Day 24 - Monday, June 23, 2008

Day 24



Show Low, Arizona to Holbrock, Arizona



After leaving Show Low, we went through more of the Sitgreaves National Forest, which bills itself as the "land of many uses." Most of its uses for us was with eyeballs, although we did stop to take one small hike.



We took Rt. 260 East to Rt. 61 N and then 180A North to the Petrified Forest. It was another scenice byway and we enjoyed a drive with big puffy white clouds pinned in a deep blue sky, while tiny bulbous trees rolled past us over desert hills and grassland plains.


We spent the entire day driving through the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert National Park and stopping at overviews and taking short hikes.

Coming in from the south, we watched the introductory movie at the first ranger station and then got the CD for the self-guided tour. We loved all 23 glorious, miraculous miles of it, especially the Blue Mesa, the Peutro Peublo ruins and petroglyphs, and Newspaper rock with more petroglyphs. Each stop was more impressive, more stunning than the last.

I could have easily spent another day or two there -- watching the different parts of the park unfold under different light and times of day. But the humans had to move on. There is so much to see here in this part of the world, and even a month doesn't do it justice.

We drove to Holbrock afterwards to spend the night.

Day 23 - Sunday, June 22, 2008

Day 23

Sedona, Arizona t0 Show Low, Arizona

Another glorious day started with breakfast at the Blue Moon Cafe in Sedona which had full views of Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. Those are nice side orders with the pizza-pie-size Paul Bunyon pancake.

Afterwards we took 179 North for a last glimpse at our favorite rock formations, Bell and Cathedral, and then stopped in at the Chapel in the Rock -- a chapel built into the red rock formations just off 179. Not only was it a Sunday, but it was just after the Summer Equinox, so it was a great opportunity to contemplate space, time, spirituality, beauty, Nature, and the Everlasting, Everchanging All That Is.

And, of course, buy a souvenir at the chapel's gift shop.

Afterwards it was 179 South to I-17 South to Montezuma's Well, a "collapsed limestone sinkhole, containing organisms found nowhere else in the world." [from The People of Montezuma Castle and the Verde Valley booklet from the Western National Parks Association Press, http://www.wnpa.org/ ]

Montezuma's Well also provided an excellent opportunity to feel how HOT it is -- by the time we climbed to the top and then hiked the trail to the irrigation fields we were all incredibly red-faced (and not because we were embarrassed to be tourists). The temperature was a chilly 107F.

So afterwards we headed for cooler climes, specifically the White Mountains of Arizona. We took I-17S to Route 260 East to Payson, passing through the Verde Valley and Camp Verde, which both lived up to the name. Along the way, we saw many beautiful examples of the yucca plants in bloom.

As we climbed the Mongollon Plateau, the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 20 minutes. Again, at a mere 89F, we got our ear muffs out.

We followed Rt. 260 through the Conconino National Forest, and between Pine and Payson we took a detour into Tonto State Park to take a quick peek at Tonto Natural Bridge. There's a nice photo of Jackie there.

Afterwards we continued through the Mogollon Rim and Plateau through the Tonto National Forest. The roads were really narrow with no shoulders -- only gravel and gulleys. Once, the oldest human (who insists on doing most of the driving for some reason) almost ran off the road and for absolutely no reason. A few minutes later the little human (who has to ride in the back seat because she's not able to ride in the airbag-protected front seat) snuck a note to the archeologist. Scrawled in her terrified handwriting was: "Help me!!"

Despite a few near death experiences such as this ("don't head toward the light!"), we made it through three national forests: Coconino, Tonto, and Sitgreaves), each more picturesque than the other. All the while the little human kept us all entertained with her hilarious imitation of a parrot (named Sparky) doing a comedy routine.

Finally, we called it a day in Show Low, Arizona. I don't know the story behind the town's odd name. If anyone out there knows, we'd love to hear about it!

Day 21 - Friday, June 20, 2008

Day 21

Prescott, Arizona

Today was basically a day of taking it easy in beautiful Prescott. Except for the exceptional heat, all the humans agreed they wanted to move here. It may even be edging out Sedona as the place to retire to.

We all slept late, then had half a car of laundry to wash. We visited the local public library (there are two downtown), and then because everyone was so tired we looked for a hotel to stay in Prescott again. It was tough to find one because of all the activities going on this weekend: baseball tournaments, Frontier Days, Native American Pow Wow at Watson Lake, and general summer tourists.

We got the last non-smoking room in town at the Prescottonian and then had a busy schedule of napping, swimming, and a drive to scenic Watson Lake.

That evening we went to the Whisky Row tourist shops to get some presents for the little human because we are celelbrating her birthday early. We had a watermelon cake in the room and then retired from a fine day by falling asleep to the Discovery Channel.

Prescott is perfect for this bear.

Day 19 - Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Day 19

Sedona, Arizona

Despite the 100 degree temperatures, this is still one of the greatest places on earth. We had a leisurely morning getting out of the hotel room -- mostly because no one wanted to leave the comfy Temperpedia beds.

Red Planet Diner
But we found our way outside eventually, eating at the very cool Red Planet Diner, which is full of fun alien and UFO stuff.

Slide Rock State Park
Afterwards, we toured some of the red rock formations, then spent the rest of the afternoon at Slide Rock State Park. There the little human was like an otter sliding over the rocks in the slide rock canyon. Despite some scrapes and scratches to her elbows and knees, she had a great time. And on the way out, everyone got a treat at the local soft serve station.

"The Sedona Experience"
That evening, the youngest and oldest humans watched some animated DVDs at the hotel, while the archeologist took her broken ribs to a new age theater experience. It was billed as a live, multimedia extravaganza and called "The Sedona Experience." I'm not sure it was worth the hefty ticket price, but the archeologist did get to go up on stage as a volunteer and have an aura camera show her aura to the audience. Her aura was a solid bright pink with extra pink-ness around the broken rib area. This didn't surprise me as the archeologist has several songs by Pink on her iPod.

We'll see how the new age agenda continues tomorrow on a special Sedona vortex tour!

Day 18 - Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Day 18

Williams, Arizona to Sedona, Arizona

Sedona has to be one of the most magical places on the planet (at least that this bear has visited).

This afternoon we left Williams (after purchasing some awesome turquoise jewlery) and headed for the Dear Park Farm where the little human had a great time hand-feeding deer and petting goats and a pot-bellied pig.

Afterwards, we went into Flagstaff and had a snack at the Grand Canyon Cafe on Route 66, which serves American and Chinese food. Sometimes a vegetarian eggroll just hits the spot in the middle of a 100 degree day.

Then we took the spectacular Route 89A again through Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona. This time we got to the canyon lookout before 5PM (when the park service closes it)and took in the vista of the canyon.

We stopped at several look outs and pull overs on our trek down 89A, and pulled into our fancy pants hotel in Sedona in the early evening. We watched another great sunset on the red rocks, this time from the lounge chairs of our hotel pool.

We're going to finish the day with pizza and a DVD in our room -- a perfect end for the little human who is still swimming in the pool.

Day 16 - Sunday, June 15, 2008

Day 16

Grand Canyon, Arizona to Williams, Arizona

After screaming in her sleep every time she turned, the other humans insisted that the archaeologist go to the clinic at the Grand Canyon. She was there for three hours getting x-rays on her ribs, lungs, foot, and elbow on her left side.

Final verdict: sprained toe and elbow, and two fractured ribs.

Yeah, broken bones. Now the archaeologist has to look after her own bones and not just the bones of motel signs on Route 66.

We spent the afternoon touring Grand Canyon village and all the historical landmark buildings from El Tovar hotel to the Lookout Studio. We also watched a dance from a Navajo troupe in front of the Hopi house.

Afterwards, we left the Grand Canyon and drove south on Rt. 64 to Williams where we're going to hole up for a few days to let the archaeologist rest a little and see if her bones mend.

The receptionist at the clinic, Kelly, said she should create a tall tale about trying to steal condor eggs from a nest when the mother condor and a pack of mule deer accosted her to explain the broken ribs. Also, she's so old, everyone was asking if she took enough calcium and that maybe that's why her bones were breaking. But, seriously, she eats ice cream everyday, so I'm sure her calcium intake is fine.

As for me, they barely took me out of the car to get a photo or two. You'd think I was chopped liver here steaming in the back window.

Day 15 - Saturday, June 14, 2008

Day 15

Grand Canyon, Arizona

We weren't at the south rim more than 10 minutes when the archaeologist got her foot caught between two rocks and hit the stones at Yavapai Point like a ton of bricks. It took a whole tour of Japanese tourists to get her up. She was stiff and sore, but insisted on continuing on their sightseeing.

So we spent the day on the eastern route, traveling out to Desert Watch and then hitting all the points on the way back, finally watching the sunset at Yaki Point, after taking a short hike at Grandview Point.