Trip Journal: UTAH 2015 Meet-up plus some Vacation Time in Sedona, Arizona
Wednesday, October 7, through Friday, October 16, 2015
Today is the last full day of our trip and we are in total vacation mode. We had an early morning hike then came back to enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the back deck of the rental house. Lisa is napping, Lynn is reading and I am enjoying a Dirt Wolf double IPA while starting to pull together my thoughts for the trip. Good thing that I keep a journal during the trip as this was a jam-packed ten days!
I think that most of the rest of the herd is home now, but there are still a few cats still roaming about. Max is in Phoenix, David and Roz are still road-tripping, Esty and Walter are at the Grand Canyon following their successful rim-to-rim and Alex and Frankie are heading back from the north rim this afternoon after shuttling Esty and Walter following their big hike. Turns out that David and Roz were at the North Rim as well, so it’s like the meet-up never ended! There is already a lot of traffic on Facebook about the meet-up since so many of the herd is home and a couple trip reports have already been posted on Trip Advisor (so the fodder for the photobook is being generated). It seems that the word is getting out about the social event of the year here in Sedona.
We still have today in Sedona before heading home on Friday, but even the return trip is on a relaxed schedule. All that is remaining on the agenda for today is a little packing, dinner at Harry’s Hideaway and to keep these yellow jackets out of my beer (they were drawn in by the hummingbird feeder but they seem to have a taste for something better than sugar-water!). So I’ll also start to collect my thoughts on this trip as I sit here in the shade, sipping my beer and gazing at those wonderful red rock formations. First thought is “outstanding!” followed by “can we stay another week?”
Let’s start with the big picture. And there are plenty of big pictures to be seen around Sedona. We saw a lot of nice vistas during our hikes and other adventures. And we had a variety of adventures on this trip, mostly on foot, but also afloat and aloft. Don’t worry, details are coming. Lynn, Lisa and I did see a lot of cool things during our ten days, many of which we would not have experienced without the help of our friends. But that was the point of this whole trip, sharing the wonders of Arizona’s red rock country with that crazy, lovable, outdoor-oriented pack of nuts we call ‘the Herd” as we are here for the 6th annual UTAH (Utah Trip Advisor Herd) meet-up.
Six years, who would have thought that the little group who converged in Bluff back in 2010 would keep reuniting each year? But not only did we have a reunion, but we grew from the original 16 as we traveled from Bluff to Kanab, Moab, Escalante, Green River and now here in Sedona the list shows over 40 cats in our herd. Yeah, we have a pretty tight core group who seem to make each of these events, but every year the herd gets larger as more friends are added to the roster.
Yes we set some records during this meet-up: more cats than at any previous event (at least 42 at the opening day cook-out) largest single event (about 30 for the hike along the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon), most duckies in the Verde River (we had 26) and our first aerial adventure as seven of us took to the air over Sedona in a hot air balloon. More on all that later. We also added many new cats to the herd with first timers…newbies if you like. We probably have not had as many new faces since our second meet-up back in 2011 in Kanab. But the newbies are quickly welcomed into the herd and are soon old friends. That’s part of what makes this group so special. But while we added new members, we were also missing a few “regulars” to the meet-ups, but they were all present in our thoughts and sometimes even our prayers.
One thing in which many of us like to partake are the local beers and wines (for me just bring on the IPAs!). So we’re always looking for options, bottles to bring to the meet-up to share with the other like-minded herd members. As it happens, I was on a business trip about a month prior to the meet-up, flying United back from SFO (I still think there is a book in there about how to ruin a good airline after Continental (the good airline) and United merged) so I was flipping through the copy of “Hemispheres.” There was a short article highlighting a craft beer from every state. The one that caught my eye was from Nevada, the Ichthyosaur IPA from Great Basin Brewing in Sparks. OK that I have to try. So once I was home I contacted Alex to see if this was available in Sedona. No dice. OK, this is a Nevada beer, so I’ll check with Alison to see if she can find a couple six-packs to bring to Sedona. She said she’ll take a look and see what she can find. OK, another story that we’ll just have to wait to see if there is a happy ending.
OK, enough preamble, let’s get to the trip. Of course an excursion like this just does not just happen, it takes a lot of planning and we were working on those plans while we were still at the Green River meet-up. A few Doodle polls later and we had confirmed Sedona as the location for our first non-Utah meet-up and had zeroed in on the dates. I set up the website for the Sedona meet-up and Alex and Max set about getting the plans in place for the activities and meals. The Village of Oak Creek, where Alex and Frankie live, would become our base for the event, with their house specifically being the focal point for the meals and sometimes the morning muster point for activities.
I was able to find a very nice rental house just around the corner from “Casa RedRox” so we were able to walk to the evening events. The original plan called for us to host one of the evening cookouts, but the house was not large enough to accommodate a group as huge as ours. But the house was ideal for our needs and the location was prime. Howie and Deb were our other housemates for the meet-up and since we had a three bedroom, three bath place we all had our own space. The best part of the house was the back deck where we spent time throughout the day and evening, enjoying beverages hot and cold, looking for critters or gazing at the Milky Way.
Alex, Frankie and Max out did themselves with the meals. Not only did they plan five nights of dinner cook-outs, but they also added breakfast to the menu for anyone who was interested. Alex also pulled together an amazing assortment of activities, including enlisting some of the local knowledge to lead a few of these adventures. From the day we set our sights on Sedona, the only word to describe this meet-up was “epic!”
Speaking of epic, this journal is another of my typically long-winded descriptions all everything we did and saw on the trip. There are links to photos and other things scattered throughout, but it you want to skip straight to the photos rather than wading through the following 30-plus typed pages of details, just hit this link for the Sedona 2015 gallery and checkout the individual albums for each of our adventures. I also split the journal in two parts; this page covers the meet-up and second page covers our additional time in Sedona. There is also some summary information at the end of the second page (collection of links to the hikes plus our usual critter sighting list).
Day 1 - Wednesday, October 7: The Herd Converges on Casa RedRox. Lynn and I were up early, but no earlier than a work day. Since we had used the weekend to get our gear all packed there was not much left to do this morning, so we were easily on the road at 0630, right on schedule. No traffic at this time of morning (we were out before the school buses) and we found parking in the orange lot at Hopkins so no need to fuss with off-airport parking and the related shuttle (not that this is a big deal). Shoot, we were parked at Hopkins, checked in with United and through security by 7:37, so only a little over an hour since we left the house; pretty darn good. Plenty of time to catch some breakfast. Lynn chose Currito, so I had a bacon, egg and cheese burrito. Seemed appropriate since we are heading to the southwest.
No issues with the flights, well, no serious issues anyway. On time departure from Cleveland and an early arrival in Denver. The only problem there was that our gate was still occupied. This seems to happen a lot lately. We then had an on time push back from Denver but a hold on the runway due to heavy traffic in Phoenix – go figure. Checked the weather in Sedona before boarding. Looks to be ideal! Also checked the work email. Major computer SANFU in progress so this is a good time to be on vacation.
We arrived in Sky Harbor International Airport as per schedule at 12:40. We met Lisa at the rental car terminal. She had just arrived there as well so perfect timing. The girls stayed with the luggage and I headed to the SixT counter. Fairly quick turnaround on getting our car. The only hold up was not SixT’s problem but rather a customer who was trying to get a SixT car with an Advantage reservation; that held up the line a bit while the folks tried to get her headed in the correct direction. Once I got to the counter it took about 2 minutes to pull up my reservation and finalize everything, so not a problem at all. We were in our Chevy Traverse (a red one to match all the red Jeeps that will be coming to the meet-up) and on the road by 1:41. Shoot the biggest delay since arriving in Phoenix was at baggage claim which was not a shocker as getting luggage at PHX is always a slow process, and they did the typical carousel swap which just causes confusion. But overall it was pretty painless and now we are heading north out of Phoenix and the traffic was light and moving right along. However, once we were up to highway speed there was a very annoying whistle coming from the sunroof of our rental. OK, I’m not turning around at this point so we’ll just live with it for now. Most likely the seal around the sunroof needs adjustment. Fortunately it is not that loud so we can live with it for the drive to Sedona.
We made a quick stop at Cave Creek for a snack then kept cruising north on I-17. Lovely and easy drive. I’ve grown to appreciate this drive over the years. I think the first time or two that I drove from Phoenix to Sedona that I sort of ignored the scenery along the way as I was more interested in the destination (going to Sedona for the red rocks or a golf course or heading back to Phoenix for a flight home or after a day of golf), but now I tend to enjoy the journey. The drive is a little over 100 miles, takes less than 2 hours and is mostly on Interstate, but there really is a lot to see in the desert and a fair amount of variety due in large part to the change in elevation. There’s about 4000 feet of increase coming from Phoenix at about 1000 feet above sea level and topping about around 5000 feet along I-17 before settling in at 4500 feet at Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. There are changes in the terrain and the geology but what is really fun to watch is the flora, particularly the Saguaro cactus. These big symbols of the desert southwest are plentiful around Phoenix but the “forests” seem to get thicker as we gained in elevation up to about 3000 feet. They were everywhere and the variety of shapes that their arms form makes for some interesting views. But their numbers dwindled as we crossed above 4000 feet.
My favorite view heading north is just a few miles from where we exit the Interstate. This is the point where I-17 crosses the Black Hills and as I recall the road is making a sweeping turn to the left when the view opens up to the Verde Valley and then off to the northwest we got our first glimpse of the red rock country around Sedona. Yeah, that’s what we’re here to see. What we did not see much of along the way were animals. The only sighting of note was a roadrunner along route 179.
Wednesday, October 7, through Friday, October 16, 2015
Today is the last full day of our trip and we are in total vacation mode. We had an early morning hike then came back to enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the back deck of the rental house. Lisa is napping, Lynn is reading and I am enjoying a Dirt Wolf double IPA while starting to pull together my thoughts for the trip. Good thing that I keep a journal during the trip as this was a jam-packed ten days!
I think that most of the rest of the herd is home now, but there are still a few cats still roaming about. Max is in Phoenix, David and Roz are still road-tripping, Esty and Walter are at the Grand Canyon following their successful rim-to-rim and Alex and Frankie are heading back from the north rim this afternoon after shuttling Esty and Walter following their big hike. Turns out that David and Roz were at the North Rim as well, so it’s like the meet-up never ended! There is already a lot of traffic on Facebook about the meet-up since so many of the herd is home and a couple trip reports have already been posted on Trip Advisor (so the fodder for the photobook is being generated). It seems that the word is getting out about the social event of the year here in Sedona.
We still have today in Sedona before heading home on Friday, but even the return trip is on a relaxed schedule. All that is remaining on the agenda for today is a little packing, dinner at Harry’s Hideaway and to keep these yellow jackets out of my beer (they were drawn in by the hummingbird feeder but they seem to have a taste for something better than sugar-water!). So I’ll also start to collect my thoughts on this trip as I sit here in the shade, sipping my beer and gazing at those wonderful red rock formations. First thought is “outstanding!” followed by “can we stay another week?”
Let’s start with the big picture. And there are plenty of big pictures to be seen around Sedona. We saw a lot of nice vistas during our hikes and other adventures. And we had a variety of adventures on this trip, mostly on foot, but also afloat and aloft. Don’t worry, details are coming. Lynn, Lisa and I did see a lot of cool things during our ten days, many of which we would not have experienced without the help of our friends. But that was the point of this whole trip, sharing the wonders of Arizona’s red rock country with that crazy, lovable, outdoor-oriented pack of nuts we call ‘the Herd” as we are here for the 6th annual UTAH (Utah Trip Advisor Herd) meet-up.
Six years, who would have thought that the little group who converged in Bluff back in 2010 would keep reuniting each year? But not only did we have a reunion, but we grew from the original 16 as we traveled from Bluff to Kanab, Moab, Escalante, Green River and now here in Sedona the list shows over 40 cats in our herd. Yeah, we have a pretty tight core group who seem to make each of these events, but every year the herd gets larger as more friends are added to the roster.
Yes we set some records during this meet-up: more cats than at any previous event (at least 42 at the opening day cook-out) largest single event (about 30 for the hike along the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon), most duckies in the Verde River (we had 26) and our first aerial adventure as seven of us took to the air over Sedona in a hot air balloon. More on all that later. We also added many new cats to the herd with first timers…newbies if you like. We probably have not had as many new faces since our second meet-up back in 2011 in Kanab. But the newbies are quickly welcomed into the herd and are soon old friends. That’s part of what makes this group so special. But while we added new members, we were also missing a few “regulars” to the meet-ups, but they were all present in our thoughts and sometimes even our prayers.
One thing in which many of us like to partake are the local beers and wines (for me just bring on the IPAs!). So we’re always looking for options, bottles to bring to the meet-up to share with the other like-minded herd members. As it happens, I was on a business trip about a month prior to the meet-up, flying United back from SFO (I still think there is a book in there about how to ruin a good airline after Continental (the good airline) and United merged) so I was flipping through the copy of “Hemispheres.” There was a short article highlighting a craft beer from every state. The one that caught my eye was from Nevada, the Ichthyosaur IPA from Great Basin Brewing in Sparks. OK that I have to try. So once I was home I contacted Alex to see if this was available in Sedona. No dice. OK, this is a Nevada beer, so I’ll check with Alison to see if she can find a couple six-packs to bring to Sedona. She said she’ll take a look and see what she can find. OK, another story that we’ll just have to wait to see if there is a happy ending.
OK, enough preamble, let’s get to the trip. Of course an excursion like this just does not just happen, it takes a lot of planning and we were working on those plans while we were still at the Green River meet-up. A few Doodle polls later and we had confirmed Sedona as the location for our first non-Utah meet-up and had zeroed in on the dates. I set up the website for the Sedona meet-up and Alex and Max set about getting the plans in place for the activities and meals. The Village of Oak Creek, where Alex and Frankie live, would become our base for the event, with their house specifically being the focal point for the meals and sometimes the morning muster point for activities.
I was able to find a very nice rental house just around the corner from “Casa RedRox” so we were able to walk to the evening events. The original plan called for us to host one of the evening cookouts, but the house was not large enough to accommodate a group as huge as ours. But the house was ideal for our needs and the location was prime. Howie and Deb were our other housemates for the meet-up and since we had a three bedroom, three bath place we all had our own space. The best part of the house was the back deck where we spent time throughout the day and evening, enjoying beverages hot and cold, looking for critters or gazing at the Milky Way.
Alex, Frankie and Max out did themselves with the meals. Not only did they plan five nights of dinner cook-outs, but they also added breakfast to the menu for anyone who was interested. Alex also pulled together an amazing assortment of activities, including enlisting some of the local knowledge to lead a few of these adventures. From the day we set our sights on Sedona, the only word to describe this meet-up was “epic!”
Speaking of epic, this journal is another of my typically long-winded descriptions all everything we did and saw on the trip. There are links to photos and other things scattered throughout, but it you want to skip straight to the photos rather than wading through the following 30-plus typed pages of details, just hit this link for the Sedona 2015 gallery and checkout the individual albums for each of our adventures. I also split the journal in two parts; this page covers the meet-up and second page covers our additional time in Sedona. There is also some summary information at the end of the second page (collection of links to the hikes plus our usual critter sighting list).
Day 1 - Wednesday, October 7: The Herd Converges on Casa RedRox. Lynn and I were up early, but no earlier than a work day. Since we had used the weekend to get our gear all packed there was not much left to do this morning, so we were easily on the road at 0630, right on schedule. No traffic at this time of morning (we were out before the school buses) and we found parking in the orange lot at Hopkins so no need to fuss with off-airport parking and the related shuttle (not that this is a big deal). Shoot, we were parked at Hopkins, checked in with United and through security by 7:37, so only a little over an hour since we left the house; pretty darn good. Plenty of time to catch some breakfast. Lynn chose Currito, so I had a bacon, egg and cheese burrito. Seemed appropriate since we are heading to the southwest.
No issues with the flights, well, no serious issues anyway. On time departure from Cleveland and an early arrival in Denver. The only problem there was that our gate was still occupied. This seems to happen a lot lately. We then had an on time push back from Denver but a hold on the runway due to heavy traffic in Phoenix – go figure. Checked the weather in Sedona before boarding. Looks to be ideal! Also checked the work email. Major computer SANFU in progress so this is a good time to be on vacation.
We arrived in Sky Harbor International Airport as per schedule at 12:40. We met Lisa at the rental car terminal. She had just arrived there as well so perfect timing. The girls stayed with the luggage and I headed to the SixT counter. Fairly quick turnaround on getting our car. The only hold up was not SixT’s problem but rather a customer who was trying to get a SixT car with an Advantage reservation; that held up the line a bit while the folks tried to get her headed in the correct direction. Once I got to the counter it took about 2 minutes to pull up my reservation and finalize everything, so not a problem at all. We were in our Chevy Traverse (a red one to match all the red Jeeps that will be coming to the meet-up) and on the road by 1:41. Shoot the biggest delay since arriving in Phoenix was at baggage claim which was not a shocker as getting luggage at PHX is always a slow process, and they did the typical carousel swap which just causes confusion. But overall it was pretty painless and now we are heading north out of Phoenix and the traffic was light and moving right along. However, once we were up to highway speed there was a very annoying whistle coming from the sunroof of our rental. OK, I’m not turning around at this point so we’ll just live with it for now. Most likely the seal around the sunroof needs adjustment. Fortunately it is not that loud so we can live with it for the drive to Sedona.
We made a quick stop at Cave Creek for a snack then kept cruising north on I-17. Lovely and easy drive. I’ve grown to appreciate this drive over the years. I think the first time or two that I drove from Phoenix to Sedona that I sort of ignored the scenery along the way as I was more interested in the destination (going to Sedona for the red rocks or a golf course or heading back to Phoenix for a flight home or after a day of golf), but now I tend to enjoy the journey. The drive is a little over 100 miles, takes less than 2 hours and is mostly on Interstate, but there really is a lot to see in the desert and a fair amount of variety due in large part to the change in elevation. There’s about 4000 feet of increase coming from Phoenix at about 1000 feet above sea level and topping about around 5000 feet along I-17 before settling in at 4500 feet at Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. There are changes in the terrain and the geology but what is really fun to watch is the flora, particularly the Saguaro cactus. These big symbols of the desert southwest are plentiful around Phoenix but the “forests” seem to get thicker as we gained in elevation up to about 3000 feet. They were everywhere and the variety of shapes that their arms form makes for some interesting views. But their numbers dwindled as we crossed above 4000 feet.
My favorite view heading north is just a few miles from where we exit the Interstate. This is the point where I-17 crosses the Black Hills and as I recall the road is making a sweeping turn to the left when the view opens up to the Verde Valley and then off to the northwest we got our first glimpse of the red rock country around Sedona. Yeah, that’s what we’re here to see. What we did not see much of along the way were animals. The only sighting of note was a roadrunner along route 179.
We reached the rental house in the Village of Oak Creek at 3:35. There was a truck was Colorado plates in the driveway so we knew that Howie and Deb were already there and apparently already moved in. So in we went to greet our housemates and check out our home for the next several days. Wow, I done good! While the house is a little dated, it is in great shape, has plenty of space, all the comforts of home, but the first thing we noticed after walking into the main room was the wonderful view out the back of the house. Right across the golf course to the wonderful red rocks that make this area so famous. The deck spans the entire back of the house and soon became the main place to hang-out. After oohing and ahhing a bit over the view we quickly unpacked our gear so that we could catch up a bit with our housemates. Time for a beer with Howie (Sam Adams Pumpkin Harvest Ale), then we made a grocery store run for basic provisions (bagels, juice, trail snacks, water, beer and wine), then a repeat run after Alex called needing ice. When I delivered the ice to Casa RedRox a little after 5:00, the party was already in full swing! I just dropped off the ice then headed back to the rental house to collect the rest of the gang.
We finally made it over to Alex’s and Frankie’s at 5:40 and the party was really rocking, well, rocking in the sense that there was a big herd of cats and everyone was enjoying getting reacquainted. Hey, we’re a fun group but we’re not that loud. It was great catching up with folks I had not seen in a year of more. Lots of hugs and handshakes from friends old and new. I had a beer or three with Oscar. A nice little chat with Ann. Cousin Jerry was here all the way from Norway. So many folks and so little time! Just like the beer selection. There was quite the variety, as several folks brought some to share. We had stocked up earlier today and brought a six-pack of Flagstaff IPA from Lumberyard Brewing Company. I tried one of the Desert Magic IPA from Mudshark Brewing out of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, so sort of local and pretty darn good.of Desert Magic from Mudshark Brewing out of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, so sort of local and pretty darn good. Alison was able to find the Icthyosaur IPA, or “Icky” for short, and brought a couple six packs for the group. She was going to tell me this long, sad tale of traveling for miles and hiking to the ends of the Earth to find this special beer, but as it happened she found it at the corner grocery, basically walking distance from their house. Howie and Alex were the grill masters, so Max cooked up a little surprise for them, matching chef’s hats. Mike joined in on the grilling as there were a lot of cats to feed this evening. Alex later reported that there were 42 folks at Casa RedRox that evening, by far the largest gathering of the Utah Trip Advisor Herd to date (I think the previous high water mark was the meet-and-greet hosted by the Best Western in Moab. There were 29 folks in attendance that night according to the group photo from that event).
We finally made it over to Alex’s and Frankie’s at 5:40 and the party was really rocking, well, rocking in the sense that there was a big herd of cats and everyone was enjoying getting reacquainted. Hey, we’re a fun group but we’re not that loud. It was great catching up with folks I had not seen in a year of more. Lots of hugs and handshakes from friends old and new. I had a beer or three with Oscar. A nice little chat with Ann. Cousin Jerry was here all the way from Norway. So many folks and so little time! Just like the beer selection. There was quite the variety, as several folks brought some to share. We had stocked up earlier today and brought a six-pack of Flagstaff IPA from Lumberyard Brewing Company. I tried one of the Desert Magic IPA from Mudshark Brewing out of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, so sort of local and pretty darn good.of Desert Magic from Mudshark Brewing out of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, so sort of local and pretty darn good. Alison was able to find the Icthyosaur IPA, or “Icky” for short, and brought a couple six packs for the group. She was going to tell me this long, sad tale of traveling for miles and hiking to the ends of the Earth to find this special beer, but as it happened she found it at the corner grocery, basically walking distance from their house. Howie and Alex were the grill masters, so Max cooked up a little surprise for them, matching chef’s hats. Mike joined in on the grilling as there were a lot of cats to feed this evening. Alex later reported that there were 42 folks at Casa RedRox that evening, by far the largest gathering of the Utah Trip Advisor Herd to date (I think the previous high water mark was the meet-and-greet hosted by the Best Western in Moab. There were 29 folks in attendance that night according to the group photo from that event).
Once everyone had a chance to eat, Alex called the group to order (well, a reasonable facsimile of order anyway) so that we could go over the plans for the next couple of days. Most everyone will be heading to Oak Creek Canyon to hike the Call of the Canyon and West Fork trails tomorrow, followed by a guided hike to Grandfather’s Cave for anyone who wants to go. On Friday we’ll have the duckie stampede on the Verde River. However the first order of business on Thursday is the group photo at the Sedona sign on route 179. Be there at 8:00. That will be the first true test of cat herding for the week! The final order of business for the evening was to thank our host and hostess. Our tradition had become to giving the primary organizer of the meet-up a gift from the herd. In years past the gift has been a walking stick. Alex started this at the Kanab meet-up and I was the first recipient, and in subsequent years Max, Danny and Pixie have been given the honor. This year Alex and Frankie went above and beyond with the planning of the event and by opening their home to the group, so we wanted to do something special (besides, Alex already had plenty of walking sticks). So Max and I did a little thinking and eventually found a place that would custom etch our meet-up logo into a set of beer glasses. That seemed like the perfect gift. But rather than just hand Alex a box with the glasses, we decided to offer a toast to him and Frankie, so I handed him a beer already poured into one of the glasses, and we all raised our drinks to our host and hostess, and then I pointed out the uniqueness of his glass. I think he now has a nice memento of the occasion.
It has been a long day for Lisa, Lynn and me, so we said our goodbyes about 8:15 and headed back to the rental house. As we walked back to the house, we got our first look at the glorious night sky. The Milky Way was shining brightly, but there was still some interference from the lights in this residential area. However, once we got home and out on the back deck the light pollution was drastically reduced and the stars were stellar…really? The stars were out of this world…c’mon, you can do better than that. The stars were brilliant. Enough already. We just don’t get stars like this back home as there is just too much ambient light. Any time we travel to the western National Parks or to these meet-ups we hope for clear, dark skies so that we can just marvel at those billion points of light. I was not sure if we would have a great view from “the city” but tonight the sky was grand. There was not the deep, black backdrop to the stars here in the Village of Oak Creek like we got last summer at the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp in Sequoia, but we still got an outstanding light show. We enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while then called it a night about 9:30.
The only blemish on an otherwise great day was that I woke up in the middle of the night with a mild case of “something I ate” but fortunately it had passed by morning. However while I was laying there with a headache and queasy stomach I figured hiking would be out of the question on Thursday. Luckily we were not starting at the crack of dawn so I had a little time to recover.
Day 2 - Thursday, October 8: West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon Hike. Finally up at 5:30 after a rough night, but feeling much better. Well enough for a bagel for breakfast and better yet feeling like taking a hike, particularly since this would be a “family friendly” trail. However the first item on the agenda for today was the group photo at the “Welcome to Sedona” sign on route 179 heading into town (this would be the first of several group shots as the make-up of the herd will be changing throughout the week). Amazingly, all of the herd members who were in town made it to the appointed destination and on time at 8:00 (well, more or less). The only thing that was not cooperating was the light as this location at this time of day as there were shadows on the sign and all our faces. I reckon this is probably a better afternoon photo op spot, but we’re here now so we took the photo anyway and took the opportunity to give Alex a hard time (c’mon, you had one job!). We’ll see what we can do with the image in Photoshop. Next stop is Oak Creek Canyon, specifically the Call of the Canyon day-use area.
It has been a long day for Lisa, Lynn and me, so we said our goodbyes about 8:15 and headed back to the rental house. As we walked back to the house, we got our first look at the glorious night sky. The Milky Way was shining brightly, but there was still some interference from the lights in this residential area. However, once we got home and out on the back deck the light pollution was drastically reduced and the stars were stellar…really? The stars were out of this world…c’mon, you can do better than that. The stars were brilliant. Enough already. We just don’t get stars like this back home as there is just too much ambient light. Any time we travel to the western National Parks or to these meet-ups we hope for clear, dark skies so that we can just marvel at those billion points of light. I was not sure if we would have a great view from “the city” but tonight the sky was grand. There was not the deep, black backdrop to the stars here in the Village of Oak Creek like we got last summer at the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp in Sequoia, but we still got an outstanding light show. We enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while then called it a night about 9:30.
The only blemish on an otherwise great day was that I woke up in the middle of the night with a mild case of “something I ate” but fortunately it had passed by morning. However while I was laying there with a headache and queasy stomach I figured hiking would be out of the question on Thursday. Luckily we were not starting at the crack of dawn so I had a little time to recover.
Day 2 - Thursday, October 8: West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon Hike. Finally up at 5:30 after a rough night, but feeling much better. Well enough for a bagel for breakfast and better yet feeling like taking a hike, particularly since this would be a “family friendly” trail. However the first item on the agenda for today was the group photo at the “Welcome to Sedona” sign on route 179 heading into town (this would be the first of several group shots as the make-up of the herd will be changing throughout the week). Amazingly, all of the herd members who were in town made it to the appointed destination and on time at 8:00 (well, more or less). The only thing that was not cooperating was the light as this location at this time of day as there were shadows on the sign and all our faces. I reckon this is probably a better afternoon photo op spot, but we’re here now so we took the photo anyway and took the opportunity to give Alex a hard time (c’mon, you had one job!). We’ll see what we can do with the image in Photoshop. Next stop is Oak Creek Canyon, specifically the Call of the Canyon day-use area.
We pulled into the park at 8:50, paid the fee and found a place to park. Good thing we got here early as the parking is already getting a little crowded, but we all managed to find spots. There were 31 of us hiking this morning with Lina, one of Alex’s local friends, leading the way. Thirty-one cats hitting the trail this morning makes this hike the biggest herd that we have had for any single activity that we have undertaken during any of our annual events. Alex gave a little pep talk and a reminder that anyone who wanted to hike to Grandfather Cave this afternoon needed to be back here at the trailhead by noon so to judge your hiking time this morning and turnaround accordingly. Otherwise this would be a hike-at-your-own-pace-and-turnaround-when-you-feel-like-it kind of morning. Most folks were not expecting to hike the trail all the way to the end. Lynn, Lisa and I had not discussed the options and just struck out on the trail. We’ll figure it out in real-time. Well, the herd was probably all together for about 30 seconds after the hike started and then the cats scattered all along the trail.
So this is a pretty easy hike. There is minimal elevation change, with the trail just sort of rolling along the banks of the creek. The literature says the trail is 3.2 miles to the end; I recorded our track as 7.2 miles but that was from the parking area and we went a little ways past the end of the maintained trail. The only difficulty, if you can call it that, were the water crossings. I think Alex said there were about a dozen, but they were all easily navigated without getting your shoes even damp (as long as you stayed on the stepping stones!). Shoot, the first section of the trail is basically a side walk from the parking area over to the official trailhead for West Fork. At the end of that section are the remains of the Mayhew Lodge which housed more than a few Hollywood stars when they were making movies in the area. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard reportedly stayed at the lodge. The lodge was built on the site of one of the early settler’s cabins at the confluence of Oak Creek and West Fork. However the lodge burned to the ground years ago and all that remains are foundations, a random wall or two, a fireplace and a couple dilapidated outbuildings. One of the still standing walls had a round window opening that makes for a good photo op. Alex volunteered to be photographer for group shots for several of the herd including Lynn and I.
So this is a pretty easy hike. There is minimal elevation change, with the trail just sort of rolling along the banks of the creek. The literature says the trail is 3.2 miles to the end; I recorded our track as 7.2 miles but that was from the parking area and we went a little ways past the end of the maintained trail. The only difficulty, if you can call it that, were the water crossings. I think Alex said there were about a dozen, but they were all easily navigated without getting your shoes even damp (as long as you stayed on the stepping stones!). Shoot, the first section of the trail is basically a side walk from the parking area over to the official trailhead for West Fork. At the end of that section are the remains of the Mayhew Lodge which housed more than a few Hollywood stars when they were making movies in the area. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard reportedly stayed at the lodge. The lodge was built on the site of one of the early settler’s cabins at the confluence of Oak Creek and West Fork. However the lodge burned to the ground years ago and all that remains are foundations, a random wall or two, a fireplace and a couple dilapidated outbuildings. One of the still standing walls had a round window opening that makes for a good photo op. Alex volunteered to be photographer for group shots for several of the herd including Lynn and I.
Even though the herd was well strung out along the trail, I still saw most everyone at some point during the hike. As usual, I ended up near the back of the pack as I was checking out the views, looking at the details and trying to capture a few interesting images. I hiked along with several folks during the day. First a short stretch with Howie, then some time with Oscar, Gary and Alex, but I also found myself alone a couple of times which provided an opportunity to enjoy the serenity of the canyon. It was not long before a started seeing some of the herd coming back down the trail; Max and Paula were first, I think, then a little later Bethany, then much later the uber hikers who had already made it to the end of the trail. Some of the folks coming back early were planning on also making the hike to Grandfather’s Cave. When I caught up with Lynn, we decided to skip the second hike and just spend the time getting to the end of the West Fork Trail, then we could have a little time to relax back at the house.
Alex pointed out several good photo op sites along the trail, many of which we decided to hit on the return hike. There were a lot of great views along the trail, particularly near the creek (and sometimes best viewed from in the creek). But the scenes along the trail are not those of the red rock formations that are so well known in the area. Yes the canyon walls are red rock, and there are peeks of the red rocks all along the trail, but for the most part this is a hike in the woods, mainly maples and oaks. There were just hints of fall colors starting to appear in the leaves. The creek crossings provided some of the best views, as there were wider openings in the trees to glimpse the canyon walls, plus the reflections of the rocks and trees in the water made for some nice images.
Alex eventually turned back toward the trailhead so that he could get home and start preparations for tonight’s cookout. That left Gary, Oscar, Lynn, Lisa and me as the last little part of the herd still heading up the canyon. There was a little bit of elevation change toward the end of the hike, first a bit of an uphill grade then a longer and steeper downhill back to the creek and the end of the trail. Just behind the end of trail marker is a beautiful little section of the canyon with tall, undercut walls and interesting reflections. This made a very nice spot for a snack and a team photo. It was well worth the effort to get to this spot.
The return hike provided several additional interesting sightings. There were several stands of a jointed grass, sort of like a small bamboo. Next was a really cool looking butterfly at one of the creek crossings and at the end of the trail there was a multitude of little purple butterflies in the wildflowers near the old apple orchard (the butterfly at the creek was very cooperative when it came to getting its picture taken, the little butterflies, no so much). But the most interesting of the lot was when Oscar and I stopped to a shot of a backlit sandstone formation. I noticed something flash briefly above the ridge. I figured it was a bird, but then I saw additional flashes and steaks. Nope, that’s not a bird, a plane or Superman. We watched for several minutes and a couple other hikers stopped to check out the scene as well. It was tough to get a decent photo of what we were seeing, but in the end I think we both captured something. The best we could figure is that we were seeing spider webs that is strands of webbing floating in the breeze and catching the light. And there were scores of them up there. It was difficult to determine how high the webs actually were, but it appeared that they filled the space between the trees lining the creek and the sandstone ridgeline towering above us. That would be a lot of spider web (or whatever it was). Still it was sort of cool to see. I did capture a little video of this (below at right; go to full screen for the best view).
Alex eventually turned back toward the trailhead so that he could get home and start preparations for tonight’s cookout. That left Gary, Oscar, Lynn, Lisa and me as the last little part of the herd still heading up the canyon. There was a little bit of elevation change toward the end of the hike, first a bit of an uphill grade then a longer and steeper downhill back to the creek and the end of the trail. Just behind the end of trail marker is a beautiful little section of the canyon with tall, undercut walls and interesting reflections. This made a very nice spot for a snack and a team photo. It was well worth the effort to get to this spot.
The return hike provided several additional interesting sightings. There were several stands of a jointed grass, sort of like a small bamboo. Next was a really cool looking butterfly at one of the creek crossings and at the end of the trail there was a multitude of little purple butterflies in the wildflowers near the old apple orchard (the butterfly at the creek was very cooperative when it came to getting its picture taken, the little butterflies, no so much). But the most interesting of the lot was when Oscar and I stopped to a shot of a backlit sandstone formation. I noticed something flash briefly above the ridge. I figured it was a bird, but then I saw additional flashes and steaks. Nope, that’s not a bird, a plane or Superman. We watched for several minutes and a couple other hikers stopped to check out the scene as well. It was tough to get a decent photo of what we were seeing, but in the end I think we both captured something. The best we could figure is that we were seeing spider webs that is strands of webbing floating in the breeze and catching the light. And there were scores of them up there. It was difficult to determine how high the webs actually were, but it appeared that they filled the space between the trees lining the creek and the sandstone ridgeline towering above us. That would be a lot of spider web (or whatever it was). Still it was sort of cool to see. I did capture a little video of this (below at right; go to full screen for the best view).
One thing we did not see a lot of were critters along the trail. OK, this is a popular trail, so the animals are probably going to keep out of sight once the hikers get going. We spotted a couple Great Blue Herons flying over when we started this morning and there were a few other birds seen along the trail, the butterflies I mentioned earlier, and one little snake (maybe a slender snout garter snake). The odd thing was that we did not see a single lizard along the trail, and we always see lizards out sunning when in Sedona.
We hit a couple of the photo op spots that Alex as had pointed out on the hike in. These were just off the trail and down in the creek. Oscar and I found a way across the creek (the water was low, so it was easy to cross) and tried to get some views of the undercut canyon walls. Now that it is midday the lighting is a bit harsh, but it is still a petty scene. We’ll see if the pictures come out. Speaking of pictures, here's the photo album with the rest of the images from the West Fork Hike.
We were back at the trailhead about 2:00 and home around 2:30 for a beer on the back deck. That’s the way to do it, nice hike in the morning and a refreshing beer and lounge chair after. We spent the rest of the afternoon right there on the deck, just watching the many birds flitting about in the shrubbery in the back yard. Lynn said that she found a note from the home owners about mixing up hummingbird food for the feeders, so she’ll make up a batch sometime in the near future.
After our little siesta, we cleaned up for dinner and headed over to Casa RedRox about 5:00. Another nice night with a big crowd and great spread. More cats joined the herd as Esty and Walter and Susan and Russ arrived today. Ribs and salmon were the main entrees on the menu tonight. Howie was again the grill master with support from Mike and Alex. I skipped the ribs (just not my thing), but the salmon was excellent as was Frankie’s corn soufflé. I got to share a couple special beers with Oscar and Gary. Oscar brought a Points Unknown from Stone (Imperial IPA) and Pernicious IPA from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville was Garry’s contribution. Both were very good, but I’ll give the nod to the southern brewing over the west coast offering this time. I had brought Tricerahops DIPA from Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon. I picked it up at the local grocery store figuring that we’ll stick with the dinosaur themed beers. It was good, but as is the case with double IPAs a little on the harsh side. Still not a bad choice. We again had our nightly skull session, led by Alex. Most of the herd will be on the Verde River tomorrow. Alex covered the when and the where, so we should be good to go.
We were home about 8:30 for another explosion of stars on the back deck. The deck faces northeast and away from the road and opening up on the golf course so there is even less ambient light to deal with so the stars are really great. Lisa said something that reminded me of the Google Sky app, which I had not loaded onto my new phone so I took care of that little task, then set about identifying constellations and planets. We finally crashed about 9:30.
Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot! About 2:00 AM Lynn and I were awoken by a horrible grinding noise. What the heck is that?!? The home owner had warned us about the air conditioning potentially freezing up. Could that be it? We got up to investigate and it turned out to be the ice maker in the refrigerator. We messed around with it for several minutes and finally got it to shut up. We went back to bed and I was just getting ready to drop off again when I could hear the grinding just starting up, but fortunately it subsided and stayed quiet for the rest of the night. Stupid icemaker!
Day 3 - Friday, October 9: Traffic Jam on the Verde River. Again a relaxed morning as our float trip does not start until 10:00 so we don’t need to be on the road until 9:00 at the earliest. So we just hung out at the house, had a lite breakfast, and enjoyed the morning on the back deck. We left the house a little after 9:00. Bad accident on I-17 just a short distance after we entered the highway. Looked like two semis got tangled up. Both rigs and a pick-up with a cargo trailer were well off in the desert to the west side of the road. One of the rigs had burned down to its axles. Hopefully everyone made it out alright.
The GPS sent us on a slightly different route than described by Alex. We were at the Beasley Flats Road meeting point at 9:35 so well ahead of schedule. No one else was there (yeah I know we were early, but still there should be some signs of life). Amazingly I had signal on the mobile phone so I called the outfitter to confirm and we were at the right location. We were. I reckon we just wait. Just before 10:00 the guides arrived and right behind them was the rest of the herd. We all got our stuff organized while the guides were doing a head count. This is a much bigger group than usual for them. We had 26 cats on the river (the outfitter thought we were supposed to have 29, but their math was off). This was nearly double the number they usually take on this trip. Generally they try to limit to 14 and may stretch to 16, so 26 duckies really fills the river! Once we got the numbers worked out, we loaded into the outfitter’s buses and headed to the launch site (we met at the take-out point).
We were back at the trailhead about 2:00 and home around 2:30 for a beer on the back deck. That’s the way to do it, nice hike in the morning and a refreshing beer and lounge chair after. We spent the rest of the afternoon right there on the deck, just watching the many birds flitting about in the shrubbery in the back yard. Lynn said that she found a note from the home owners about mixing up hummingbird food for the feeders, so she’ll make up a batch sometime in the near future.
After our little siesta, we cleaned up for dinner and headed over to Casa RedRox about 5:00. Another nice night with a big crowd and great spread. More cats joined the herd as Esty and Walter and Susan and Russ arrived today. Ribs and salmon were the main entrees on the menu tonight. Howie was again the grill master with support from Mike and Alex. I skipped the ribs (just not my thing), but the salmon was excellent as was Frankie’s corn soufflé. I got to share a couple special beers with Oscar and Gary. Oscar brought a Points Unknown from Stone (Imperial IPA) and Pernicious IPA from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville was Garry’s contribution. Both were very good, but I’ll give the nod to the southern brewing over the west coast offering this time. I had brought Tricerahops DIPA from Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon. I picked it up at the local grocery store figuring that we’ll stick with the dinosaur themed beers. It was good, but as is the case with double IPAs a little on the harsh side. Still not a bad choice. We again had our nightly skull session, led by Alex. Most of the herd will be on the Verde River tomorrow. Alex covered the when and the where, so we should be good to go.
We were home about 8:30 for another explosion of stars on the back deck. The deck faces northeast and away from the road and opening up on the golf course so there is even less ambient light to deal with so the stars are really great. Lisa said something that reminded me of the Google Sky app, which I had not loaded onto my new phone so I took care of that little task, then set about identifying constellations and planets. We finally crashed about 9:30.
Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot! About 2:00 AM Lynn and I were awoken by a horrible grinding noise. What the heck is that?!? The home owner had warned us about the air conditioning potentially freezing up. Could that be it? We got up to investigate and it turned out to be the ice maker in the refrigerator. We messed around with it for several minutes and finally got it to shut up. We went back to bed and I was just getting ready to drop off again when I could hear the grinding just starting up, but fortunately it subsided and stayed quiet for the rest of the night. Stupid icemaker!
Day 3 - Friday, October 9: Traffic Jam on the Verde River. Again a relaxed morning as our float trip does not start until 10:00 so we don’t need to be on the road until 9:00 at the earliest. So we just hung out at the house, had a lite breakfast, and enjoyed the morning on the back deck. We left the house a little after 9:00. Bad accident on I-17 just a short distance after we entered the highway. Looked like two semis got tangled up. Both rigs and a pick-up with a cargo trailer were well off in the desert to the west side of the road. One of the rigs had burned down to its axles. Hopefully everyone made it out alright.
The GPS sent us on a slightly different route than described by Alex. We were at the Beasley Flats Road meeting point at 9:35 so well ahead of schedule. No one else was there (yeah I know we were early, but still there should be some signs of life). Amazingly I had signal on the mobile phone so I called the outfitter to confirm and we were at the right location. We were. I reckon we just wait. Just before 10:00 the guides arrived and right behind them was the rest of the herd. We all got our stuff organized while the guides were doing a head count. This is a much bigger group than usual for them. We had 26 cats on the river (the outfitter thought we were supposed to have 29, but their math was off). This was nearly double the number they usually take on this trip. Generally they try to limit to 14 and may stretch to 16, so 26 duckies really fills the river! Once we got the numbers worked out, we loaded into the outfitter’s buses and headed to the launch site (we met at the take-out point).
The launch site was just a short drive away. Once there we got our PFDs, paddles, a short tutorial on how to make the duckies go (not that this helped some of the crew!) and the mandatory safety briefing. During the briefing, the lead guide, Greg, provided some pointers on navigating the rapids. Poor Donna had a look of abject horror and just exclaimed “Rapids!?!” Fear not, this is all “Class 0” along this section of the river, really just riffles. Now that the briefing is out of the way, we headed down the hill (hurrying past the mosquitos), climbed into our duckies and headed off down the river.
The short story is that this was a great little trip! We had excellent guides (Greg, Jeff and Tamera). We had a pleasant day with blue skies and moderate temperatures (it was probably around 80 by the time we got out of the river). But man, we did look like a herd of turtles, errr, duckies, out on the Verde. Yes, 26 inflatable kayaks (29 including the guides) does sort of fill the river!
The Verde was more brown than green today due to the runoff from the rain. The guides said it was red. OK, the rocks in the area are red but the river looks brown to me. Take your pick. I guess Rojo River sounds better than Marrón River, so I’ll go with the guides and call it red. Maybe Rio Rojo? Whatever the color, one thing for certain was that the water was COLD when it splashed into my little yacht!
Like our hike yesterday in West Fork, this was a self-paced event. You could basically work as much or as little as you wanted as you floated down the river. We were quickly spread out all along the river. I was trying to get as photos of as many of the herd as I could, so I tried picking a spot to hang out and let folks float by then I would paddle up toward the front of the pack again and do it again. I never caught the head end of the group. But this did allow me to see almost everyone on the river and everyone seemed like they were having fun. For many of us, this were the first time in one of these duckies, so it did take us a while to get the hang of “driving.” Good thing these things are made of rubber as there were many collisions on the river. But that was half the fun, just bouncing off the other kayaks as you tried to stay upright in the water. Of course there were a few of the herd who actually knew what they were doing and they were just smoothly cruising along. Poor Max was really struggling with getting her duckie to go in the right direction, but other than losing her hat to the river she made it just fine. Probably the funniest sight during the tour was Russ climbing onto the back of Susan’s duckie for the ride through one of the “rapids.” I’m thinking his goal was to get Susan out of the kayak, and while that proved unsuccessful, I think she did get soaked. Whatever, it was fun to watch! But I think there were plenty of those fun little episodes along the Verde River as many of us ended up getting turned around in a “rapid” or stuck on a rock. But there was always someone around with a helping hand to get you going again in the right direction.
The short story is that this was a great little trip! We had excellent guides (Greg, Jeff and Tamera). We had a pleasant day with blue skies and moderate temperatures (it was probably around 80 by the time we got out of the river). But man, we did look like a herd of turtles, errr, duckies, out on the Verde. Yes, 26 inflatable kayaks (29 including the guides) does sort of fill the river!
The Verde was more brown than green today due to the runoff from the rain. The guides said it was red. OK, the rocks in the area are red but the river looks brown to me. Take your pick. I guess Rojo River sounds better than Marrón River, so I’ll go with the guides and call it red. Maybe Rio Rojo? Whatever the color, one thing for certain was that the water was COLD when it splashed into my little yacht!
Like our hike yesterday in West Fork, this was a self-paced event. You could basically work as much or as little as you wanted as you floated down the river. We were quickly spread out all along the river. I was trying to get as photos of as many of the herd as I could, so I tried picking a spot to hang out and let folks float by then I would paddle up toward the front of the pack again and do it again. I never caught the head end of the group. But this did allow me to see almost everyone on the river and everyone seemed like they were having fun. For many of us, this were the first time in one of these duckies, so it did take us a while to get the hang of “driving.” Good thing these things are made of rubber as there were many collisions on the river. But that was half the fun, just bouncing off the other kayaks as you tried to stay upright in the water. Of course there were a few of the herd who actually knew what they were doing and they were just smoothly cruising along. Poor Max was really struggling with getting her duckie to go in the right direction, but other than losing her hat to the river she made it just fine. Probably the funniest sight during the tour was Russ climbing onto the back of Susan’s duckie for the ride through one of the “rapids.” I’m thinking his goal was to get Susan out of the kayak, and while that proved unsuccessful, I think she did get soaked. Whatever, it was fun to watch! But I think there were plenty of those fun little episodes along the Verde River as many of us ended up getting turned around in a “rapid” or stuck on a rock. But there was always someone around with a helping hand to get you going again in the right direction.
Gallery of the herd on the river. Click on an image to get the slideshow.
The scenery along the river was quite lovely. There were several open stretches that provided nice views of the surrounding rock formations, a few areas where the river went through channels with tall walls and some nice shading spots with the trees over hanging the river. So a nice variety along our watery route. There were also a few critter sightings: a Great Egret near the beginning of our float, a Great Blue Heron, a few ducks of some sort and a couple of shore birds (similar to Killdeer, but something else).
We were on the river for about two-and-a-half hours, give or take. Back at the take-out point, Alex and Howie had cold beer available for us while we waiting for the herd to congregate for a group photo. We finally got the cats bunched close enough together to get the shot. Here's the link to the rest of my photos from the duckie adventure; also a short review on TA.
Next we discussed options for other things to see and do in the area. First was a boulder with some rock art just sitting along the side of the road and Montezuma Well is just a short drive from here. So we loaded up and headed out. Most of the herd made the quick stop at the rock art boulder. It was literally right at the side of the road, close enough that a guard rail had been installed to protect it from the traffic.
I think that most of the gang followed Alex to Montezuma Well. Unfortunately, Alex missed a turn on the way, but quickly realized his lack of direction and got us back on the right track…note that in literary terms this would be called foreshadowing.
We were on the river for about two-and-a-half hours, give or take. Back at the take-out point, Alex and Howie had cold beer available for us while we waiting for the herd to congregate for a group photo. We finally got the cats bunched close enough together to get the shot. Here's the link to the rest of my photos from the duckie adventure; also a short review on TA.
Next we discussed options for other things to see and do in the area. First was a boulder with some rock art just sitting along the side of the road and Montezuma Well is just a short drive from here. So we loaded up and headed out. Most of the herd made the quick stop at the rock art boulder. It was literally right at the side of the road, close enough that a guard rail had been installed to protect it from the traffic.
I think that most of the gang followed Alex to Montezuma Well. Unfortunately, Alex missed a turn on the way, but quickly realized his lack of direction and got us back on the right track…note that in literary terms this would be called foreshadowing.
We made a quick tour of the National Monument. While small, it was very interesting and very well marked. The only down side was that one of the trails was closed due to erosion, so we could not see the irrigation ditch. Even though this is a small National Parks Service Unit (actually part of the Montezuma Castle National Monument), it is amazing for both the geology and the history. The “well” is a limestone sinkhole that is fed by an underground spring that pumps 1.5 million gallons of water into the well every day. This water flow is constant even during periods of extreme drought. For obvious reasons, the well and its water have been a vital resource for the people living in the Verde Valley for many thousands of years. The water coming out of the well and some of the old canal systems are still used today by the locals for watering gardens. The water is highly carbonated and has high levels of arsenic, but it is still home to five animal species found only in this sinkhole (all little critters), but there are no fish. There are a couple cliff dwelling ruins in the cliffs around the sinkhole dating between 700 and 1425. There were several indigenous cultures who lived in the area, with the Southern Sinagua being one of the better known. The Sinagua were farmers and developed an intricate canal system beginning about 700. The canal has been estimated to have been about 7-miles long and drained into a network of smaller canals. Fascinating, Captain.
I have no idea where Lynn and Lisa wandered off, but it is a small park so they could not have gone far. Besides, I have the car keys so they’ll have to find me. Anyway, after walking down into the sinkhole, I took the longer looping trail down toward the outlet and around to the parking area. There are some very nice views from this part of the trail looking out over the surrounding desert. Tommy and I ended up walking together along this stretch, my first opportunity to chat with him (well other than a couple quick words during duckie collisions on the river today). We did spot a lizard along the trail that was willing to pose for the camera (Tommy took the shot as all I had with me was my D10 from the float trip). Montezuma Well photos album.
I have no idea where Lynn and Lisa wandered off, but it is a small park so they could not have gone far. Besides, I have the car keys so they’ll have to find me. Anyway, after walking down into the sinkhole, I took the longer looping trail down toward the outlet and around to the parking area. There are some very nice views from this part of the trail looking out over the surrounding desert. Tommy and I ended up walking together along this stretch, my first opportunity to chat with him (well other than a couple quick words during duckie collisions on the river today). We did spot a lizard along the trail that was willing to pose for the camera (Tommy took the shot as all I had with me was my D10 from the float trip). Montezuma Well photos album.
It was a little after 3:00 when we got back on the road and headed home. We spent a little time relaxing on the back deck (this is definitely habit forming!) before getting cleaned up for the evening gathering. There were a few Gambel’s Quail out behind the house and Lisa spotted a coyote on the golf course. It just walked across the 12th fairway like he owned the place. The squirrels that we spotted earlier had better keep an eye out or they may end up as dinner. Alex texted that he was in need of ice, so I made another run down to Weber’s IGA and made the drop at Casa RedRox then headed back home to get the girls.
We walked over for dinner about 5:30 just in time for the herd photo in the backyard. Now this was cat herding at its finest as we were all scrambling to get in the photo, Noel was working hard to get us all positioned and just when we thought we had it figured out, another cat would arrive. I think that Axel was the last to show, but we eventually got the shot. This was Italian night and Donna had volunteered to make homemade lasagna (she was aghast when she learned that Max and Alex were going to get carry-out Italian!). Mike was manning the grill making sausage that he have brought with him from Tucson. Deb added a seafood salad to the mix. Wow, what a team! Excellent food and not much in terms of leftovers (hey, this herd can really put on the feedbag!). The beer du jour was the Flagstaff IPA from Lumberyard Brewing, so another local brew. It was another grand evening on the back porch of Casa RedRox (the original plan was to have dinner tonight over at the rental house where Max, Rick and crew were staying, aka the Hen House, but logistically that was not the best plan due to parking constraints and the fact that all the stuff was already at Alex’s. Besides, Casa RedRox was just ideal for this size group). Alex had the photobooks from the previous meet-up out on the coffee table in the living room and they were getting a lot of interest. They do make a nice memento of the event, if I do say so myself. Again we had our nightly planning meeting to get the activities for Saturday in order, said goodbye to the folks who would be leaving tomorrow and we also took a moment to think about those who could not be with us in Sedona (there were more than a few tears shed).
We were back on the deck at our house by 9:00, beer in hand and staring up and another sky full of stars. The whole house crew was here again, just chillin’ in the desert. A great end to another fabulous day.
I did not take a lot of photos during the evening events, but I did collect those few shots plus what I snapped elsewhere around the Village of Oak Creek into one album for convenience.
Day 4 - Saturday, October 10: Rock Art and Ruins. A good night’s sleep last night. No grumpy stomach, no icemaker, no issues at all. I’m rested this morning and ready to roll. I was up about 5:30 and walked out on the back deck to greet another beautiful morning. There was just a sliver of the moon hanging just below Jupiter, Mars and Venus; yesterday morning is was in the middle of three planets. I guess the temperature is in the low 50s F as the sun is not yet up, but there is not a cloud in the sky and it promises to be another glorious day in the desert southwest.
We walked over for dinner about 5:30 just in time for the herd photo in the backyard. Now this was cat herding at its finest as we were all scrambling to get in the photo, Noel was working hard to get us all positioned and just when we thought we had it figured out, another cat would arrive. I think that Axel was the last to show, but we eventually got the shot. This was Italian night and Donna had volunteered to make homemade lasagna (she was aghast when she learned that Max and Alex were going to get carry-out Italian!). Mike was manning the grill making sausage that he have brought with him from Tucson. Deb added a seafood salad to the mix. Wow, what a team! Excellent food and not much in terms of leftovers (hey, this herd can really put on the feedbag!). The beer du jour was the Flagstaff IPA from Lumberyard Brewing, so another local brew. It was another grand evening on the back porch of Casa RedRox (the original plan was to have dinner tonight over at the rental house where Max, Rick and crew were staying, aka the Hen House, but logistically that was not the best plan due to parking constraints and the fact that all the stuff was already at Alex’s. Besides, Casa RedRox was just ideal for this size group). Alex had the photobooks from the previous meet-up out on the coffee table in the living room and they were getting a lot of interest. They do make a nice memento of the event, if I do say so myself. Again we had our nightly planning meeting to get the activities for Saturday in order, said goodbye to the folks who would be leaving tomorrow and we also took a moment to think about those who could not be with us in Sedona (there were more than a few tears shed).
We were back on the deck at our house by 9:00, beer in hand and staring up and another sky full of stars. The whole house crew was here again, just chillin’ in the desert. A great end to another fabulous day.
I did not take a lot of photos during the evening events, but I did collect those few shots plus what I snapped elsewhere around the Village of Oak Creek into one album for convenience.
Day 4 - Saturday, October 10: Rock Art and Ruins. A good night’s sleep last night. No grumpy stomach, no icemaker, no issues at all. I’m rested this morning and ready to roll. I was up about 5:30 and walked out on the back deck to greet another beautiful morning. There was just a sliver of the moon hanging just below Jupiter, Mars and Venus; yesterday morning is was in the middle of three planets. I guess the temperature is in the low 50s F as the sun is not yet up, but there is not a cloud in the sky and it promises to be another glorious day in the desert southwest.
I ate the “Cajun” bagel that Lynn had over toasted. Crunchy but not really that burnt. I headed back out to the porch once the sun was up to check out the critter activity. The hummers are outside also demanding breakfast as their feeders are empty. Lynn will rectify that issue shortly. There is one that looks like our Ruby-throated hummingbirds, but those are only found in the east; after a little searching on the phone I think it must be a Broad-tailed Hummer (well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). Several song birds were serenading us this morning, punctuated by the sharp “caw” of the crows and the distant pining of the mourning doves. There were a couple rabbits in the brush between the house and the golf course and another coyote over in the fairway. The grounds crew guys don’t even pay attention. I also spotted Anna’s Hummingbird, Rufous-sided Towhee, House Finch, several sparrows and a lot of “gone” birds. I’m getting poor quality, long-range images of some of these, so I should have enough to identify some of them.
Lynn, Lisa and I were going with the bulk of the herd to hike in Loy Canyon to see a rock art panel. We met at Casa RedRox at 9:00 per the last evening’s planning meeting. There were 18 of us heading out at 9:15 in a four car caravan (three Jeeps and our Traverse), so another good size outing. Mike and Rob rode along with us on what ended up being a tour of the desert. The original plan was for one Alex’s local buddies to guide us this morning, but he got tied up with an archeological excavation and was unavailable. But no worries as Alex knows the way to the trailhead and the path to the panel. However, Alex’s route was not the most, shall we say, direct. I was wondering why we were driving on a road that was taking us further away from the rocks and canyons, but Alex must know where he’s going, right? We passed a couple signs for the Land Rover rally that was taking place out here somewhere and also a few hardcore looking off road trucks. Eventually the lead Jeep stopped and Alex got out. He did the walk of shame back along the rest of the caravan to announce that we were off course. OK, Alex, you had one job! Well, we got turned around and back on track and finally reached the trailhead. I reckon we lost about an hour on our little detour but we covered ground that we would not have otherwise seen plus we got some time to visit with Mike and Rob, so all was well.
OK, we’re obviously on the correct road now as we are heading toward the big sandstone formations and the terrain is getting a little more wiggle to it. We must be closer to the civilized part of the Sedona back country as we’re starting to see jeep tours (pink ones, red ones, yellow ones) and lots of rental ATVs. Those things were all over the place.
Lynn, Lisa and I were going with the bulk of the herd to hike in Loy Canyon to see a rock art panel. We met at Casa RedRox at 9:00 per the last evening’s planning meeting. There were 18 of us heading out at 9:15 in a four car caravan (three Jeeps and our Traverse), so another good size outing. Mike and Rob rode along with us on what ended up being a tour of the desert. The original plan was for one Alex’s local buddies to guide us this morning, but he got tied up with an archeological excavation and was unavailable. But no worries as Alex knows the way to the trailhead and the path to the panel. However, Alex’s route was not the most, shall we say, direct. I was wondering why we were driving on a road that was taking us further away from the rocks and canyons, but Alex must know where he’s going, right? We passed a couple signs for the Land Rover rally that was taking place out here somewhere and also a few hardcore looking off road trucks. Eventually the lead Jeep stopped and Alex got out. He did the walk of shame back along the rest of the caravan to announce that we were off course. OK, Alex, you had one job! Well, we got turned around and back on track and finally reached the trailhead. I reckon we lost about an hour on our little detour but we covered ground that we would not have otherwise seen plus we got some time to visit with Mike and Rob, so all was well.
OK, we’re obviously on the correct road now as we are heading toward the big sandstone formations and the terrain is getting a little more wiggle to it. We must be closer to the civilized part of the Sedona back country as we’re starting to see jeep tours (pink ones, red ones, yellow ones) and lots of rental ATVs. Those things were all over the place.
Once at the trailhead, we got ready for the hike, but first herded the cats for a group photo…again easier said than done. Then it was on to the trial. We had another gorgeous day for a hike, with a cloudless sky and comfortable temperatures. Let’s say that we set a deliberate pace, not speedy by any means, but one that ensured that the entire group would make it to the panel. But the slower pace just provided more time to enjoy the surroundings, chat with the herd and take a few photos along the trail. Overall it was a pretty easy hike with the only minor challenge being the last short, steep climb from the creek bed up to the panel. But the climb is well worth the effort as the panel is quite impressive. I reckon the panel is a couple hundred yards wide with the artwork extending 20 feet or more up the sandstone wall in places. The images on the sandstone wall are mostly ancient symbols but there are some homesteader inscriptions circa 1900 as well. There was quite the variety of symbols and images; hand prints, snakes, elk and deer, hunters, anthropomorphic figures, geometric designs…a little bit of everything. And there were several different colors as well; white, black, red and yellow. The homesteader images were basically “I was here” signatures with dates, perhaps the graffiti tags of the day.
Gallery of the herd on the river. Click on an image to get the slideshow.
We took some time exploring, climbing on the rocks to get better views and discussing the interesting figures. Alex provided some narrative based on his earlier visits with one of the local experts. We eventually all converged in a shady area at the upper end of the panel and took a little break. This also provided another opportunity for a group photo with the panel as a backdrop. There was a nice little ledge available so a few of us scrambled up there to be the back row while the rest of the troop arrayed along below the ledge. Tommy borrowed my gorilla tripod to mount his camera; he had a nice wireless remote for his camera so he was the official group picture photographer for this hike. Although this was the second group photo for this short hike, Alex said that he wanted to get another at the other end of the panel where we first came up the hill as he thought that was an even better location. OK, what’s one more photo? That said, the herd is getting a little tired of posing, kneeling, etc. for these shots.
After the group photo, we started to meander back along the panel, noticing new images as we went. As usual, I was near the back of the group, taking photos and studying the rocks. Ann was also hanging back so we were chatting a bit and pointing out glyphs to each other. We passed Alex talking with a Forest Service Ranger. She was concerned that we were a guided tour which apparently is not allowed, but Alex assured her that we were just a group of friends out for a hike. No harm, no foul. Then we heard the faint notes of a flute. How appropriate. And how cool. Just a little ways back along the trail, a fellow and his dog were sitting in little alcove in the rock face, enjoying the day and adding a little spiritual tune to the setting. I paused for a moment just to listen. I tried to capture the music using the video setting on my camera but really didn’t do it justice. But I was now again lagging behind the rest of the herd, so it was time to get moving.
After the group photo, we started to meander back along the panel, noticing new images as we went. As usual, I was near the back of the group, taking photos and studying the rocks. Ann was also hanging back so we were chatting a bit and pointing out glyphs to each other. We passed Alex talking with a Forest Service Ranger. She was concerned that we were a guided tour which apparently is not allowed, but Alex assured her that we were just a group of friends out for a hike. No harm, no foul. Then we heard the faint notes of a flute. How appropriate. And how cool. Just a little ways back along the trail, a fellow and his dog were sitting in little alcove in the rock face, enjoying the day and adding a little spiritual tune to the setting. I paused for a moment just to listen. I tried to capture the music using the video setting on my camera but really didn’t do it justice. But I was now again lagging behind the rest of the herd, so it was time to get moving.
Back at the beginning of the panel, the group was already forming up for the final group photo. We were all grumbling about sitting or kneeling and getting in line, but it was all in fun. Tommy got his camera set up again and we were ready to go. OK, it didn’t take. More kneeling and grumbling from the herd. And we were ready to go…..got it! Once Tommy had the shot, Roz jumped up and asked if she could take a group photo with her camera. The entire group gave her a resounding “No!” I felt a little bad about it, but as it was a unanimous voice we did disband without a second picture. No worries as we’ll all be sharing our photos, so everyone can have a copy of the team shots.
The hike back was uneventful. More time for photos. We did talk options for the rest of the day. There was a ruin site that we could have hiked to but we decided to take a short drive to Honanki Heritage Site (US Forest Service) instead as it was just a short stretch further down the road from the Loy Canyon Trailhead. Once we had the plan, Lisa, Lynn and I starting loading up, then noticed that the rest of the herd had set to grazing. Oh, I get it, lunch break….this must be a union shop. So we took a short break there in the parking lot while folks had a sandwich or some trail mix. Then we mounted up and headed to our next stop. Here are the photos from our hike into Loy Canyon.
The hike back was uneventful. More time for photos. We did talk options for the rest of the day. There was a ruin site that we could have hiked to but we decided to take a short drive to Honanki Heritage Site (US Forest Service) instead as it was just a short stretch further down the road from the Loy Canyon Trailhead. Once we had the plan, Lisa, Lynn and I starting loading up, then noticed that the rest of the herd had set to grazing. Oh, I get it, lunch break….this must be a union shop. So we took a short break there in the parking lot while folks had a sandwich or some trail mix. Then we mounted up and headed to our next stop. Here are the photos from our hike into Loy Canyon.
The parking area at Honanki is rather small and made smaller since a few spots are reserved for Pink Jeep Tour vehicles. Pink Jeep sort of runs the show there as they are the concessionaire for the site. This also seemed to be a popular stop for the ATVers as there were a couple of the dune-buggy-looking little cars parked in the area as well. Once dismounted we gathered our gear and ambled over to the entrance station. The very pleasant lady on duty indicated that if we got our group together quickly that she could get us on the trail before the next paid tour came through. I guess they try to space out the visitors to alleviate the congestion and perhaps the stress on the site. So we herded the cats once again, got the general overview and safely briefing and then all meandered down the trail to the ruin site.
This is just a short little loop trail, less than a mile in length. There is a decent view of the overall site just a short distance from the entrance station and then the trail dips down into a wooded area and turns toward the ruins. There is a short climb up some rock stairs to get to the site, but this is not a strenuous trail at all. The herd was scattered all along the trail, so there was not much of a crowd at the ruins. I think that some of the group when clockwise and some counterclockwise around the loop which further reduced the number of folks at the ruin at one time. There was a small Pink Jeep group there when I arrived at the site, so I was able to listen in on the guides spiel about the place.
Honanki and the related Palatki sites were the largest cliff dwellings in the area between about 1150 and 1350. The structures here at Honanki were two stories tall and had as many as 70 rooms. They were built by the Sinagua, same culture that was around Montezuma Well. There were probably around 200 people living at Honanki at any one time. The Sinagua were ancestors of the Hopi. Honanki means Badger House in Hopi. There is no access into the ruins, but the trail runs just below the ancient cliff dwellings so it is easy enough to see the old structures and the surrounding rock art. I also spotted a good size lizard in the rocks below the ruins. I think it was a Desert Grassland Whiptail. We had not seen many lizards so far this trip which was sort of unusual.
This is just a short little loop trail, less than a mile in length. There is a decent view of the overall site just a short distance from the entrance station and then the trail dips down into a wooded area and turns toward the ruins. There is a short climb up some rock stairs to get to the site, but this is not a strenuous trail at all. The herd was scattered all along the trail, so there was not much of a crowd at the ruins. I think that some of the group when clockwise and some counterclockwise around the loop which further reduced the number of folks at the ruin at one time. There was a small Pink Jeep group there when I arrived at the site, so I was able to listen in on the guides spiel about the place.
Honanki and the related Palatki sites were the largest cliff dwellings in the area between about 1150 and 1350. The structures here at Honanki were two stories tall and had as many as 70 rooms. They were built by the Sinagua, same culture that was around Montezuma Well. There were probably around 200 people living at Honanki at any one time. The Sinagua were ancestors of the Hopi. Honanki means Badger House in Hopi. There is no access into the ruins, but the trail runs just below the ancient cliff dwellings so it is easy enough to see the old structures and the surrounding rock art. I also spotted a good size lizard in the rocks below the ruins. I think it was a Desert Grassland Whiptail. We had not seen many lizards so far this trip which was sort of unusual.
After completing the loop back to the entrance I walked back down the trail to get a couple additional shots of the ruins from the trail, something I did not do on the first pass as I thought there would be a better vantage point a little closer but the trail dips down below the trees. Once getting the photo I headed back to the parking lot to wait for the herd to reassemble. I found Lynn and Lisa there already, so we waited together near were the Pink Jeeps were parked and chatted a bit with one of the guides while a couple of the rental ATVs went scurrying by. The guide did not have anything good to say about the ATVs. Here are the photos from our short visit to Honanki.
We started heading back toward civilization right at 3:00 and once back in the Village of Oak Creek made a quick stop at Casa RedRox to drop off Mike and Rob. I was also finally able to check in with Northern Light, the balloon flight outfitter, to confirm our flight for tomorrow morning. Alex and I had been trying to get through to them all day, but as we were out in the desert there was not a lot cell phone service available and when we did have signal the line was busy. But once I did get through I got some good news. The original plan we the reservations were made was that we had to be at the meeting point at 0500. Yikes, that early each on western time. But the plan had been revised to a 0600 meeting in the Basha’s grocery parking lot in West Sedona. Sweet! An extra hour of sleep. That just makes the whole gig that much better.
We started heading back toward civilization right at 3:00 and once back in the Village of Oak Creek made a quick stop at Casa RedRox to drop off Mike and Rob. I was also finally able to check in with Northern Light, the balloon flight outfitter, to confirm our flight for tomorrow morning. Alex and I had been trying to get through to them all day, but as we were out in the desert there was not a lot cell phone service available and when we did have signal the line was busy. But once I did get through I got some good news. The original plan we the reservations were made was that we had to be at the meeting point at 0500. Yikes, that early each on western time. But the plan had been revised to a 0600 meeting in the Basha’s grocery parking lot in West Sedona. Sweet! An extra hour of sleep. That just makes the whole gig that much better.
We were back at the rental house with time enough to get cleaned up and still have some quiet time on the back deck before dinner. Howie and Deb were back from their adventures as well, so we all had a drink and watched the wildlife for a while. There was a good size lizard back there and a fair number of song birds but the most interesting was a hawk that coasted in over the house and landed in the cedar tree overhanging the roof. I got a couple decent shots and later confirmed (with the help of birdforum.net) that it was a Cooper’s Hawk. Pretty cool.
Just before the hawk sighting, we were starting to get motivated for the walk over to Casa RedRox for another group dinner. Mexican is the cuisine theme for this evening and there was a pretty good variety to choose from and all of it was very tasty. Sadly there were more goodbyes this evening as Alison and Mark, Rob, Val and Sue, and Rick were all heading out on Sunday. We had to skip out a little early as Lynn and I had an early morning adventure on the books. But we did have a little quiet time on the back deck under the Milky Way before crawling into bed.
There was a funny story that came out early in the evening. Are you sitting down for this….? Rick got lost! I kid you not. Here’s the story. Several of the herd, including Rick, Noel, Axel, Esty and Walter, had gone to Red Rock Crossing to try can capture the sunset colors of Cathedral Rock. Rick had stayed behind hoping to get some starry sky shots as well. The only problem was that he was running out of battery for his phone, which apparently was also his only light source. So when he got down to about 4% power remaining, he made an emergency call to Max asking for Noel to head up a rescue mission, since Noel knew where Rick was. OK, maybe Rick was not really lost, as he knew where he was, but he was smart enough to know that he would have gotten lost had he tried to find his way around in the dark. Still, it is a bit ironic for a guy whose tag line is “you’re not lost if you don’t care where you are.”
Day 5 - Sunday, October 11: And now for something completely different! This was our one really early morning wake-up call for the trip. As expected, Lynn and I were awake before the alarm sounded so we were easily over to Casa RedRox by 5:30 to meet the cats who were going to earn their wings today. Hey, maybe we’ll be the Flying Tigers!?! Maybe not. David and Roz were there as well so we loaded up and headed to the parking lot at Basha’s in West Sedona which was the appointed gathering point for Northern Lights. We met Tommy and Axel there so our little group of seven was ready for our flight….I think!
From Basha’s we cruised west on 89A to Red Rock Loop Road then just a short drive to the launch site. When we arrived the morning was calm, with the sun just starting to light the clear skies but soon there was a flurry of activity to get the balloons ready. I knew from the crowd at Basha’s that this was going to a multiple balloon launch but now we can see that there will be five green and yellow balloons taking off from this location. We’re getting the big balloon. Northern Light has several 8-person baskets and one 12-person basket, so two other couples are joining our seven cats and the pilot in the big basket. Big basket also means bigger balloon to carry the extra weight, but the bigger balloon takes longer to setup and inflate so we were the last to launch. That was OK as we got to watch the launch of the other four balloons which made for some interesting images.
Just before the hawk sighting, we were starting to get motivated for the walk over to Casa RedRox for another group dinner. Mexican is the cuisine theme for this evening and there was a pretty good variety to choose from and all of it was very tasty. Sadly there were more goodbyes this evening as Alison and Mark, Rob, Val and Sue, and Rick were all heading out on Sunday. We had to skip out a little early as Lynn and I had an early morning adventure on the books. But we did have a little quiet time on the back deck under the Milky Way before crawling into bed.
There was a funny story that came out early in the evening. Are you sitting down for this….? Rick got lost! I kid you not. Here’s the story. Several of the herd, including Rick, Noel, Axel, Esty and Walter, had gone to Red Rock Crossing to try can capture the sunset colors of Cathedral Rock. Rick had stayed behind hoping to get some starry sky shots as well. The only problem was that he was running out of battery for his phone, which apparently was also his only light source. So when he got down to about 4% power remaining, he made an emergency call to Max asking for Noel to head up a rescue mission, since Noel knew where Rick was. OK, maybe Rick was not really lost, as he knew where he was, but he was smart enough to know that he would have gotten lost had he tried to find his way around in the dark. Still, it is a bit ironic for a guy whose tag line is “you’re not lost if you don’t care where you are.”
Day 5 - Sunday, October 11: And now for something completely different! This was our one really early morning wake-up call for the trip. As expected, Lynn and I were awake before the alarm sounded so we were easily over to Casa RedRox by 5:30 to meet the cats who were going to earn their wings today. Hey, maybe we’ll be the Flying Tigers!?! Maybe not. David and Roz were there as well so we loaded up and headed to the parking lot at Basha’s in West Sedona which was the appointed gathering point for Northern Lights. We met Tommy and Axel there so our little group of seven was ready for our flight….I think!
From Basha’s we cruised west on 89A to Red Rock Loop Road then just a short drive to the launch site. When we arrived the morning was calm, with the sun just starting to light the clear skies but soon there was a flurry of activity to get the balloons ready. I knew from the crowd at Basha’s that this was going to a multiple balloon launch but now we can see that there will be five green and yellow balloons taking off from this location. We’re getting the big balloon. Northern Light has several 8-person baskets and one 12-person basket, so two other couples are joining our seven cats and the pilot in the big basket. Big basket also means bigger balloon to carry the extra weight, but the bigger balloon takes longer to setup and inflate so we were the last to launch. That was OK as we got to watch the launch of the other four balloons which made for some interesting images.
Our pilot for today was Blair, another of Alex’s friends (did I mention that Alex seems to know everyone in the area?). He was great. It was apparent that he knows what he’s doing with a balloon but he was also very entertaining with his dry wit and low-key delivery. Once our big yellow and green striped ride was upright, he got us organized. He said that we would be riding in the “Cadillac” of baskets this morning with padded floor and sides. I was surprised to learn that the basket was divided into compartments, a larger one in the middle where the pilot controlled the four gas burners and four other, one at each corner of the basket that could hold three passengers each. Once I saw the layout it made sense both structurally but also to ensure that the weight distribution in the basket is maintained. Tommy, David and Roz where in the corner next to Axel, Lynn and me, while Alex was on the other side of the basket with one of the other couples.
The other four balloons were already well on their way by the time we lifted off. Just after liftoff I remembered to track the path of the flight with the Ramblr app on my phone; I missed the first minute but got the rest. Before I get into the flight let me set the record straight about my concerns with heights. It is a well-known fact that I am not a fan of edges with steep drops. When we went to Toroweap during the Kanab meet-up, I marveled at the views but from at least two paces back from the edge of the canyon as there was nothing between me and 3000 feet of open air. That just gives me the willies. Contrast that to the viewpoints at the south rim of the Grand Canyon that have rock walls and rails and I can walk right up to the barricade and peer into the abyss with no problem at all, well except for the feeling that my glasses are going to fall off (I know they’re not going anywhere but I still get that feeling). So several people were surprised that I would be going up in a balloon. I was not worried about it at all as I knew we would be in the basket with nice tall sides. And that’s just how it worked out, no worries or concerns at any time during the flight. It was just peaceful and relaxing. I mean I still felt like my glasses were going to fall off (I really should just get a strap for them to take care of that psychological anomaly) but otherwise I was just enjoying the ride. But even thought we were at ease through the flight, a balloon ride was certainly not something that Lynn and I would have probably done on our own, so going with the herd did help us to get out of our usual comfort zone.
So we launched right at 0700 and watched the launch site shrink away from us as we climbed steadily upward. The other balloons were already on their courses. The first one that launched was heading off by itself while the other three were sort of hanging out together, just bobbing about on the air currents. At one point during our initial ascent it seemed that we were passing the other balloons at a very high rate. Blair indicated that we were still climbing but the other craft were on a downward path so it really gave the illusion that the other balloon was falling very quickly. We also noticed three other balloons from another outfitter sharing the skies with us this morning. They were east of us back toward town and generally lower as well. But they added some perspective when looking at the vistas from the basket.
The other four balloons were already well on their way by the time we lifted off. Just after liftoff I remembered to track the path of the flight with the Ramblr app on my phone; I missed the first minute but got the rest. Before I get into the flight let me set the record straight about my concerns with heights. It is a well-known fact that I am not a fan of edges with steep drops. When we went to Toroweap during the Kanab meet-up, I marveled at the views but from at least two paces back from the edge of the canyon as there was nothing between me and 3000 feet of open air. That just gives me the willies. Contrast that to the viewpoints at the south rim of the Grand Canyon that have rock walls and rails and I can walk right up to the barricade and peer into the abyss with no problem at all, well except for the feeling that my glasses are going to fall off (I know they’re not going anywhere but I still get that feeling). So several people were surprised that I would be going up in a balloon. I was not worried about it at all as I knew we would be in the basket with nice tall sides. And that’s just how it worked out, no worries or concerns at any time during the flight. It was just peaceful and relaxing. I mean I still felt like my glasses were going to fall off (I really should just get a strap for them to take care of that psychological anomaly) but otherwise I was just enjoying the ride. But even thought we were at ease through the flight, a balloon ride was certainly not something that Lynn and I would have probably done on our own, so going with the herd did help us to get out of our usual comfort zone.
So we launched right at 0700 and watched the launch site shrink away from us as we climbed steadily upward. The other balloons were already on their courses. The first one that launched was heading off by itself while the other three were sort of hanging out together, just bobbing about on the air currents. At one point during our initial ascent it seemed that we were passing the other balloons at a very high rate. Blair indicated that we were still climbing but the other craft were on a downward path so it really gave the illusion that the other balloon was falling very quickly. We also noticed three other balloons from another outfitter sharing the skies with us this morning. They were east of us back toward town and generally lower as well. But they added some perspective when looking at the vistas from the basket.
Speaking of the vistas, which was my main reason for taking the flight, the balloon flight would certainly provide a unique view of the red rocks around Sedona. And in that we were not disappointed. The views looking back to the east were of course into the rising sun so they were a bit washed out, but to the west and north the red rocks were well lit up. As mentioned the sky was clear, but there was a little be of a haze about, but not enough to affect the views that much. We topped about at about 7600 feet about sea level or 3000-plus feet above the desert floor. We were the highest flying balloon in the sky this morning so Blair declared that we won and that was all that mattered. At that height we had a wonderful view of the region. We spotted Jerome off in the distance perched on its mountainside home. I was keeping track of the other seven balloons floating along with us and using them as subjects in my aerial photography session.
It was very peaceful during the flight, well except when Blair had to fire the burners. That was deafening. Not a lot of talking, just oohing and aahing at landscapes. But Blair did answer questions and pointed out some of the sites. He had several clever little sidebars, most of which I cannot recall. But while orienting us to the area he went off on the names used: “There is a West Sedona, but no East Sedona. We have an Uptown Sedona, but no Downtown. And Oak Creek is nowhere near the Village of Oak Creek. We really need to work on our nomenclature.”
There is a lot more to piloting a balloon than I realized. I knew that the direction was controlled by the wind currents, but I did not realize how but control the pilot had on the altitude. Shoot, after our initial ascent, Blair basically brought us back down to the deck in part to look for critters and also for the enjoyment of the folks on the ground who like to watch and take photos of the balloons. At one point Blair took us down into a little valley so that we were below the surrounding ridgeline. He mentioned that he has spotted cougars and bobcats from the balloon. We did not have that kind of luck but we did see several mule deer and even saw a big lizard sunning itself on one of the sandstone ledges. We saw the other balloons making similar maneuvers; it was cool just seeing the yellow and green tops of a hot air balloon peeking over the top of the ridge.
It was very peaceful during the flight, well except when Blair had to fire the burners. That was deafening. Not a lot of talking, just oohing and aahing at landscapes. But Blair did answer questions and pointed out some of the sites. He had several clever little sidebars, most of which I cannot recall. But while orienting us to the area he went off on the names used: “There is a West Sedona, but no East Sedona. We have an Uptown Sedona, but no Downtown. And Oak Creek is nowhere near the Village of Oak Creek. We really need to work on our nomenclature.”
There is a lot more to piloting a balloon than I realized. I knew that the direction was controlled by the wind currents, but I did not realize how but control the pilot had on the altitude. Shoot, after our initial ascent, Blair basically brought us back down to the deck in part to look for critters and also for the enjoyment of the folks on the ground who like to watch and take photos of the balloons. At one point Blair took us down into a little valley so that we were below the surrounding ridgeline. He mentioned that he has spotted cougars and bobcats from the balloon. We did not have that kind of luck but we did see several mule deer and even saw a big lizard sunning itself on one of the sandstone ledges. We saw the other balloons making similar maneuvers; it was cool just seeing the yellow and green tops of a hot air balloon peeking over the top of the ridge.
There is also a lot of coordination that goes on with the ground crew. The ground and flight crews are communicating via radio to convey information on fights paths and wind conditions both aloft and on the ground. Of course they have to figure out where they are going to land these big gas bags (the balloon, not Blair). So after about an hour of floating over the desert it was time to come back down to earth. We were near Red Rock Loop Road, just a couple miles south of our launching point and that was going to be our landing point for this morning. Hmmmm, I wonder how Blair and the ground crew are going to manage this. I mean, we’re approaching the road by coming down a slope at a right angle to the road just below a turn and on the far side of the road there is a guardrail then a drop off into the desert beyond. It looks to me like they are going for something with a little higher degree of difficulty just to impress the judges this morning. There was not a lot of instruction needed for landing, just bend your knees and crouch down a bit, oh and don’t worry about us hitting the trees. Wait, what? Yeah, Blair used the trees to slow our descent down to the road, so he meant to do that. Twice. Hey, whatever it takes to make a safe landing on a short field. We touched down on the shoulder of the northbound lane, so that we had the entire width of the road to stop and we needed it all. As soon as we were on the road, the ground crew was all over the basket to grind us to a halt. The guardrail helped. The crew then pulled the basket back to the far side of the road and set about deflating the balloon. That was quite something to watch. They had to coordinate around the road, the signs and other things that could puncture the balloon, watch for traffic and miss the other balloon that landed there before we arrived. It was pretty cool to watch. We kept an eye out for cars on the road, there was not much traffic this early on a Sunday, but of course there was the one impatient lady that just had to blow right through. Fortunately the crew was very expedient in getting one lane clear.
Once the balloon was deflated and crated, the equipment and passengers were all loaded up in the vans and we headed back to the launch site for our ceremonial breakfast. However, we ended up going to the picnic area at the Cultural Park back toward Sedona. I think that was due to the direction from which the other balloon crews were coming. Since we had some time to kill, Blair stopped to show us one of the more curious municipal signs in Sedona. Just a couple hundred feet from the intersection of 89A and Cultural Park Road the sidewalk ends for no apparent reason. There is plenty of space to continue the sidewalk to the corner, but it just ends. At the point where the concrete footpath terminates, there is a simple, single bar metal barricade with a sign affixed stating the blatantly obvious in all capital letters: END OF SIDEWALK. Blair had some fun with this one. He wondered if there were people who walked up to the sign and stopped to ponder what to do next as there was no more sidewalk. Perhaps there should be some sort of instructions provided? He also speculated that for the cost of the barricade and sign that they could have come close to completing the sidewalk. Whatever the reasoning behind the need for the sign, we did get a nice chuckle out of it.
So the place that we stopped for our post-flight breakfast is a little picnic area adjacent to the Sedona Cultural Park and at the trailhead for a city nature trail. More great views of the red rocks, the same formations that we were admiring from the air just a short while ago. Once the entire squadron had assembled, Blair called the group together for a little history lesson and the ceremonial champagne toast. So when ballooning became popular in France in the late 1700's, balloons often landed on farms. Because many farmers of the time had never seen a balloon they would attack the craft with pitchforks, putting the pilots in grave danger. Since France is also big on wine, the balloonists began carrying a bottle from their region to prove that they too were mere mortals and nothing to be afraid of. As France is famous for champagne, as the sport grew worldwide champagne became the universal identifier for balloonists. Thus the champagne toast is a tradition carried on for more than 200 years and has earned ballooning the title of The Champagne Sport! Blair concluded with the Irish toast for ballooning since the Irish have a toast for everything. Originally the toast was said as a prayer before the flight, but has been modified to the current post-flight toast:
So the place that we stopped for our post-flight breakfast is a little picnic area adjacent to the Sedona Cultural Park and at the trailhead for a city nature trail. More great views of the red rocks, the same formations that we were admiring from the air just a short while ago. Once the entire squadron had assembled, Blair called the group together for a little history lesson and the ceremonial champagne toast. So when ballooning became popular in France in the late 1700's, balloons often landed on farms. Because many farmers of the time had never seen a balloon they would attack the craft with pitchforks, putting the pilots in grave danger. Since France is also big on wine, the balloonists began carrying a bottle from their region to prove that they too were mere mortals and nothing to be afraid of. As France is famous for champagne, as the sport grew worldwide champagne became the universal identifier for balloonists. Thus the champagne toast is a tradition carried on for more than 200 years and has earned ballooning the title of The Champagne Sport! Blair concluded with the Irish toast for ballooning since the Irish have a toast for everything. Originally the toast was said as a prayer before the flight, but has been modified to the current post-flight toast:
The winds have welcomed you with softness
The sun has blessed you with its warm hands You have flown so high and so well That God has joined you in your laughter and set you gently back into the loving arms of mother earth. After the toast, we were served a light breakfast of strawberries and an apple fritter to go with our mimosas. We were each also presented with an official certificate that we had completed a hot air balloon flight, so a nice little memento of the event. The party finally broke up a little after 9:00 and we caravanned back to Basha’s and then we went on to Casa RedRox for some for breakfast leftovers. Max had outdone herself with the little, single-serving casseroles. A couple of those and a muffin and I think I’ll be good until dinner. Here are the rest of the photos from the balloon expedition. I also posted a review of this excursion.
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For the afternoon, I’m going on the Long Canyon hike that Karen is leading but that is not until 2:00. Lynn and Lisa are going to check out the juried art show at the high school. But we have a couple hours to until then so Lynn and I went shopping in the Village of Oak Creek, first at the little weekend art fare then for groceries. The art fare was not that big nor did it have a lot that was of interest but Lynn did find a nice piece of Native American jewelry. Once we were back at the house, Lynn and Lisa went out to the juried show and I waited on the back deck for David and Roz as they were providing the transportation to the trailhead.
David and Roz were right on time to collect me then we stopped to get Tommy and were off for the hike. We were having a nice chat on the way so we completely missed the turn on to Dry Creek Road. Shoot we were to the edge of West Sedona before we noticed. David and Roz were in the helm and navigator seats, respectively, so Tommy and I were in the clear on this one. It seems they were channeling Alex for his directional prowess, thus the unplanned detour. But as it happens the timing worked out perfectly as Karen ended up right behind us when we finally got back to Dry Creek Road. All’s well that ends well. So we were all at the trailhead per plan at 2:00.
Once we gathered our gear, Karen got us heading up the trail. She set a quick pace; I would like to hike with her as she moves right along. But we had to consider everyone on the troop, and adjusted accordingly to keep our little band together. We saw our herdmate’s vehicles still at the trailhead so we were watching for them as we made our way into the canyon. We’re hiking up the Long Canyon trail, but our goal is the Purtymun ruins located up a side trail above the main trail. Most of the trail was wooded so there were not a lot of grand views of the red rocks but there were a few nice glimpses. The first part of the trail worked along the Seven Canyons Golf Club. Looks like a very nice course, but it is currently a private facility so oh well.
Since we were getting a late start we focused on the hike since we had several miles to cover to get to the ruin site and back and still make it home in time for supper. But there were a few interesting sights along the way. There were not a lot of critters along the trail, but we did see one huge wasp. Karen said it was a mud wasp and gave very definite warnings not to touch it, like anyone was going to touch that big bastard. I reckon it was 4 inches long. It was just crawling along and soon had wandered off into the underbrush.
Once past the golf course the trail turned up into the canyon and ran parallel to the creek bed with a gentle by uphill grade for the rest of the hike along the main trail. By now we had fallen into a cadence along the trail. Karen, David and Roz ended up talking of politics. I’m on vacation and get enough of that at work, and ended up focusing on the rocks and the trees. After hiking up the canyon for a good piece, we turned up the creek bed then up the hillside toward the ruin site. This last little stretch was rather step in places. It was along this uphill stretch that we passed our friends who had started to the ruins early today. There are two ruin sites at the top of the trial. They had visited the ladder site while we were heading to Purtymun ruins. Karen suggested that anyone from the other troop who wanted to see the second ruin site to tag along, but since they had already scooted on down the hill no one wanted to make the steep climb back up and thus they passed on the offer.
We did not have that much further to go to get to our destination, just a bit further up the slope then along the sandstone wall to the ruin site. As we were completing this last section we could see the ruins that our friends had visited including the ladder at provides access to one of the little rooms. But that was not our goal and we turned back to our trail. As we made our way over to the Purtymun site, Karen pointed out a section that she called the door; it was sort of an opening through the trees and did resemble a doorframe. She said that she likes to keep the talking to a minimum as we approach the site out of respect for the people who built the structures all those centuries ago.
The site is in an alcove in the sandstone rock which provided good shelter. Karen mentioned that the temperature here always seems to be at a comfortable level even on a hot day. There are ruins of two structures, the entrance to the larger is still intact including the wood used for the lintel. We entered this structure to see the settler’s inscriptions on the inside walls which give these ruins their name. The Purtymun were early settlers in the area and had obviously found these ruins and left their “we were here tags” by writing names and dates in the mud that plastered the inside of the rooms. This was the same family who had also signed the Loy Canyon panel, so these folks were certainly exploring the area. The homesteader signatures were all dated from the early part of the 1900s.
David and Roz were right on time to collect me then we stopped to get Tommy and were off for the hike. We were having a nice chat on the way so we completely missed the turn on to Dry Creek Road. Shoot we were to the edge of West Sedona before we noticed. David and Roz were in the helm and navigator seats, respectively, so Tommy and I were in the clear on this one. It seems they were channeling Alex for his directional prowess, thus the unplanned detour. But as it happens the timing worked out perfectly as Karen ended up right behind us when we finally got back to Dry Creek Road. All’s well that ends well. So we were all at the trailhead per plan at 2:00.
Once we gathered our gear, Karen got us heading up the trail. She set a quick pace; I would like to hike with her as she moves right along. But we had to consider everyone on the troop, and adjusted accordingly to keep our little band together. We saw our herdmate’s vehicles still at the trailhead so we were watching for them as we made our way into the canyon. We’re hiking up the Long Canyon trail, but our goal is the Purtymun ruins located up a side trail above the main trail. Most of the trail was wooded so there were not a lot of grand views of the red rocks but there were a few nice glimpses. The first part of the trail worked along the Seven Canyons Golf Club. Looks like a very nice course, but it is currently a private facility so oh well.
Since we were getting a late start we focused on the hike since we had several miles to cover to get to the ruin site and back and still make it home in time for supper. But there were a few interesting sights along the way. There were not a lot of critters along the trail, but we did see one huge wasp. Karen said it was a mud wasp and gave very definite warnings not to touch it, like anyone was going to touch that big bastard. I reckon it was 4 inches long. It was just crawling along and soon had wandered off into the underbrush.
Once past the golf course the trail turned up into the canyon and ran parallel to the creek bed with a gentle by uphill grade for the rest of the hike along the main trail. By now we had fallen into a cadence along the trail. Karen, David and Roz ended up talking of politics. I’m on vacation and get enough of that at work, and ended up focusing on the rocks and the trees. After hiking up the canyon for a good piece, we turned up the creek bed then up the hillside toward the ruin site. This last little stretch was rather step in places. It was along this uphill stretch that we passed our friends who had started to the ruins early today. There are two ruin sites at the top of the trial. They had visited the ladder site while we were heading to Purtymun ruins. Karen suggested that anyone from the other troop who wanted to see the second ruin site to tag along, but since they had already scooted on down the hill no one wanted to make the steep climb back up and thus they passed on the offer.
We did not have that much further to go to get to our destination, just a bit further up the slope then along the sandstone wall to the ruin site. As we were completing this last section we could see the ruins that our friends had visited including the ladder at provides access to one of the little rooms. But that was not our goal and we turned back to our trail. As we made our way over to the Purtymun site, Karen pointed out a section that she called the door; it was sort of an opening through the trees and did resemble a doorframe. She said that she likes to keep the talking to a minimum as we approach the site out of respect for the people who built the structures all those centuries ago.
The site is in an alcove in the sandstone rock which provided good shelter. Karen mentioned that the temperature here always seems to be at a comfortable level even on a hot day. There are ruins of two structures, the entrance to the larger is still intact including the wood used for the lintel. We entered this structure to see the settler’s inscriptions on the inside walls which give these ruins their name. The Purtymun were early settlers in the area and had obviously found these ruins and left their “we were here tags” by writing names and dates in the mud that plastered the inside of the rooms. This was the same family who had also signed the Loy Canyon panel, so these folks were certainly exploring the area. The homesteader signatures were all dated from the early part of the 1900s.
If the builders were interested the aesthetics of the area, they picked a very nice spot as the view looking out over the canyon floor to the rocks on the far side was quite lovely. The late afternoon light was really bringing out the color of the formations. I reckon they were more concerned about basic issues for selecting this site, so maybe the view was just a bonus. Karen had a couple of photo ops that she likes to take of folks she brings to this site. The main one is taken from outside the larger structure looking through the entrance with the visitor sitting inside. She even has a rock already in place to sit on. She also took a group photo of us on the rock outside the entrance. We looked around the site for a while, just checking out the details and taking a little break then reversed course and headed back to the trailhead.
The return hike was uneventful for the most part. Tommy and I brought up the rear as we were taking photos and chatting about nothing in particular. There were a few wildflowers along the trail and a few birds although none were willing to sit for a portrait. Almost back at the trailhead we heard several coyotes howling. They were pretty close to the trail. There were several of the big canines, perhaps they were calling the rest of the pack to come to a kill? Whatever the case, it was an eerie but also one of the iconic (or maybe cliché) sounds of the old west.
Overall this was a pretty easy hike with the toughest part being the short, steep climb from the creek bed up to the ruin site. I tracked the hike at 6.4 miles on Ramblr although Tommy came up with about 8. Alex later confirmed that the hike is a little over six miles. We were back at the trailhead about 5:15, so just a few minutes over three hours to complete this little excursion. Here are the photographic highlights from the hike.
David and Roz dropped me at the rental house about 5:40 and I quickly got ready for the last dinner with the herd. We’ll again be at Casa RedRox; early in the planning we were thinking of having this final dinner at our rental house, but after studying it from the golf course Alex figured it was not big enough to handle our large group. Besides, all the supplies were already at Alex’s and the parking was better over there as well.
The menu for tonight was leftovers. We figured we could augment with pizza but there was plenty of food remaining from the previous four nights: burgers, brats, ribs, lasagna and some of the Mexican fixings. Plenty to go around. There were still 24 of the herd around for dinner on this final night of the meet-up. And just like the previous four evenings we all had a very nice time visiting, talking about the past week and making plans for the next meet-up. Once we get home I’ll set up a couple polls to keep the Doodleheads busy but the early indications point to a return to Bluff for the 2016 meet-up and maybe Torrey for 2017. We’ll see what the polls say. We said our goodbyes as most folks were heading out in the morning. The party started to break up about 8:15 (hey, we play hard during the day, so we usually do not have late nights).
Back at the rental, we spent a quiet evening on the back deck enjoying another amazingly dark sky that was just chock full of stars. We counted at least 10 shooting stars while staring up at the heavens. Lynn suggested a plan for Monday that started with hiking Boynton Canyon, then hitting the visitor center for more hiking information, a trip to Garlands, followed by a lazy afternoon on the deck and finally dinner with Alex, Frankie, Esty and Walt. Alex had volunteered to make reservations at one of the choice local selections but we’ll work out the details tomorrow. OK, that sounds like a winner….now we’ll see how the execution turns out!
With the end of tonight’s dinner, so to officially ends the meet-up….but Lisa, Lynn and I still have the rest of the week to enjoy Sedona. We’ll still see a few of the herd during the week, but starting tomorrow it will be basically the three of us enjoying some quality time in the Red Rock Country. We’ll pick up those adventures in part two of this journal.
The return hike was uneventful for the most part. Tommy and I brought up the rear as we were taking photos and chatting about nothing in particular. There were a few wildflowers along the trail and a few birds although none were willing to sit for a portrait. Almost back at the trailhead we heard several coyotes howling. They were pretty close to the trail. There were several of the big canines, perhaps they were calling the rest of the pack to come to a kill? Whatever the case, it was an eerie but also one of the iconic (or maybe cliché) sounds of the old west.
Overall this was a pretty easy hike with the toughest part being the short, steep climb from the creek bed up to the ruin site. I tracked the hike at 6.4 miles on Ramblr although Tommy came up with about 8. Alex later confirmed that the hike is a little over six miles. We were back at the trailhead about 5:15, so just a few minutes over three hours to complete this little excursion. Here are the photographic highlights from the hike.
David and Roz dropped me at the rental house about 5:40 and I quickly got ready for the last dinner with the herd. We’ll again be at Casa RedRox; early in the planning we were thinking of having this final dinner at our rental house, but after studying it from the golf course Alex figured it was not big enough to handle our large group. Besides, all the supplies were already at Alex’s and the parking was better over there as well.
The menu for tonight was leftovers. We figured we could augment with pizza but there was plenty of food remaining from the previous four nights: burgers, brats, ribs, lasagna and some of the Mexican fixings. Plenty to go around. There were still 24 of the herd around for dinner on this final night of the meet-up. And just like the previous four evenings we all had a very nice time visiting, talking about the past week and making plans for the next meet-up. Once we get home I’ll set up a couple polls to keep the Doodleheads busy but the early indications point to a return to Bluff for the 2016 meet-up and maybe Torrey for 2017. We’ll see what the polls say. We said our goodbyes as most folks were heading out in the morning. The party started to break up about 8:15 (hey, we play hard during the day, so we usually do not have late nights).
Back at the rental, we spent a quiet evening on the back deck enjoying another amazingly dark sky that was just chock full of stars. We counted at least 10 shooting stars while staring up at the heavens. Lynn suggested a plan for Monday that started with hiking Boynton Canyon, then hitting the visitor center for more hiking information, a trip to Garlands, followed by a lazy afternoon on the deck and finally dinner with Alex, Frankie, Esty and Walt. Alex had volunteered to make reservations at one of the choice local selections but we’ll work out the details tomorrow. OK, that sounds like a winner….now we’ll see how the execution turns out!
With the end of tonight’s dinner, so to officially ends the meet-up….but Lisa, Lynn and I still have the rest of the week to enjoy Sedona. We’ll still see a few of the herd during the week, but starting tomorrow it will be basically the three of us enjoying some quality time in the Red Rock Country. We’ll pick up those adventures in part two of this journal.