Hiking and Sightseeing in and around Sedona

Hello Everyone!

Just thought I’d check in while I’m fluffing and folding at a local laundromat.  Not too much of note has been going on since the last post other than lots of hiking and sightseeing.  I’ve settled in nicely at the Turquoise Triangle RV Park, the grass I planted for Misty and Mosely across the back of my little parking spot  is growing well, and the neighbors continue to be very nice.  The two tomato plants I planted in large container pots fell victim to a roaming band of Javelinas.  Remember the Javelinas from the Big Bend post?  The wild pigs, except I’ve since learned they are not pigs at all, but peciderms or peci-somethings which include the Tapir family.  Anyway, the javelinas only ate the top half of each tomato plant and fortunately turned their nose up at the rosemary and cilantro plants.  I’ve added a wire cage around the tomatoes, which will hopefully keep them at bay.

I’ve been hiking regularly with the Westerners, which has been lots of fun.  They focus on hikes that are not published in books or maps, so I really like that and depending on which group I go with, Amblers, Dogies, Drovers, Mustangs, or Rough Riders, the hikes can range from easy to quite challenging to don’t even think about it.

The other day we drove up onto the Mogollon Rim and hiked 4 miles down to a creek with several springs.  It was really neat to go from an arid landscape to one so lush and reminiscent of Hawaii.  Here are a couple of shots down by the creek.

It doesn’t look like Arizona, does it?

The hike back up and out was a doozy since it was in the upper 80’s and uphill the whole way.  Many of us stuck out heads, hats, and bandanas in the creek before heading up, but this was just not enough to keep me cool.  I had been warned that the hike out was uphill and in the sun, so I had come prepared with my trusty mobile shade and boy am I glad I did.  It was a life saver even though it caused quite a few odd glances and snickers.  Take a look.

Moving on to two other recent outings.

My neighbor Ted and I decided to take his jeep up Schnebly Hill in Sedona and see what we could see.  He doesn’t drive on roads like this, so I got to do the honors.  What fun we had on this high clearance/4×4 road.  Ted had packed a picnic for us which we enjoyed in the shade by an almost dried up creek called Marg’s Draw.  Here is Ted concocting some fresh egg salad.

And this is a shot of the view taken from near the top at Merry-go-round Rock.

And check out the Chapel of the Holy Cross located on a hillside overlooking the Village of Oak Creek portion of Sedona.  Here is the link if you’d like to learn more about this Roman Catholic chapel.  https://www.chapeloftheholycross.com/store/

And finally, Montezuma Well.  I visited this National Monument yesterday with a couple of gals I met at a Meet Up hike.  This place is really interesting.  1.5 million gallons of water flow into the Well daily from 3-4 underground springs.  There are ruins high in the walls of the well and a man-made canal made by the early american natives to direct the outflowing water to the planted fields a mile away.  The water flowing out of the well is said to be sacred.  The modern day Indians have a key to the Park so they may come in an hold ceremonies at the mouth of the canal.

If you’d like, you can read more about Montezuma Well by clicking on this link:  http://www.nps.gov/moca/planyourvisit/exploring-montezuma-well.htm

That’s it for now.  My laundry is dry, so I’ve got to get to folding.

Hope all is well with all of you.