Phoenix Vacation
Day 2 - March 2, 2017

Even though I was in a strange house, and sleeping in a strange bed, I slept like a rock! Travel can be exhausting, but also exhilarating.

Surprisingly, I was up at 8am, but it was the right time to get an early start heading north to Sedona, Arizona. We first went to Jack in the Box and got Breakfast Jacks, then to Costco to fill up the car, eventually heading north on Interstate 17. We encountered mostly flat prairie for the first hour passing exits for places named Bumble Bee and Crown King, and of course the occasional highway patrol officer. Even though the speed limit on the interstate is 75mph, and we were all doing about that speed, when drivers see a cop, they instinctively push the brakes to slow down. Really? I also noticed a tremendous amount of Saguaro (su-war-o) cactus everywhere. These are the tall standing cactus with multiple arms you would traditionally see in an old western movie, or a travel brochure to "visit the Wild West". The cactus can reach 45 feet tall, and that takes 200 years. They are protected by law, and it is illegal to damage them. A ten year old cactus may only be one and a half inches tall. An adult cactus is very heavy because they store water, and can weigh up to 8 tons. They won't bloom until they are 35 years old, and aren't considered an adult until they are 125 years old. This style of cactus' biggest threat is poachers.

Soon, we started climbing up the mountains. Phoenix is about 1100 feet in elevation. Sedona is a little over 6000 feet. That's a lot of climbing! As we climbed, the cactus began to disappear because of the thinner air, and the temperatures dropped quickly. We crested a range near Camp Verde and suddenly saw two of the San Francisco mountains beautifully reaching into the clear blue sky 80 miles ahead of us with their two snow-capped peaks glistening at 12,600 feet. Spectacular, but there was no shortage of spectacular views as we approached Sedona.

Twisting and turning on mountain roads, we finally encountered what makes Sedona very special, and that's the beautiful mountains and cliff faces glowing in the midday sun with various hues of red and orange. Some are jagged, some are smooth, all are beautiful. We stopped at just about every pull-off point and snapped a large amount of pictures on our phones and 35mm cameras. We attempted a couple of hiking trails, but couldn't go too far because of Patti's recent knee surgery.

Up on the side of a mountain in Sedona is Chapel of the Rock, a church actually built into the rock itself. We walked up the short pathway to the chapel, snapped more pictures of the mountain that towers very close and high above the church, then went inside. Candles were being lit, people were kneeling in prayer, and it was perfectly lovely.

The Breakfast Jacks didn't last long and we were then on the hunt for lunch. I asked Siri for the best Mexican food restaurant in town, and it recommended Javelina's Cantina. It, too, was built against the rocks, but now it seemed apparent that most places in Sedona were. When traveling, I have little hope of finding good Mexican food outside of Texas, and that's certainly what I expected here, but I was surprised that it was actually excellent! I had the Green Chile Pork Carnitas with rice and guacamole, and iced tea. The tea was a little on the weak side, but the food was so good, I didn't mind too much.

After lunch we drove slowly through town looking at all the little shops selling souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, and lawn ornaments. A beautiful city, but we quickly learned that it's very expensive to live there. Prices above a million dollars are not unusual.

We were getting into mid-afternoon and decided to take the shorter way home as the sun was quickly heading west. Once again, we had to go over mountains, and decided to go via the mining town of Jerome, Arizona. Lots of haunted buildings and copper mines, and the ubiquitous "red light district" and saloons most early mining and railroad towns were famous for.

Up we went to a little over 7000 feet at the crest, and there was snow everywhere, and a lot of it! As I walked through the snow, Patti took pictures of me in awe of it all and holding the touristy snowball, and we laughed at all the little snowmen passers-by had created on the side of the road. The temperature at the top was 42 degrees, and I was in a short-sleeved t-shirt. Although the sun was bright and warm, I didn't stay outside very long.

Down the other side of the mountains we went, and within just a few minutes the snow was gone and the temperature started to rise quickly. By the time we got down into the Prescott Valley, the digital thermometer in the car said it was 71 degrees.

The sun was beginning to set as we hurried back to Phoenix. What a day! Perfect weather, beautiful scenery, amazing structures, and beautiful mountain views. It was the day I hoped it would be, and I was not disappointed. We got home and enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and lovely conversation, and got sleepy.

With the blog entry written, I wish you a very good night.