Retirement……LOVE IT!

This past Wednesday (Jan. 31) we packed up the dogs and ourselves and took another day trip.  We headed north to Sedona, AZ.  It was a little longer drive this time from the previous two trips (2.5 hours from Buckeye to Sedona), however, the change in the landscape was quite remarkable and made up for the long drive time.  We left warm, flat, dry desert with cactus and tumbleweeds and ended up in the mountains of the northern Verde Valley region of Arizona with birch trees, evergreen trees, and even a little bit of snow left over from the snowfall they got over a week before we were there.

Sedona’s main attraction is the red sandstone formations that are in and around the city.  This area of Arizona is some times called “red rock country.”  The sandstone almost looks illuminated when the rays of the sun fall on it in the early morning or late evening hours.  These beautiful sandstone formations also have a cinematic legacy;  the area has played host to more than sixty Hollywood productions (even though the surroundings were identified to audiences as areas in Texas, California, Nevada, and other locations).  To say this area is beautiful is an understatement.  The pictures I’ve shared here don’t do it justice; you’ll just have to see it for yourself some day.

You can see the different layers and colors of sandstone.

These formations have unique names: Two Nuns (on the right) and Mother and Child (to the left of Two Nuns).

The Sedona area and Verde Valley have a history that goes back to 11,000-9,00 B.C. and the time of the Paleo-Indians.  Other native peoples that inhabited this region were the Sinagua, Yavapai,  and Apache.  Early Anglo-American settlers were farmers and ranchers.  When the Sedona post office was established in 1902, Sedona had 55 residents, and in the mid 1950’s the number of residents had grown to 155.  It was during the 1950s that Sedona began to develop as a tourist destination and vacation-home and retirement center.  Most of the construction and development seen today was done in the 1980s and 1990s.  Sedona’s population today is about 10,000.  Here are some pictures taken while we explored the town.

Our friends from Dexter, Dennis and Mary Ann Reel, and their dog, Charlie (Zoey’s boyfriend!).

Jack and I and our dog, Zoey.

We spent our day exploring the shops in town and eating a leisurely lunch.  After lunch we drove an additional 10 or so miles into the mountains of the Coconino National Forest.  We drove through a portion of Oak Creek Canyon with the crystal clear Oak Creek along the side of the road.  We went to a look out point on the top of the Mogollon Rim where the elevation was 6,420 feet and the view was gorgeous.  The drive up the two lane road had hair pin curves and steep hillsides and cliffs on both sides.  It was beautiful!  The view from the top was breathtaking (again the pics don’t do it justice)!

These first two pictures are taken from the car as we drove, and I’m pretty much looking straight up!

Another “straight up” view.

Picture of one of the hair pin curves close to the top.

We saw snow from a distance, but when we got to the top, the parking lot still have several piles of snow from where the snow plows cleared parking spaces.

If you zoom in on some of these pictures, you will see snow still on the ground in areas that I’m sure don’t receive much sunlight.

The pine trees were gorgeous and refreshing to see after so many days of just viewing dry desert.

If you zoom in and look closely, you can see a small portion of the road we took to get to the top (look close to the middle of the picture).

Look at the smaller hill in front of the taller hills. Zoom in and you’ll see the road and hair pin curves we took!

Next we drove to The Chapel of the Holy Cross.  This is a Roman Catholic chapel that was built right into the buttes of Sedona.  The chapel, completed in 1956, was the idea of a local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswick Staude.  It was built in eighteen months at a cost of $300,000.  In 2007 the chapel was voted as one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona.  Again, the pictures don’t do its beauty justice.

Plaque on the outside of the chapel.

Inside of the chapel (I wish I would have taken more pictures inside, however, there were so many people and the “reverence” inside could be felt by everyone).

The sculpted cross on the alter – BEAUTIFUL!

The chapel from the outside. You can see how it was built right into the sandstone butte.

After visiting The Chapel of the Holy Cross, we headed back to Buckeye.  We had enjoyed another wonderful day of exploring Arizona.  On the way home we were blessed with a beautiful sunset along with the silhouettes of two hot air balloons.

That pretty well sums up our trip to Sedona.  We feel truly blessed to be able to travel around in our RV and see this beautiful country.

So for now ….. “On the Road Again!”

Betty

Well, we have been in Arizona for almost three weeks.  We have been exploring the area right around Buckeye and getting to know our way around town.  We have also taken some short “day” trips.  We have some friends from Dexter (Dennis and Mary Ann Reel) out here with us.  They are staying in the same RV park as us and are just two sites down from us.

(NOTE:  I’ve been having a little trouble uploading the pictures from my good camera to my laptop.  As a result, I won’t be  posting more of the sunset pictures from Picacho peak.  That is unless I can figure out what the problem is!)

About a week ago the Reels and us drove to Wickenburg, AZ, which is about 60 miles from Buckeye.  Wickenburg was founded in 1863 as the result of a gold strike on the Colorado River near present day Yuma.  The town is named after a German prospector, Henry Wickenburg.  His prospecting efforts were rewarded with the discovery of the Vulture Mine.  Eventually over thirty million dollars worth of gold was dug up from this mine.

Wickenburg’s early businesses built many structures that still form the town’s main historic district which is lined with unique and interesting shops.  We explored the shops, looked around the old train depot that is now the Chamber of Commerce, and marveled at a 200 year old mesquite tree that once served as the town jail (from 1863-1890 outlaws were chained to this tree!).  The town and area has a very interesting history which you can “google” if you want.  We had a great day and so did our pets – this was Zoey’s and Charlie’s first “road trip,” and they got along great.  Charlie is Dennis and Mary Ann’s dog.  I did take a FEW pictures but not as many as I should have.

Our Zoey on the left and her new friend Charlie on the right.

That is one HUGE cactus!

The town was full of interesting bronze sculptures depicting various aspects of the old west and the town’s history.  Each statue had information on it about who it was and what their part was in the history of the town or area.

Beautiful countryside as we traveled.

It really was a gorgeous day.

A couple of days later we all decided to take another day trip.  This one was to Quartzsite, AZ,  which is a popular recreational vehicle camping area for winter visitors.  There were ATVs everywhere the day we were there!  RVs, fifth wheels, and trailers just pull off the road any where in the flat desert and set up camp.  It’s called boondocking or “dry camping” because there are no hookups, and you’re staying in a completely undeveloped area.  Ummmm…..I WON’T be doing that any time soon!

Tourism is a major contributor to Quartzsite’s economy.  Quartzsite has about nine gem and mineral shows and fifteen general swap meets which attracts approximately 1.5 million people each year.  We went there because they were having a big RV show, huge flee market, and a rock and gem show.  It was all outdoors or under tents.  We walked through some gorgeous RVs (VERY expensive!) and beautiful fifth wheel trailers.  There was so much to see; it seemed like we walked for miles – all on dusty gravel.  It was a warm, sunny day but it was windy, so we didn’t get too hot.  Needless to say, the dogs were filthy by the time we left (we take the dogs with us everywhere!), and we all felt as if we had swallowed at least a half of cup of dust.

Quartzsite is located just 22 miles from the California border.  Jack and I have never been to California, so we drove the 22 miles to the little town of Blythe, CA, just so we could say we’ve been to California.  I didn’t remember to take any pictures in Quartzsite, but I did get a couple of pictures of the California state line and “welcome” signs (the pics are kind of blurry) along with the California Agriculture Station.  Every vehicle on Interstate 10 had to stop at this station and be checked through (kind of like a border patrol check point).  That was interesting.

California state line.

Welcome to California!

All vehicles on the highway had to come to a complete stop and be motioned through this check point.

Both of these trips were quite enjoyable, and we were all exhausted by the end of the day (including the dogs!).

So for now …… “On the Road Again!”

Betty