3/26/12--Finally Sedona

Monday - A pretty amazing day!  Up around 7:00, lot's of coffee and good food served by Betty, our host accompanied by warm conversation. 

Being the good travelers that we all are, we are packed and out the door by 10:15.  We take 89A up to Sedona and we are all impressed by the countryside - Mountains, wildflowers, Mesa's, red striations of rock running through mountains, big blue sky's and sweeping panorama's. We stop for more then a few photo op's and arrive at Sedona.

So glad to be in AZ

Interesting city but one that play's to the tourist trade and masses of tourists, there are.  The first thing I notice is pink jeeps, lot's and lot's of pink jeep's.  I find that there are lot's of company's devoted to taking us tourist's out into the back country to sight see and each company has their own specific color - pink, red green etc.  I was concerned that they might eventually run out of colors.

The attack of the pink jeeps!

We found a parking place and Laurie and Kathy went to the visitors bureau while Dennis and I went across the street to look for new hats, T shirts, cowboy paraphernalia, Native American artifacts, bottle openers, shot glasses, sun glasses, sun screen and screen doors - anything that can separate a  vacation starved tourist from his/her money.

Downtown Sedona Arizona

A little piece of home

 After much discussion, we decided we did want to take a jeep tour, but I definitely wanted a more manly color than pink.  We called the Red Rocks Jeep Tours and made a reservation for 2pm.  Until then, we wandered up the street and in and out of shops selling leather goods, jewelry, clothing, and lots and lots of Native American crafts until hunger stopped us at the Cowboy Club Cafe.  We asked for a curbside table and enjoyed a delicious meal of Buffalo chili while watching the tourist parade. Laurie praised the cowboy beans.  Soon it was time for our jeep trip.

We met our guide Randy, dressed in a denim shirt, suede vest, boots, cowboy hat and a 41 caliber six shooter strapped low on his hip and ready for action.  He escorted us to our RRRRReddddd jeep - Old Maggie who still had a bunch of horses to spare.  We saddled up and hit the dusty trail heading South on old 87A.  Randy took up giving us a steady stream of info relating history, geologic events, birds, deer, bear, rattlesnakes and any other resident critter in these here parts.  We headed up to the trailhead which was actually accessed through a pretty hoity toity chic suburban development.

Our intrepid guide Randy

Old Maggie and the gang

Indian paintbrush

 Laurie

We finally hit the dirt and Randy threw it into 4 wheel drive and off we went on a ride of a lifetime.  Up rocks and boulders that I am not sure I would tackle on foot.  The road was so rough that I was sorry we forgot the milk and ice cream as we could have had creamy milk shakes after the tour.

The Road?  And this was the good part

I still would need a thousand words for this picture

It was amazing scenery of rocky fingers pointing 1500 feet into the sky.  Wind sculptured rock of reds, browns, tans standing sentinel over mesquite, cactus, madrone, scrub Oak, and 100's of native plants.  It was a landscape straight out of a Disney dream sequence.  All four of us were in awe.  I realized once again that man is no match against nature when it comes to artistic flair.

We had a good time with Randy as he went off script and loosened up relating some of the dumbest things tourist have asked him....

Question - Have the Indians been friendly?
Answer - Lately

Questions - What are those?  (Rock cairns used to mark the trail)
Answer - Traps used to catch rocks.  Tourist actually believed him!!

The hour and a half ended to soon for my tastes but my back, butt and teeth would tend to disagree.

We stopped to wet our whistle from the dusty trail with some butter pecan ice cream, served straight up.  Back to the inn for a siesta from the day's travails.  We had pizza and wine as we watched the sunset sitting by the fountain, watching the moon, planets and a multitude of stars make their nightly return engagement.  The air was as crisp as a fresh piece of celery on a summer night.  Wow!!!!!  What a day, my last of 62 but oh, what a day!!!