night. Lucky for us where Walmart failed, Cracker Barrel saved. Before settling in for the night we savored our last In and Out for what will be a long time and cherished how it wasn't McDonalds.
The rest of the day, however, dragged as we hung in limbo thinking there was nowhere for us to stay in the town we had stopped in for the night. Lucky for us where Walmart failed, Cracker Barrel saved. Before settling in for the night we savored our last In and Out for what will be a long time and cherished how it wasn't McDonalds.
Days 132 & 133 (Fri 11/30/12 & Sat 12/1/12)- Phoenix, AZ
For most of the weekend we stayed with Jillian and Kendall. Jillian is the daughter of a friend and was suspicious as to why her mother was trying so hard to make us, distant strangers, sound likeable.
We were just hoping for a shower. We were blown away at the kindness we were shown. The two treated us to lunch, showed us around Kendall's Air Force base (including a stop to see Jillian's painting which has found a loving home at the base's library), made us multiple meals, a banana creme pie, let us watch both seasons of The Walking Dead, and gave us a bed to sleep in.
Though we did finally venture out to explore on our own, most notably sampling the Sugar Bowl ice cream shop featured in the Family Circus comic strip, it's safe to say Jillian and Kendall were the best things about Phoenix.
We were just hoping for a shower. We were blown away at the kindness we were shown. The two treated us to lunch, showed us around Kendall's Air Force base (including a stop to see Jillian's painting which has found a loving home at the base's library), made us multiple meals, a banana creme pie, let us watch both seasons of The Walking Dead, and gave us a bed to sleep in.
Though we did finally venture out to explore on our own, most notably sampling the Sugar Bowl ice cream shop featured in the Family Circus comic strip, it's safe to say Jillian and Kendall were the best things about Phoenix.
Day 131 (Thursday 11/29/12)- Phoenix, AZ
We spent our first day in Phoenix zigzagging its freeways, exploring Goodwills. Every few miles we left an exit and found the next store. We happened upon a sale where every orange tagged item was a buck. You can guess this held our interest for a while.
Lunch meant an adventure and Middle Eastern food. We devoured Gyros, stuffed grape leaves and falafels.
I hope not to offend anyone but we didn't find much in Phoenix that was attractive, hence all the Goodwills.
Lunch meant an adventure and Middle Eastern food. We devoured Gyros, stuffed grape leaves and falafels.
I hope not to offend anyone but we didn't find much in Phoenix that was attractive, hence all the Goodwills.
Day 130 (Wednesday 11/28/12)- Montezuma Castle, AZ
Having to say goodbye to Sedona we headed for Montezuma Castle.
We arrived ready to explore an ancient castle only to find that not only was Montezuma a total misnomer (the Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the area, not the Spanish) but there was no castle or even ruins resembling one. I would think that Tuzigoot looks more like a castle actually.
Walking the short path, taking a few photos and leaving we could see the disappointment on the previously excessively excited Ranger's face who had seemed to view us, when we walked in, as Montezuma devotees. We hated to let him down, but with a .3 mile walk and not much to see, 20 minutes was generous.
We arrived ready to explore an ancient castle only to find that not only was Montezuma a total misnomer (the Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the area, not the Spanish) but there was no castle or even ruins resembling one. I would think that Tuzigoot looks more like a castle actually.
Walking the short path, taking a few photos and leaving we could see the disappointment on the previously excessively excited Ranger's face who had seemed to view us, when we walked in, as Montezuma devotees. We hated to let him down, but with a .3 mile walk and not much to see, 20 minutes was generous.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Day 129 (Tuesday 11/27/12)- Red Rock State park, AZ
We actually paid for a park today. State parks are not covered under our parks pass and typically run about $10. We feel that generally the best sites have been designated as federal lands. We had already seen many of the breathtaking red rocks that make up Sedona's backdrop but due to the city charging a $5 hiking fee we had yet to actually experience the rocks by foot. Today we did just that, hiking in Red Rock State Park up to a wonderful vantage point and having lengthy discussions which nature tends to bring out along our hikes.
The scenery was grand but made the sudden change of landscape much more striking. We had arrived on Sunday with the trees full of bright green, yellow and red leaves and now, just a few days later, the leaves were already falling in mass exodus. I guess there is no place where autumn can last forever.
The scenery was grand but made the sudden change of landscape much more striking. We had arrived on Sunday with the trees full of bright green, yellow and red leaves and now, just a few days later, the leaves were already falling in mass exodus. I guess there is no place where autumn can last forever.
Days 127 & 128 (Sun 11/25/12 & Mon 11/26/12)- Sedona, AZ
Knowing that Sedona would still have lots of weekend traffic, we thought it would be better to spend the day in nearby Prescott. The beautiful country in between was a wonderful bonus. The town of Prescott, though nowhere near as grand as Sedona, does have two things going for it- good shopping and a movie theater. This is how I spent the day; Isaiah-waiting outside of various craft stores.
Monday was more productive. At Tuzigoot National Monument's visitor center we learned about the early inhabitants of the area. Unlike other recently toured ruins the people at Tuzigoot settled in a hospitable environment, with water and plentiful food. They also had access to a much needed nutritional element and highly esteemed religious instrument by mining salt from the mountains.
They traded their salt for exotic items like Macaws. Their resources explain why people inhabited this area much longer than most Ancestral Publeoans sites, but they too eventually left for unknown reasons.
For the rest of the day we toured Sedona. We visited a church built on a cliff, saw two coyotes streak across a trail, seeming to (but hopefully not) be chasing a hiker that had just started down the same trail, and lucked upon the most beautiful sunset we have ever seen, having turned down a side street at random, to park and discuss plans, where we noticed a collection of locals watching the sun start to fade, only after a few minutes they left. We too thought the sky was done with its show. Isaiah was even taking pictures of the hills in the afterglow when I told him to turn around. The sky seemed on fire. It was spectacular.
Rounding out the evening we visited an outdoor shopping plaza which was hosting the Festival of the Trees. Local businesses had decorated Christmas trees in different themes to raise money for charity. With trees at $500 a pop it appears the charity will be fully funded this year.
Monday was more productive. At Tuzigoot National Monument's visitor center we learned about the early inhabitants of the area. Unlike other recently toured ruins the people at Tuzigoot settled in a hospitable environment, with water and plentiful food. They also had access to a much needed nutritional element and highly esteemed religious instrument by mining salt from the mountains.
They traded their salt for exotic items like Macaws. Their resources explain why people inhabited this area much longer than most Ancestral Publeoans sites, but they too eventually left for unknown reasons.
For the rest of the day we toured Sedona. We visited a church built on a cliff, saw two coyotes streak across a trail, seeming to (but hopefully not) be chasing a hiker that had just started down the same trail, and lucked upon the most beautiful sunset we have ever seen, having turned down a side street at random, to park and discuss plans, where we noticed a collection of locals watching the sun start to fade, only after a few minutes they left. We too thought the sky was done with its show. Isaiah was even taking pictures of the hills in the afterglow when I told him to turn around. The sky seemed on fire. It was spectacular.
Rounding out the evening we visited an outdoor shopping plaza which was hosting the Festival of the Trees. Local businesses had decorated Christmas trees in different themes to raise money for charity. With trees at $500 a pop it appears the charity will be fully funded this year.
Tuzigoot
Fiesta Tree at the Festival of Trees
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Day 126 (Saturday 11/24/12)- Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater & Wupatki parks, AZ
Never having heard of it, I must admit I wasn't terribly excited about Walnut Canyon. My vague disinterest evaporated when we entered the visitor's center, precariously perched atop a canyon rim.
There we read about the Civilian Conservation Corps and all the great work they did in the 1930's. Something new we learned was the CCC program was only for unmarried men and they were required to send home $25 of the $30 they earned each month to support their unemployed families.
We followed a path down into the canyon, wrapping around several cliff structures and even got to go inside a few. Looking out across the canyon we spotted several other inaccessible dwellings hidden in the forest. We also learned about a plant called 'Mormon tea' which was used by early Mormon pioneers to treat all kinds of ailments and also happens to be a stimulant.
Next were two interconnected parks. The first one we came to was Sunset Crater Volcano. The site of this 800-year-old volcanic eruption remains nearly unchanged from what it looked like soon after the devastating event. There were beds of lava rock and the side of the mountain was coated with black rock. After having visited Idaho's Craters of the Moon we looked at Sunset Crater as a gateway to Wupatki park, where we found some of the most intact ruins we have come across yet, all the more impressive considering they were constructed atop hill sides instead of set deep in protective caves. Several features make this park unique and memorable.
The first building, a three-story pueblo, was all alone, miles from the rest of the village. Resting on a huge hill it is thought to have been a lookout point and was perhaps home to the important members of the community, given that at the time three-story structures were big projects and very unusual.
The next Pueblo was special too. Not quite as tall as the first but impressive in length, it includes a community room, a ball court and a mysterious blowhole. To this day researchers cannot explain how the hole was used, but perhaps like us visitors enjoy it all the same. (Isaiah's hair didn't photograph as dramatically in the wind as mine).
Thinking the day couldn't be improved we drove into Sedona. Even with the traffic jam, Sedona and the drive there was amazing. We now understand why people speak of it so fondly.
There we read about the Civilian Conservation Corps and all the great work they did in the 1930's. Something new we learned was the CCC program was only for unmarried men and they were required to send home $25 of the $30 they earned each month to support their unemployed families.
We followed a path down into the canyon, wrapping around several cliff structures and even got to go inside a few. Looking out across the canyon we spotted several other inaccessible dwellings hidden in the forest. We also learned about a plant called 'Mormon tea' which was used by early Mormon pioneers to treat all kinds of ailments and also happens to be a stimulant.
Next were two interconnected parks. The first one we came to was Sunset Crater Volcano. The site of this 800-year-old volcanic eruption remains nearly unchanged from what it looked like soon after the devastating event. There were beds of lava rock and the side of the mountain was coated with black rock. After having visited Idaho's Craters of the Moon we looked at Sunset Crater as a gateway to Wupatki park, where we found some of the most intact ruins we have come across yet, all the more impressive considering they were constructed atop hill sides instead of set deep in protective caves. Several features make this park unique and memorable.
The first building, a three-story pueblo, was all alone, miles from the rest of the village. Resting on a huge hill it is thought to have been a lookout point and was perhaps home to the important members of the community, given that at the time three-story structures were big projects and very unusual.
The next Pueblo was special too. Not quite as tall as the first but impressive in length, it includes a community room, a ball court and a mysterious blowhole. To this day researchers cannot explain how the hole was used, but perhaps like us visitors enjoy it all the same. (Isaiah's hair didn't photograph as dramatically in the wind as mine).
Thinking the day couldn't be improved we drove into Sedona. Even with the traffic jam, Sedona and the drive there was amazing. We now understand why people speak of it so fondly.
Walnut Canyon
Sunset Crater
Wupatki- The blow hole
Wupatki
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