3/30/12 Dessert at the Desert

Morning arrives and after breakfast at the Hampton next door, (included) it's time to talk turkey as to the plans for the day.  Kat leans towards another day of stocking up on Vitamin D around the pool, Dennis and Laurie favor a trip out to the desert and I am Switzerland.  The vote 2 - 1 goes to my esteemed brother/sister so we pack the cooler/camera equipment, first aide kit and head out into the heart of the beast.

We jump on I - 10 to Speedway and here is about where my words become a distant 2nd to my ability to express the beauty that we were to experience.

The road winds between steep hills and rugged mountains covered by 10 - 30 foot cactus charged with sentry duty guarding a Kingdom of ancient volcanic flows with a surprisingly wide array of flora and fauna.  There was a wide palette of colors' as cacti were approaching full bloom.  Around each bend of the road was the sounds of ohhhh's to greet the postcard that was revealed to us.

I got so excited over a particular flowering cacti that I demanded my brother stop and let me get out to capture this beauty.  Well, there I am practicing my photo skills while 4 cars are calling a lively tune with their horn section.  Let's just say I had to cash in a few credits of my good will stock with my brother.

We stopped at a pullout with a great view of the desert with the mountains framing the horizon.  Kat and I climbed a 350 foot rocky hillside to reach a small stone hut that had a wonderful view of the desert below.  I was amazed at the amount of broken glass and graffiti that covered the trail and the hut.  I was ticked until I realized a conversation that probably took place 10,000 years ago, "...and Org, stop drawing pictures all over the damn cave, can't I leave you alone for a minute without you ruining the feng shui?"  Now we view these ancient  attempts at art with reverence and regard.  So with that in mind, Happy birthday Thelma who was here in 2010 and has a birthday coming up in April.

So close but we had a rocky start

A room with a view

View from the hut

So much to write, so little to say...

We then headed to the"Sonora Desert Museum" which at $14.50 each was the deal of the day.  The large Southwest style building exits out to miles of meandering trails covered with the widest variety of cactus in the world.  Shapes and colors that could give my mind a cramp trying to take it all in.  Strewn about the trails are various exhibits and information boards that teach us flatlanders a new respect for the desert.  There was the Hummingbird pavilion that housed thousands of multicolored Hummingbirds, flying past, feeding and sitting atop their nest warming the next generation of these frequent fliers.  The only sound to be heard was the hummingbird chatter and the clatter of a thousand shutters trying to capture this spectacle.

Home Sweet Home

Truly amazing colors

There were raptors, tortoises, big horn sheep, mazes, butterflies, caves, ancient forests, bird atrium and more then I can even attempt to convey.  If interested in this must see, go to www.desertmuseum.org  to check it out.

That's some tall flower

More then just friends...

Big Horned Sheep

The only negative to the day was that my battery died in my camera and I will just have to rely on the warm emulsion of my mind to bring forth the images that we feasted on.

We had a wonderful dinner at Miquel's which is attached to our hotel.  We sat on the veranda and sat mesmerized by the view of a verdant green expansive golf course with the Tuscon skyline framing the picture.  Dinner of a seafood bouillabaisse was excellent and we all had smiles over our various selections.  A DQ sundae for dessert capped a perfect day.  My face muscles have had a true workout with all of the smiles and grins that have been given me.

Dining was a real pleasure

March 29--On to Tucson

We had decided to spend one more day at the Desert Rose B and B, so after our trip to the Grand Canyon, it was great to get home.  However, it was time to see some different scenery, so today we ate breakfast and packed up to head south.  The consensus was that we needed heat, sun and lots of it.  So off we went to Tucson.

Dennis took the helm and a fine job he did.  Laurie, our intrepid navigator worked with Genie (their version of our Vera) and Fodor's to locate a great hotel, La Posada Lodge and Casitas and a fine restaurant for dinner.  We checked in by 1:00, strolled across the street for a great Mexican lunch and were assuming the position in 92 degree's around the pool by 2:30.  We are talking contentment to the 9th power.  What a thrill to apply sun block and really really need it.  The pool was perfect and the ambiance was a memory I will savor during any rainy November day in my beloved but wet Oregon.

Ten toes up!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,  ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Den gives a shout out!!

Laurie basks and bakes.

Assuming the position Arizona style.

We then left for the J Bar restaurant, famous for their chef and the view of Tuscon that stretched out below us.   Jack, our waiter served some stiff drinks and great food as we sat on the patio and watched the lights of the city flicker on as the stars shown down upon us.  The food, exceptional, the value, well worth the $$'s, the company, priceless.  We topped off the meal with Jalapeno chocolate ice cream that was a strange but enjoyable dessert.

After dessert, Jack gave us directions to a trail head, ten minutes away where viewing the stars would be a maximized experience.  After twenty-two speed bumps and the rare treat of having a second go round at tasting our dinner, we arrived to observe the milky way while enjoying an evening that puts the balm in balmy.   

Another fine day in a long string of fine days!

March 28--The Grand Canyon

Ok, all my life I have wanted to visit the Grand Canyon.  Everyone who has been there says it's the most amazing sight they've ever seen.  There was discussion within our group about whether it was worth the 6 hour round trip all the way there just for a few hours at the Canyon, but I was determined.  Jeff, Den and Laurie had all seen it before.  I never had, and I insisted it was the one thing I really wanted to do.  So my whining, crying and begging on bended knee was rewarded with a united "OK" and after the usual breakfast we hit 89A, again going north.

After passing through Sedona (and saying goodbye) we started through Oak Creek Canyon.  We got a glimpse of it while having our picnic yesterday, but that was just the beginning.  The dry desert landscape of the Verde Valley and Sedona was replaced with a bubbling stream surrounded by the white trunks of Birch and Aspen and lots of pines.  High walls of multicolored rock rose on either side and the road snaked over and around the river.  Gradually, we started upward to the top of the Mogollon Rim where it seemed like we could touch heaven.  We stopped at a rest area and took in the view, and there were also a lot of Native American vendors selling all kinds of crafts.  Jeff and I looked, found and bargained and became the proud owners of some of those crafts.

Looking south from the top of the rim

Suzy, my Navajo vendor

We drove through the high desert plateau to flagstaff at 7000 ft.,  then took the turn to the Grand Canyon.  It definitely was a long drive.  It reminded me of the high plateau on the way to Reno, except it was longer and more boring.  Thank goodness Jeff had the stamina to get us there without a problem and we were soon entering the gates of the National Park.  The pass Jeff and I had bought in Glacier Park last summer came in handy and we had to pay $0 to get in!  We drove to parking lot B and headed for the canyon rim.

Words really can't describe how I felt at my first sight of the Grand Canyon.  I was literally breathless and tears came to my eyes.  What an amazing sight.  Pictures don't do it justice, but here are a few anyway.

We walked to the lookout point and further down the rim trail to see even more amazing views, but little did we know we were about to be smothered by a busload of Japanese tourists.  I hate to say anything negative about a whole race of people, but if there are any more pushy people than Japanese tourists, I haven't seen them.  They quickly filled every available viewpoint and every person had a camera all pointed at the canyon.  It was almost as amazing a sight as the canyon itself.  An 80 year old, 4'10" Japanese woman gave Jeff an elbow in the ribs that practically knocked him over the railing.  Jeff did apologize to the woman for having his ribs get into her space.  She did not seem to understand his sarcasm.

Attack of the Japanese tourists

Don't forget to take some pictures

A big smile for the big canyon

We decided to get out of that crowd before we were stomped to death, and go in search of food.  We found sandwiches and sodas at the Market down the road and enjoyed lunch in the sun while watching folks from all over the country and the world wander around.  Then it was off to find the road and overlook less traveled.  Thankfully we found several places to view the canyon that were less crowded and took our time taking it all in.

Laurie enjoys the view

Foot shot over the canyon

Jeff takes a shot

Taking in the view

The canyon had beauty, but also had some wildlife.  Everywhere we stopped we saw huge Ravens.

Jeff here - At the last overlook we stopped, Grandview, it was just that, a truly grand view.  I was blown away at the beauty and serenity before me until I was brought back to Earth by a 30 something guy who was walking out with a 14 inch diameter flat rock.  I approached him and asked what he was doing and he informed me that he was bringing his son a souvenir.  I posed the question to him that what would happen if all the tourists took home a rock that size for a souvenir?  His response and I kid you not, and this is verbatim, "Well then the Grand Canyon would be even bigger then it is."  Gee, how do you argue that kind of logic!  Tourists should be banned or at least folks like that should be hung from the nearest Pinyon tree.

We headed back down interstate 17 and lopped off close to an hour due to the 75 mph speed limit.  We got back before six and took our siesta but a little on the late side.  Dinner out in old town Cottonwood was excellent and a hour of veranda time checking out the stars and planets polished off another exceptional day.  I keep thinking how if I wrote the script for this vacation, it wouldn't have been nearly as nice as the reality we are living.

One of a herd of 15 Elk we saw

One last look at one of America's great natural wonders

3/27/12 A Cowboy kind of birthday

Tuesday 3/27/49  Sixty-three March 27th's, wow!  I have had some amazing birthday's spent in Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii and other points on the compass but I have to say, this has been the very best, the top of the heap, the ultimate birthday of my life.

We were up and had our breakfast served by our host Betty.  We were then down the road in search of adventure.  We turned off of route 87A onto 179 to the Broken Arrow trail head that Kathy had read about.  We took our water, camera's, binoculars, snacks and headed up the trail.  The sky a soft blue, not a wisp of a cloud, temperature hovering around 72 degree's, a pleasant breeze from the North and a large smile plastered on my face.  Around every bend lay a picturesque scene that I swore could not get any better until we hit the next bend and lo and behold, it actually got better. The mountains alive with a palette of colors.   The air was so fresh that I wanted to bottle it and ship it home to be used on special occasions.  Birds called a sweet song from their perch and caught the updrafts to drift above us in search of lunch.  We saw two ravens nesting in a cleft of an outcropping three hundred feet up.  They were busy bringing in straw and sticks to make their house a home.  I got two calls (damn Verizon is good) from David and Shelley with birthday wishes.  We saw the occasional hiker and their smiles mirrored our own.  We also saw a few folks on Mountain bikes risking life and brain function cruising down and up the trail.  Actually thinking about it, they may have already lost brain function doing what they were doing.  The vista's, the interesting plant life, the sun upon my upturned face - it was truly a slice of heaven.  Dennis stated later how he enjoyed this hike more then any he could recall.  We walked about 3 miles and called it delightful.

Ready to go

Laurie went part of the way

What Sedona is famous for

On the trail

Across the valley

We then headed back down to old 87A and headed North through Sedona and up through Oak Creek Canyon for a picnic lunch overlooking apple tree's in blossom and a 500 foot Mesa towering over our heads.  Tuna fish never tasted so good.

Dr. Pepper and Yoo hoo, the drink of champions

Nature and Subway tuna, does it get any better?

We decided we needed a bit more visual stimulation so we headed back up 179 East to "The Chapel of the Rock".  This is a Catholic Church that was built around 1954.  It sits 1000 feet up staring down at a valley and vista's that give pause.  It was very modern for it's time and broke the mold for Catholic churchs. Strangely, it looks like it is literally growing out of the hillside.  To say the view was awesome is truly an understatement.  There was a sense of serenity that cast it's net over all who made the climb to witness this view of a lifetime.

Amazing Architecture

Chapel entrance

Views from the Chapel

Exhausted and over stimulated, we meandered our way home for what is becoming our daily siesta break.

We headed out again heading SSW, our destination, Jerome Arizona.  A former copper mining town which has transformed itself into an artist community when the mine petered out.  We had 6:00 reservations at the Asylum restaurant, housed in a hotel that had once been the hospital.  What makes the Asylum a bit unusual is that it is perched on top of a mountain, 2500 feet above the valley floor.  All of the furnishing were appropriate for the 1920's age of the ediface.  The appetizer's were great, the entree's were better and the conversation and company were the best.  What a absolutely wonderful meal, dining in the clouds. 

The Jerome Grand Hotel

View of the Verde Valley from on high

Ready for the Birthday dinner

Desert and off key singing was served at home, chocolate cream pie, my favorite.  Dennis and Laurie  retired and Kathy and I sat out by the fountain and counted the stars and planets and talked about upcoming adventures we might plan for my 63rd year - damn, I can't wait.