March 4-5, 2020 Sedona

Hi everyone.  We have spent our last 2 days getting some exercise before hitting the road Friday.

We decided to take a hike around Chimney Rock.  It is easily visible around the town unless there is another mountain in the way, which is very common.  To get to the starting point, it was a 3 minute drive up to the end of the street.

Once on the trail, it got steep very quickly.

 Grammie taking a break after a few steps.

 A view looking back towards the City of Sedona.

 The mountains are calling and I must go...Tom's favorite Tee shirt.  Liberty Graphics.

 Our hike took us around Chimney Rock.  There were a lot of people on the trails.

Chimney Rock from the far side.

 No we didn't want to go around again.  We finally reached the starting point.

 Another view of Chinmey Rock.

 We visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross which is a short drive from down town Sedona.  From the parking lot you can see on the right the rocks known as the 2 nuns.  On the left is the rock formation known as Mary with her child.

 The Chapel of the Holy Cross, sitting high atop the red rocks in Sedona, Arizona, was inspired and commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude.
Weddings are available at the Chapel however planning ahead for close to a year might be a good idea.

  A panoramic view of the east from the Chapel.

 Looking back towards the west is a huge home...and a great view.

 The cacti are finally starting to bloom.

 The Chapel

 Tom also got in some hiking in the mountains.

 It has been a great week in Sedona.  Thanks for keeping up with Grammie.

March 2-3 2020 Sightseeing Jerome, Red Rock

The last 2 days we have been doing a little walking and window shopping in the downtown area of Sedona.  The community has been friendly and quick to attract your attention especially when they know that you might have extra change in your pocket. Yesterday, March 2, we did the shopping.
It is amazing at the prices that are charged for glass and pottery and art.

 Around the fountain above there were several different plots of flowers.

 ...and the yellow ones...

 Grammie caught up with a bronze elk.  She passed on the $67,000 price tag.  Her only reason for turning it down was that it wouldn't fit in the vehicle.  Instead she got a small turtle that would fit on the window sill back home.

 Meanwhile, while Grammie was shopping ...

 Blueberry cheesecake

 While sitting, eating ice cream, how could this be a bad day with this scene off the back deck.

 Tee shirts everywhere...some of them funny.

Today, March 3rd, we left that behind and went to the nearby town of Jerome which took in tons of ore, reportedly worth over a billion dollars.

Jerome's population, over the mining years,  has gone from around 15,000 to a low of about 50, and now is back up to around 450 today. 

A cactus tree that has long since dried up and died.

This town has a lot of memorabilia available.  There was a store that had a lot of old vinal records going from the $12 price up to $50...for one record.  It is still there available. Below, a real old recording camera that has seen who knows what.

Ivy, this picture is for you.

 The town of Jerome is about a mile high.  On a clear day, you can see forever.  Thinking of that song reminded Tom of Barbra Streisand singing it.

 A copper cover for a Parent Teachers Scrapbook.  The high school was finally closed in the 50's and now go to a nearby town.

 How could anyone go below over a half mile deep in the Earth and not get the jitters.

 A washing machine in a Chinese laundry in Jerome

 If this horn went off in the day, that may have meant serious trouble for those below.

 A view across the canyon from Jerome.

 Grammie noticed this on the way up to Jerome and on the way down, wanted a picture.

 This is the staging at the Audrey shaft.  It goes down for a distance of 1900 feet.

 Grammie has an eye for fabric,yarn and quilt shops and this one caught her eye.

 On the way back to Sedona, we stopped at the Red Rock State Park.  We planned to do a little hiking and did about 2 miles.

 Luckily, the traild weren't that bad, however when the air is thinner at a mile high the walk goes along with more frequent stops.

Arriving back in Sedona, the mountains are very beautiful.

 

 On Rte 179 headed south of Sedona, there is a shop with lots of pottery, metal art and other stuff.

 As the sun starts to set on another great day in Sedona, we would like to say thanks for viewing where Grammie has been, and hope that some day you can make it to beautiful Sedona.

February 28, 2020 Sedona

Today we headed to Sedona where we will be exploring, hiking, and taking lots of pictures of red rock.
On the way, we stopped in Kingsman where there is a Route 66 museum.  In 1985, Route 66 was dropped from the US Highway system.  Not wanting to let the memory fade away, since 1987,  sections have been designated as Historic Route 66, which is both an Arizona Historic Road and a National Scenic Byway.

  Since the designation of a historic highway, the town of Kingman has grown.

 We stopped at the Powerhouse Visitor Center which has the Arizona Route 66 Museum inside of the center.  They have license plates there from many states which are priced at $13.95 and go higher depending on rarity.

 There is a DVD titled Route 66 Arizona that mentions the towns along the way through the state.

 Edward Beale was awarded a contract to survey and develop a route for the people emigrating  to the west and the route had to be away from the harsh winter conditions.The 35th parallel was used as a guide.

 People traveling west had to take whatever they would need to establish a new home.

 There were a few mentions of the author John Steinbeck...and his book  Grapes of Wrath.

 Imaging paying almost 50% tax on gasoline. 

 We decided on a short break from walking around the museum.

 The museum also featured some electric vehicles.  After looking at the simplicity of an engine, it makes sense to own one.  Why pay $80 per hour to have someone work on your engine.

 The rest of the vehicle.

 Even a motorbike was adapted to be electric.

 Leaving Kingman, we headed to Flagstaff where the air is cleaner, and colder for sure.  Today when we were there it was around 52 degrees...but that is what you get when living at 7000 feet.  Humphreys Peak, with an elevation of 12,633 feet is only 11 mles away.

 Leaving I-40, we headed down over the hill on US 89A until we got to Sedona, which was a drop of about 2700 feet.  The road down, although still winding, has been much improved and widened.

It was a fun day riding along routes 66 and I-40.