THE RED ROCKS OF SEDONA....

Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of Arizona.  As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031.

Sedona's main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun.

Sedona was named after Sedona Arabelle Miller Schnebly (1877−1950), the wife of Theodore Carlton Schnebly, the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.   The view above is from Schnebly Hill.

There is a specialized New Age tourist industry in Sedona, where the "Harmonic Convergence" was organized by a man named Jose Argelles in 1987. Some purport that "spiritual vortices" (local vernacular is "vortexes") are concentrated in the Sedona area at Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock and Boynton Canyon.  These "vortexes" can energize most people who break their plane.....and even in rare occasions, they can be responsible for very strange behavior.....witness the photo of this man on the steps to Cathedral Rock

This poor man showed himself and then ran down another trail and was never seen again.

 This Red Rock Mesa is framed by Cholla Cactus that are about to flower.

 

 

 




The Chapel of the Holy Cross
was completed in 1956.
The chapel appears to rise some
250 feet out of a 1000 foot
red cliff.



 

 

 





The Canyon Trails Cowboy Church welcomes all cowboys, urban included.

Amy, Pam, John & Alison at the foot of Cathedral Rock.

From nearly every vantage
point in Sedona one looks at
the red sandstone rocks in
nearly every direction.  You
can enjoy breakfast in one place
with a gorgeous view of Cathedral
Rock and lunch at another with
a view of Snoopy's Rock.

 

 

 

 

What better way to leave Sedona than with a photo that captures John and Alison, arms around each other, in a good snog!!

 



THE GRAND CANYON.....PART 1 in pictures......

Whether seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time or in my case, the 5th time, it is an awesome experience....words and phrases that come to mind are 'breathtaking'....awe inspiring.....and just plain WOW!   John and Alison from the UK and Amy were seeing the Canyon for the first time...and they used all these words as we moved from view to view to view.   Here is a look at the Canyon when we were all there

Cousins John and Pam at the Canyon

John & Alison and Pam and Amy waiting for the Canyon tour bus.

View from Mojave Point

The Colorado River wends its way through the Canyon as it has for thousands of years.

The Grand Canyon has been developing for millions of years.

A mile deep, the Canyon offers many patterns and formations that change as the daylight changes.

There is a reason they call it the GRAND Canyon.......stay tuned for more from the Canyon and from Sedona.....

A POTPOURI OF ARIZONA....IN PICTURES

John & Alison meet Old Route 66

In the 1960's a rich US businessman named McCullough got the idea to start a city on the Colorado River that would be a playground for the monied crowd.  In 1964 he bought the old London Bridge from the city of London and had it dismantled and moved here.   A wacky idea some of us would say.....but it is the 2nd most popular tourist destination in Arizona!!

Here are Pam, John and Alison with the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City in the background.



Southern Sinagua farmers began building this 5 story, 20 room dwelling early in the 1100's.   It stands in a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley floor.  Early settlers marvelled at the structure and assuming it was Aztec in origin named it Montezuma's Castle.





Amy & her mom sitting below Montezuma's Castle.

 




Look closely to see the rattle snake we encountered while visiting Montezuma's Castle in the Verde Valley of Arizona.   This "guy" is about 3 feet long and is content to give us a wide birth.....as we were very happy to do with him as well!!

 

 

 

 



We are fortunate to be in the desert during the early flowering of many plants, including this barrel cactus.



Above Pam, Amy and Alison enjoy some of Sedona's Red Rock Scenery.......stay tuned for more from Sedona.

The Quirky Town of Oatman, Arizona

Oatman was "resurrected" by a few hardy souls after the mines played out.   These creative folk decided to re-invent Oatman as a quintessential mining town that in modern times "poked fun at itself".   The re-invention was made more colorful via inclusion of the wild burros, who today are very much a center of attention to the wonderful, little, quirky town of Oatman Arizona.

Oatman has lots of interesting (and cute) signage.....these photos will help to describe the kind of town we four visited today....the UK cousins thought it was a wonderful experience......hold on to your hats.....here is Oatman, as told by its signs:

So there you have Oatman.....we think it speaks for itself......and here are two more to close in style....

 

        

The UK cousins on the left.....and GUESS WHO above.....!!

(Oatman is worthy of  most Bucket Lists.....!!)

 

HOOVER DAM

 

 

The Hoover Dam is a wonder.   Begun in 1931 in the midst of the Great Depression, the last concrete was poured in 1935....and despite its remote location and harsh working conditions, the six companies contracted to build the dam did so in underbudget fashion and finished 2 years ahead of schedule.   (Try to find results like that today!!).

 

The Boulder Canyon Project Act, as it was known, authorized Hoover Damd for "flood control; improvement of navigation and regulation of the Colorado River; storage and delivery of Colorado River waters for reclamation of public lands and other beneficial uses exclusively within the United States; and hydroelectric power production.   The water storage and river control provided by the Hoover Dam and other downstream projects enable residents of the Southwest to use the waters of the lower river for many uses.....including

 

• Irrigation of more than one million acres of some of America's richest croplands and nearly half a million acres in Mexico;
• Meeting the domestic water needs of some 25+ million people in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tuscon and other southwestern cities and towns as well as Indian communities in Arizona, Nevada and California.
• Generation of low cost hydroelectric power for use in Nevada, Arizona and California.

Turbines that provide the hydroelectric Power of the Dam.

The Colorado River with the post 9-11 "sky bridge" hovering hundreds
of feet above the river.   We drove across this bridge in the motorhome
en route from Arizona to Nevada.

John and Alison with the new Hoover Dam Bridge in the background.

Nearly a century has passed since Hoover Dam rose from the bed of the Colorado River, but there appears to be no end to peoples' fascination with this awe inspiring achievement.  Although more modern dams are taller or generate more power, Hoover continues to lure millions of visitiors from across the nation and around the world.  It is indeed a marvel of both engineeering and design as well as a monumental testimony to the workers who labored 7 days a week to build this man made wonder.

 

 



LAS VEGAS

We 'splurged' and rented a lot in the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort for a week.   The resort is exclusive to Class A rvs and the lot was 'kitted out' with a California Kitchen.....outdoor cooking area complete with tiki umbrellas.   After spending many nights on our trip in Walmart parking lots we decided to upgrade for the week.

Pam & I showing off our new 'tour fleeces' presented to us by John & Alison.
(A Great & Unique Gift!)



The Penguins are on hand to help grill up a meal at the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort.

One of our first items on the agenda was to explore Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon...as well as make a visit to the Las Vegas strip to see the night light shows.   During our visit to the strip we parked at the Bellagio and took in the flower show in the lobby area....many gorgeous real flowers and some exquisite glass blown flower creations as well.   Take a look at some of it.....



 





The creations were first rate.....to the left you can see two lady bugs totally made from flowers.  Butterflies hung from the ceiling everywhere and there were mushroom pedestals and other natural wonders all replicated with live flowers.

 

Fortunately, we were told about the flower display by one of the folks who live full time in their motorcoaches at the resort.    John and Alison loved the opportunity to see Vegas up close and personal with the bright lights of the strip, the flower adorned lobbies of the Bellagio Hotel and the hotel's swanky casino, complete with high rollers.

 

More from Nevada later....including Red Rock Canyon and the Hoover Dam.   Stay tuned......

 





 

 



THE GRAND CANYON

Enjoy these views of the Grand Canyon.....incl. this one where some young adults got way too close to the edge for comfort.... 

Nothing is like the majesty of the Grand Canyon

2+ million years of development...

Pam's first look at the Grand Canyon

 

Also, Pam's first driving lesson....



The British are coming....the British are coming....
(our welcome tribute to John & Alison Currah from Cornwall, England...they
have come to spend two weeks with us).