Sedona

I took a few days vacation and went to Sedona AZ. I had heard so much about it that I was very interested in seeing it. I arrived on route 179, coming around a corner to see the first beautiful cliff of red sandstone right in front of me. A bit further and I saw a pinker red cliff. These were the first pics I took. I drove into Sedona’s main street and saw the sign for Tourist info. Stopped and got shanghaied into one of those Time Share Pressure Sales promotions. They very cleverly have their hook shop in the same parking lot as the regular info center. You start out asking for maps and end up with all this free stuff if you will listen to a presentation. You know what I mean. Well, the tightwad in me raised its ugly head and I went for the presentation. I earned all the free stuff, believe me!!

Anyway, the main thing I earned was a combo tour with Pink Jeeps. A $115 value for $15. As my son pointed out, when was the last time I earned $50 an hour??? The tour was great off-roading fun. We went thru the part of the Coconino National Forest called Broken Arrow because that is where the movie of that name with Jeff Chandler as Cochise (I think) was made. Anyway, rode the jeep up and down rocks I would be afraid to walk on! Very beautiful views. The guide kept talking about the manzanita bushes which are dying because of the severe drought. These bushes have mahogany collored stems which show through the greenery like beautiful sculptures. Loved it. Then we went to the rim of the valley along Oak Creek Canyon. Breathtaking. We went up to 7000 feet from a base of 4000. Learned that the valley walls are basically sandstone and limestone but on the very top of all this is basalt from volcano activity. The hardest rock on the top means that the sandstone erodes first under the basalt and huge boulders of basalt break off and come rolling down into the valley. I took some pics of basalt boulders in Oak Creek.

I visited the airport twice for sunset pics. Mostly I liked the way the dimming light cast beautiful shadows on the cliffs. But the sunset wasn’t too shabby. The view from there is over the whole town so you realize what a small town it really is.

I climbed up through Oak Creek Canyon first in the dark so didn’t really realize what it was like until the next day when I came down thru it. Tried to get a pic of the switchback road that drops over 2000 feet in seconds! Loved that canyon and took some pics at the Slide Rock state park. At that point the canyon widens a little and the park enables you to walk along the streambed where the rushing water in some seasons still is carving the rocks. Channels have been scooped out by the water and people are allowed to sit down and slide along the rock channels being propelled by the water. This section ends in a deeper pool so seems safe enough but 50 degree water did not invite me. (Temps in Sedona average 50’s this month but it was well in the 70’s each day I was there). It was beautiful just to walk along the rock ledges in the streambed.

When I left Sedona, I traveled further on 89A toward Prescott AZ. I had stopped at Montezuma’s Castle on the way to Sedona and now I stopped at Tuzigoot (TWO-zee-goot). Both of these ruins are believed to have belonged to the Sinagua (seen-AH-wah) people. The name is Spanish meaning Without Water. Those at Montezuma’s Castle built homes under cliff overhangs high above the Verde Valley floor (similar to Mesa Verde). There is some evidence that they practiced irrigation which was similar to that of native civilizations in Mexico. The people at Tuzigoot practiced dry land farming and lived in pueblos on a high hill in the Verde Valley. These pueblos were made of two parallel walls of sandstone and limestone with fill in between the walls. A mud-like mortar was used to hold the stones. Interesting to me.

Tuzigoot is located near the town of Cottonwood. Aptly named as the cottonwood trees are turning golden in this season and you can see the route of the river since they are the only trees in the area. I enjoyed Cottonwood for another reason. I was stopped by a parade as I was looking for Tuzigoot. Suddenly, coming to an intersection, a cop stepped out and stopped all traffic. Then there appeared out of nowhere, Santa riding in the high back seat of a tri-motorcycle. He was followed by about 300 motorcycles in parade! Harley Davidson is really doing things up well!

Two things keep recurring as I tour the Southwest. Of course, I’m always in the desert and I’m always aware of the dry washes which drain the land after drenching rains. Here in Texas, I’ve discovered they are called draws. Now that fits better with the cowboy image of Texas. I always remember Westerns with cowboys driving the cattle out of draws. Don’t you?