|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
DAY 12 - PETROGLYPHS AND A LARGE WAL-MART
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not So Early Start | OK - so early means 8:30ish and then Mary went for a swim. And it is cloudy with a threat of rain. But anyway off we eventually set - get another Red Rock Pass in Sedona (apparently we could have got a weekly one for $15 - but as we are only here for 3 days we will break-even at $5/day!) and off into the hills to see the Petroglyphs and ruins at _____.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Off-Road" Again | Road into the hills eventually peters out into another "unimproved" road like the Cottonwood Trail from Kodachrome Basin to Lake Powell. Signs say need high clearance 4x4 etc. - and they were right! Saw several ordinary cars moving VERY slowly - one even stopped to let me pass him. I of course had slipped into 4WD. So no problems - apart from bouncing the girls around in the back seats!
8 miles later - Oh and these "dirt tracks" have proper road signs warning of Z-bends , Halt signs at "junctions" and in the bushes at the side they have the cheek to say "No Off-Roading"! - 8 miles later we reach a crossroads, left to Highway 89A, right to petroglyphs/ruins. This crossroad is significant.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st The Petroglyphs | Went to the ruins - Park Ranger in a little house with a porch swing and Humming Birds in the trees. Talked to him and signed the Guest Book. Started up the trail 0.1 miles - you work it out - and soon reached the paintings on the rocks (which is what Petroglyphs are - but you knew that). Now, I have to say that I was expecting a lot more in terms of content, colour and diversity - got paucity - look that one up. Also it had started to rain , also the mosquitos (our first this trip) were biting.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next The Ruins | Moved on, retracing our steps, getting quite wet, and following the other arm of the trail to the ruins. Park Ranger Charlie Steiger was there, hat, shorts and a life-time of anecdotes about the Indians who built them (before they were ruins) and about the farmer who cleared the land and planted his orchards - a few apples, pears and pomegranates still remain. Stood long enough for a little waterfall to start over the overhang to our left, then we retreated gracefully as Charlie started to repeat himself.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Journey Back | Walk back to the car marvelling at the size of the butterflies once more, into the car and retrace our journey. Well almost. Remember the road junction? 89A was now straight ahead. 89A leads to town of Cottonwood. Cottonwood contains a large . . . Wal-Mart. So - decision time. Do we go, as originally planned, back to Sedona via Enchantment Point and the Vortex there - or do we got to Cottonwood . .
. . I got petrol in Cottonwood when we turned round to go to Wal-Mart at the junction we should have turned left at. Parked - went in. This is a B I G Wal-Mart. Found the little café and had a snack. Found washrooms and "freshened up". Now 12:45. Agreed to meet at entrance by 13:30 (yeah -right!!).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Determined Shopping | I wandered round for a while, got bored having seen everything and not needed to try anything (it's a man thing). Found the ladies with arms full of clothes to try on (it's a girl thing). Its 13:25. I decided to go to JC Penny and look in there. Drove over, looked around in there, drove back to Wal-Mart, parked, went in - only to find Lucy still sitting in the seats near the entrance waiting. Sat with her for 15mins or so (it's a Dad thing) until Mary and Katie arrived. Approx $98 worth of goods - my contribution 1 T-shirt $7.95. Paid - drove back towards Sedona.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Dud Vortex | Stopped off at the Sedona Airport turn. 3 miles up the road on top of a hill is a tiny airfield. Seem to do the scenic trips in a biplane from here. No Thank You. Went half way back down and parked near the walk to the nearest Vortex. Saw lots of twisted Junipers again and had a fine view of our hotel complex, but didn't feel anything. Must be numbed from all the shopping. Never mind, back down the hill and home.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domesticity Attacks | Next bit is about domestic chores - catching up on clothes washing. Except that the laundry is at the bottom of the site, behind the Golf Course, so you go up to the main road and take 1st right to get to it. Mary took the car and drove it for the 1st time. I feigned death so she had to go by herself - this will immediately prevent any arguments/tension etc. If she is alone to work it out herself, all will be well - and so it was. Only advice I did give a) Need to be in Park before you can take the key out b) Keep RIGHT!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Another Pool | There is another pool and hot tub down at that end of the complex for the villas, so Mary rushed back, when all the machines were filled and going, to get her costume/book etc. This meant she had to retrace her steps in the car, turning LEFT across traffic twice - no problem. Girls reported back that there was no-one in the pool or hot tub down there, so we three went to join Mary and had a swim and hot tub in peace and tranquillity.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frantic Photography | I suddenly realised that if I wanted to take the deep red sunset photos, I would have to be quick. Cloud had just lifted but sun was perilously close to going down behind the hill behind us. Took what washing was complete, zoomed back to room, got camera and shot out towards the main road. Just about got the shots in 3 places before the sun was gone - damn, no more chances. Back to hotel where the ladies had returned with everything washed and dried.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dining Decisions | Where to eat? Seems like a long time since we had our Cinnamon Roll in Cottonwood's Wal-Mart. Decided on the diner we had seen on the way to Denny's the other night (and every time we had driven thru' that way of course). First we stopped at the Drive-Thru Pharmacy to get some clear nail varnish for Lucy. She had bought some Nail Gems in Wal-Mart that needed the varnish to stick them on with (they were, of course, a bargain).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Red Planet | Our decision is the Red Planet Diner, done out in Sci-Fi Fashion with space ships and flashing lights in the ceiling, the Margueritas come in tall alien mugs, Names of Dishes all Spacey etc. Food was very tasty - the ladies even had a dessert each - I didn't. Girls couldn't finish theirs - I did. There is method in my madness.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electricity | All thru' the meal (started 8ish) there was a marvellous display of lightning in and around the mountains to the north. Whole sky was regularly lit up. When we got back to the hotel it was still going on. It was obviously getting closer because I could "smell" the dampness - and we were beginning to hear thunder. Eventually it started to rain and, as I write this at 10:30pm, we are in the midst of the storm, the thunder being heard above our aircon.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tomorrow's Plans | Tomorrow we pack up and leave to go to Phoenix. As usual we don't have to check out until 11am and Phoenix is only 2 hrs steady drive , so we should get a chance to sit on Bell Rock again, photograph the Church on the Rocks, buy Mary's little cactus ornaments etc before we leave. Must also remember to stop off at the Holiday Inn in Oak Creek - they should have a book showing where the HI is in Phoenix.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| And Finally | . . . everyone woke up at 11:15pm as a car alarm was blasting away. I eventually realise what the noise was and got up, put shorts on, even remembered room key was in my back pocket (for emergencies - well prepared or what?) and went to look. KT was looking blearily out of her door - she said a ghostly "Hello" and went back inside. I made it to the end of the veranda and saw it wasn't my car, so turned back and went to bed to wait for the owner to turn it off. 2-3 minutes later, sure enough, the little dumpy lady who had been just ahead of me, switched off and reset her alarm.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Words and pictures © Steve Andrews 2001 - 2012