27 April ‘07

Friday

I think we did a good job of visiting the Grand Canyon.  Although we were at the South Rim for 3 days, we were on the go.  Now it’s time to journey on.  We only drove down to Kingman for our next stop.  The weather has really started to heat up.  Yesterday it hit 92 and today it is supposed to have been about the same.  We thought we wanted to go back into the campground in Bullhead City which we visited last November.  When Louise made her call for reservations, she was told that the whole area was full, because 70,000 “Laughlin Runners” were coming into town.  Well as we were traveling toward Kingman we were amazed at how many motorcycles were on the highway.  As we were checking in at our campsite, Louise asked “is Oatman was close by”.  “It is, but with the Laughlin Motorcycle Run going on this weekend, it may not be the best time to go”.  Now we know about “The Run”…  Hell could there possibly be 70,000 motorcycles in Laughlin?  We decided to take on Oakman with or without the motorcycles.  The thing we had heard about Oatman was that there were quite a few western movies made there, and Oatman had some how adopted a few donkeys.  These donkeys have the rule of the town…  Well, we’ve got to see this… Oatman is located on old Highway 66, and let me tell you, it is narrow, absolutely no shoulders (by for worse than those in Mexico), and full of very tight turns and twists.  All this while climbing steep hills that have tons of gold mines on both sides of the road.  Some of these mines are still in operation and others are just holes in the ground.  One of the mines had posted signs that said “Private property, keep off” over the next 12 miles… now that’s a mine.  As we pulled over the hill and into Oatman we found this little “Old Western Town” of Oatman, and lining both sides of the street were motorcycles.  About 3 to 4 hundred of them and most were Harleys.  We had to park beside the road about ¼ miles up the road and walk in.  At first we saw nothing but crowds of bikers up and down the street.  Every once in a while, someone would fire up their bike and drive out of town, turn, and then drive back.  We had no sooner made it half way through town and we saw our first donkey calmly walking right down the middle of the road while motorcycles were going bye on each side.  You know what a Harley sounds like, well those donkeys just didn’t seem to care.  Oatman was just as advertised… Quaint little western town that is high in the mountains with tons of gold mines within a short distance, and home to wild donkeys that love to come into town for carrots, kettle corn, or just about anything edible.

25 April ‘07

Wednesday

Today is going to be a busy one.  We were at the South Kaibab trailhead by 9:30 with our backpacks filled.  Snack foods, lots of water, and extra jackets for the possible cold.  Yesterday as we were looking over the rim, we noticed a mule train winding its way up from the floor below.  It was coming up South Kaibab trail.  Today Louise and I are heading down that same trail.  As we leave the rim, we are on a narrow, steep path that will traverse back and forth until we are over 700 feet below were we started.  Trekking the 3 ½ hours of Kaibab was a real treat.  The views and fresh air, the hike in its self really made it a great day.  After the decent and then the long hike to the top, we knew we had just finished a great morning of much needed exercise.  Then it was back to the coach for lunch and when finished, back out to see the rest of the “South Rim”.  There is a great free bus system here at Grand Canyon.  Today we caught the blue bus from the campground and took it to the red bus line.  From there we took in the west end of the South Rim.  Our first stop was to the Maricopa Point.  From there, we hiked the rim to the next 3 view points.  Now it wasn’t that we couldn’t see the “view points” all along the trail, because we could, but the “view points” are locations that have printed material that tells you what you are, or can see below.  For instance we could watch those camping at different locations below, or floating the Colorado River.  After our morning hike, then adding this one, we are sure we will be sleeping good tonight. 

24 April ‘07

Tuesday

With an agenda in mind, we head out.  We’ve decided to take this “South Rim” of the Grand Canyon from one end to the other.  The Grand Canyon is over 270 miles long and most of it is only accessible by floating the Colorado River.  The average distance from one rim to the other is 10 miles.  Well first off we are headed to the furthest east end to find the Watchtower at Desert View.  The Watchtower was built in 1932 by the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad.  It was used as an observation station and convenient rest stop for Grand Canyon visitors who were coming by train and car.  The architect was Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter and she wanted to design it so it would fit into the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, as well as keep in harmony with the legendary lore of the land.  As you enter into the watchtower, you find a large circular viewing room with a staircase that takes you up 3 stories.  Painted on the walls are replicas of Hopi sacred art and language.  We really enjoyed our time at the Watchtower and happy we didn’t pass it up.  Next, we were off to see the “Points of Interest” that follow along the crest of the canyon.  All of these are incredible views that take your breath away.  One thing that we noticed, is that there are very few railings that keep you away from the edge…if you want to jump, well don’t, nobody wants to see that…  Being able to walk out onto a protruding rock 3000 feet above the canyon floor is part of the experience in visiting the Grand Canyon and that I wouldn’t want it change.  

By 6:30 we were back home, had dinner and were racing for the bus.  Our destination was Hopi Point and a grand sunset over the Grand Canyon.

23 April ‘07

Monday

Snow….can you believe it???  When we pulled out of Sedona, we knew that we would be getting into some light rain, but snow wasn’t mentioned.  About 10 miles south of Flagstaff, we got into our first snow since we left the Netherlands in February ’05.  This weather pattern followed us all the way to our campground at the Grand Canyon. Thank God it was only a “frosting” of snow.  After checking in, setting up the coach with electricity and water, we jumped into the Toad and headed off to see the Grand Canyon in the snow.  We didn’t have any real itinerary set, but we thought we would take this opportunity to look over the canyon and watch the snow cover the trees, brush, and peaks.  We were also treated to some dramatic wind and cloud patterns.  Some of the clouds were just sitting right on top of the tallest peaks and others were flying out of the bottom of the canyon, sliding up beside the panicles like they were shot out of a gun.  Trying to photograph the clouds turned out to be a tough job and I flunked.  To sit there at the edge of the Grand Canyon watching this show was like watching a Broadway show put on by the best of producers, “Mother Nature”.

This morning we attended our first "timeshare" presentation in over 15 years.  Things have changed in the business, and it's not bad...but it just wasn't going to work for us.  We have made our commitment to our "5 Year Plan", and that's how it's going to work.  Anyway, after the presentation, we jumped into the Tracker and headed out to drive Schnebly Hill Road once more, but this time making sure that I not only had my camera, but I also had it loaded with the digital card.  We didn't drive the whole 11 miles again, but the first 3.  There were many locations that were great for getting the photos that I wanted, so with this one more time up the hill, I got what I wanted.  We had passed this walled mall many times since we arrived here in Sedona, and this afternoon we decided to go through the gates and check it out.  It is called "Tlaquepaque".   I have never been in a more thought out shopping village (or mall).  It was set in a Spanish theme and totally built with the idea of not disturbing one standing major tree.  Yes it was filled with gift shoppes, art galleries, and restaurants, but it was filled with "style".

22 April '07

Our last stop for the day, and probably our last here in Sedona this trip, was at Slide Rock State Park.  In an area where summer highs can get into the 100's, a good ole swimming spot is a great spot to have.  Slide Rock is a portion of Oak Creek where the creekbed is a sloping chute of slippery rock, and making it a natural waterslide.  The large slabs of red rock would made great picnic and sunbathing spots as well as giving the water a beautiful clearness.  This whole area used to be the Pendley Homestead, one of Sedona's major orchards through the first half of the 20th century.  The main house and the apple packing building are still there along with dozens of apple trees.  This must have been a stunning orchard in it's day.  The slides in the river are in constant use, although today was one exception...it was too damn cold !!!

21 April '07

It's amazing as to how many sites there are around the Verde Valley and the Red Rock Valley that offer so many Indian cliff dewellings and pictographs.  Today we found another...The Honanki site.  Again they inhabited this area from 600AD to 1425.  The last of the Sinagua disapperred from the archaeological record around 1450, and then the area became the home of the Yavapai people followed later by the Apache, whose descendents can be found here today. 

20 April ‘07

Friday

We’ve been hearing about a huge petroglyph site here in the area.  It is at V-V Ranch and it is the largest petroglyph site in the Verde Valley and one of the best preserved.  They sit in a tree shaded area alongside Beaver Creek and were made by the Sinagua Indians who entered this area about AD 650.  The rock art consists of 1,032 petroglyphs on 13 rock panels.  The figures on these rock panels are animals, birds, and snakes, along with those that represent “man”.  The guide was telling us that the female figures can be recognized by the knobs on each side of their heads that are reminiscent of the historical hairstyle of unmarried Hopi women. 

This whole area of the petroglyphs were kept a secret by the people that owned the V-V Ranch until late 1950’s, because they didn’t want anyone who might steal or destroy any part of the walls.  When it came time to leave ranching, they called the Forest Service…the rest is now “history”.

19 April ‘07

Thursday

We drove to the Sedona tourist information office and received some great suggestions as to what to do and see in Sedona.  The Chapel of the Holy Cross was one of them.  It seems that people flock to Sedona to watch the sun rise and set off of the red rocks of Sedona and especially at the Chapel.  It has been built directly into the butte and offers a spectacular view of the valley 200 feet below, no wonder they have over a hundred weddings there every year.  I was taking photo after photo of the chapel and then all of a sudden I noticed that I didn’t have the digital photo card installed.   I left it at the coach…not a smart thing to do.  Oh well, I’ve made a promise to go back as this is one of those pictures I want in the gallery.  Then we did something else that I was going to want my camera for.  We were told of Schnebly Hill Road.  This is a 4 wheel drive road that takes you from 3,000 to over 7,000 feet in 11 miles of dirt and rock.  We wind up the hill side from the middle of Sedona and make our way around and through the red rocks that give this area its mystique.  The views back into Sedona and the red rock pinnacles below were unbelievable.  Our ride over 11 miles took us over 2 ½ hours, but it was worth the ride. 

18 April ‘07

Wednesday

It’s been a lot of years since we’ve seen Ron “Pete” Petersen, and now we get a chance to meet his lovely wife Penny.  Even with all the years that have passed, getting together with them was like we were neighbors that had just moved away a short while ago.  We had lots of memories to talk and laugh about, and then on the other hand, we had so much to learn about each other.  Ron is still entertaining, and Penny, she is writing plays.  Fact is, one of her plays will soon be preformed in Vermont, and they will be traveling there for the opening.  Congratulations Penny…”We know a Playwright”…