Sedona Rocks and Canyons

Map of Sedona

When we decided to stay in Sedona for two nights, we really needed a relaxing non-travel day, and Labor Day was a good time to visit the hills around the city. We did the upper and lower Red Rock loops, as well as the beautiful grounds of the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

It was too hot to walk up to the chapel on the hill, though many were doing so, and a long line of vehicles discouraged us from inching our way up the hill. In a gutsy move, Bob turned around the Traverse without going off the road and we abandoned our spot in the queue. We also visited the airport again and enjoyed the spectacular views in daylight.

The highlight of my day was the opportunity to help a cyclist on the road, who had just begun a very long walk toward town because of a flat tire. We moved around the stuff in our vehicle and got her bike into the car, since we both decided that she wasn't part of some gang out to rob us. Turns out she's a former participant in extreme sports, like the Eco Challenge. We delivered her to her door in West Sedona and headed for the car wash, where Bob spent $5.00 for 10 full minutes of a deluxe car wash, including a good wax. We have the cleanest looking car in this dusty area.

`

Threat of a Storm

This afternoon we rested for a little in our cool, comfortable room and hit the pool, where we were the only swimmers for most of the time we were there. I love an empty pool so I was in heaven for an hour or so.

We heard thunder earlier, but the threat of a storm seems to have passed.

Dinner at the Mesa Grill

Grilled salmon

Filet mignon

Bob insisted on going out for dinner, which turned out to be a great idea. Judi's, the steak restaurant recommended by the hotel, was closed on Sunday, so Bob selected the Mesa Grill from the hotel list and we used the GPS to get us to the Sedona Airport.


We had one of our best meals ever at that fantastic restaurant. Bob loved "the best filet I've ever had". I had grilled salmon and excellent curry almond rice. The "seasonal" grilled vegetables were just the right combination of local peppers, onions and green beans; topped it all off with a nice glass of pinot noir.

Sunday in Sedona

It took us forever to get to 89A toward Sedona; it certainly was not a job for a timid driver, which Bob is not. After entering the highway, we soon began to drive downhill, through mountainous pine forests. There were camping and picnic grounds almost all the way to Sedona, with people, including unattended children, on the side of the road paying little attention to heavy traffic in both directions.

As we neared Sedona, the landscape began to change and we saw glimpses of the famous red rocks. The hillside was decorated with lovely cactuses and the temperature increased by several degrees in the late afternoon soon. We were getting tired and dehydrated; we needed a place to rest and we had no hotel reservation.

Our first tries were unsuccessful: Best Western complex with great views, Hyatt with timeshares for sale, Hampton with no vacancies. The very pleasant customer service rep at the Hampton Inn directed us to the Arroyo Pinion, in fact the Sedona Real. I raced another woman to the reservations desk (yes, I beat her) and booked a beautiful King suite which we like so much that we decided to spend two nights rather than one.

Flagstaff

On the road to Flagstaff

Flagstaff looked so beautiful in the distance, from the freeway. Low, blue hills and a hint of pine forest. We were surprised at its coolness when we arrived, not much over 80 degrees with a fair bit of shade.

The edge of town was quite congested on this Sunday of Labor Day weekend. In the lane next to ours, five or more  Corvettes from Colorado seemed to be travelling together, C5s and C6s and one really old one that Bob thinks was a "kit car". We parked on one of the streets near the Amtrak station and walked there, since it's also the Flagstaff Visitor Center. Lunch at Altitudes turned out to be chips & salsa (delicious), washed down with cold beer, after the server told us there would be at least a one-hour wait.


Street corner in historic Flagstaff

Other diners waited impatiently for food while we munched away, and the snack was surprisingly satisfying. Blair the server didn't charge us for the chips and, with a $6.50 bill, I felt very grateful and left her a $5.00 tip. Our grumpy neighbors were not so lucky and walked away both hungry and dissatisfied.

We learned that 80 trains a day pass through Flagstaff, so I was really happy that I hadn't had time to make a reservation for the night when I was surfing through deals earlier in the day. I'm a poor sleeper at best and freight trains all night would be enough to send me over the edge.



Welcome to Arizona

Entering the beautiful state of Arizona

The beautiful flag of Arizona on the Welcome to Arizona sign signaled the entrance to a rest stop, our first in several days. We crossed all of New Mexico without a single rest stop with visitor information, although I guess it's possible that we missed one.

We found helpful staff, a map and glossy printed brochures as we entered Arizona. Felt like the beginning of a great new day!


Less of a welcome here!

Sunday Mass in Gallup

We were road weary on Saturday evening when we stopped for the night in Gallup, New Mexico. We stayed in a Hampton Inn plunked in the middle of a hot complex of hotels and restaurants, right across from a huge Home Depot. We had a cookie for dinner and didn't venture back out into the hear. The internet connection was weak, and I didn't do my usual planning for Sunday Mass.



Baptism at St. Francis of Assisi, Gallup

Yesterday morning we hauled ourselves out of bed, moving more slowly than usual. We checked out of the hotel just in time for 9:00 o'clock mass at St. Francis of Assisi, a little over a mile from the hotel. The Franciscans are very present in this part of the world, and the morning's celebrant was a visiting priest who spoke fluent but very accented English. He frequently interjected comments in Spanish to the linguistically mixed congregation. The beautiful baby girl of people who seemed to be Hispanic was baptized in English, but presented to the congregation in both English and Spanish.

I was amazed and moved by what seemed to be a cordial co-existence of English and Spanish in this part of the country. The missalettes were in English on one side, in Spanish on the other. The bulletin was bilingual, and I heard both languages spoken as we left the church -- an easy switch from English to Spanish and back in the same conversation. I did wonder about how the parish and the diocese deal with the underlying hostilities in the immigration debate that colors the political and cultural landscape here in the southwest.

After the very brief homily, a female parishioner read a letter from Bishop James Wall, about the Diocese of Gallup's decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of accusations of sexual abuse "many years ago". I don't know anything about the response of this particular diocese -- I could find only a few references, but I was surprised that the reading of the letter wasn't followed by a response from the pastor or the parish council. The congregation seemed quite oblivious to the news and the mass went on. Several days later, I heard the announcement on TV and read about it online.

The choir was pretty good and led congregational singing quite well. We were greeted by many parishioners and felt quite at home in this vibrant parish.