Thanksgiving in Sedona, AZ

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you all had a nice time with your family and friends. We are so thankful to be on this trip of a lifetime!

Camp Verde, AZ
November 27, 2013

Welcome to Arizona!  Today we’re going to a castle…on a cliff!  Me and Tyler weren’t that excited, and for a good reason too.  It was just an old castle.  My Mom kept trying to get pictures.  Tyler kept trying to escape, but I let my Mom take pictures.  The castle was so boring that I am even bored reading this.  Ok, so why they lived on the cliff was because they didn’t want their homes to be flooded and it was near a pond.  When we were done, our parents asked how we liked it.  It wasn’t that exciting to me and Tyler.

~Jack

We left Flagstaff at almost noon.  We just had a short drive down into the Sedona/Camp Verde area.  We found Montezuma’s Castle National Park and decided to pay it a visit. Montezuma Castle is a five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling that sits in a recessed area into the cliffs.  And the dwellings weren’t a castle at all, but a multi-family “prehistoric high rise apartment complex”.

The National Park's have a Jr. Ranger program, perfect for homeschooling!

This is a diorama of what the inside looked like.

Here is some info I found online:

An ancient Indian Tribe called the Sinaquas (Spanish for without water) who built the cliff dwellings called Montezuma Castle about 700 years ago in the early 1300s. And for unknown reasons, the Sinaqua abandoned their habitat in this Verde Valley Arizona area in the 1400s. Maybe they had over extended agricultural pressure on the land. Perhaps there was a lengthy drought or they could have been eliminated through conflict with the Yavapai Indians that still exist today. If there were any Sinaqua survivors, they were likely absorbed into other Indian Tribes to the north.

Interestingly, the name Montezuma Castle was a mistaken name. Early settlers who discovered the cliff dwelling ruins erroneously connected them to the Aztec emperor Montezuma, but in-fact the Sinaqua ruins had been abandoned a hundred years before Montezuma was even born.  No doubt the Sinaqua were daring builders having scaled the high cliffs to carve-out a recessed area into the limestone walls to erect these strongly built dwellings high above overlooking the Beaver Creek area just a few miles from what is now known as Camp Verde Arizona.  It took ladders to climb to Montezuma Castle and as the Sinaqua reached each level, the ladders made their way to the cliff community making it difficult for enemy tribes to penetrate the natural defense of straight-vertical barriers.

We settled into another nice campground for the night and were treated to an amazing sunset...

I wish I had a better vantage point, but it does give a sense of scale.

Thanksgiving Day

Today we are going on a hike!  It’s at a place called Buddha Beach!  Oh and it’s Thanksgiving too!  I almost forgot.  This should be fun.  I wasn’t surprised to see that it was a hike through the woods.  That’s where Tyler found his walking stick.  There was a brook to, so I found myself climbing trees that were hanging over the water.  Once I was done climbing, and my Mom was done taking pictures, we moved on.  Up next was amazing.  It was almost like petrified sand. It was orange looking rock covering the ground.  There were a lot of people meditating there.  After that there were stacks of rocks called totems.  We made our mark and made our own too.  I put a leaf in mine so I could recognize it. We moved on, but Tyler forgot his stick!  He went back and saw that another kid took it.  I tried to cheer him up by finding an awesome, multi-use stick, but he wouldn’t take it.  It became my stick.  There was a little pond, and when we got there we decided to turn around.  It looked like the kid forgot to take the stick too, so that cheered Tyler up.  We were exhausted!  So, we stored our walking sticks and headed back for a Thanksgiving feast, fortunately provided by the RV Park.

~Jack

Today, was a nice change of pace from our usual Thanksgiving routine.  I love being with the big family and all, but, being in Sedona rocked! This place has the ultimate WOW factor!  We took a nice hike in Red Rock Crossing with spectacular views of Cathedral Rock and and nice hike to Buddha Beach.  Some people say that there are special places in Sedona, Arizona—vortex sites—where the energy is particularly powerful and transformative;

One reason why hiking is the perfect way to experience Sedona’s vortex sites is because hiking connects us not only with nature but also with ourselves, says Dennis Andres, author, guide and founder of Sedona Private Guides.  “Hiking gets us breathing.  Breathing gets us feeling.  Feeling brings us to the present moment.  That is why hiking around sacred places in Sedona is fun, spiritual and rejuvenating,”  Being in the presence of natural beauty is known to be nourishing to the body and spirit. “To some people hiking will bring a sense of peace; to others it is more of a thrill.  One thing is for certain, everyone seems to feel better for having done it,” adds Andres.

People who have visited Sedona’s vortex sites often report feeling tremendous vitality, unexpected energy and increased physical stamina, a sense of euphoria and a feeling of wellbeing.  Many choose to sit quietly once they get to a vortex site and enjoy the views; others meditate or pray. Everyone experiences vortex energy in individual ways, depending on their inclination and sensitivity.
“I feel that it’s not important what spot you are standing on as what is going on inside you wherever you are standing,” says Andres.  “If you appreciate the natural beauty around you, you’ll surely have a beneficial experience.”

This rocky beach near Oak Creek in the shadow of Cathedral Rock is thought to be a powerful vortex. Many people make these rock cairns at what is known at Buddha Beach, either for offering their prayers and intentions, or just for fun.

We were going to spend the night in Sedona, but the campground was full. We ended up back at last night's campsite and were treated to a nice Thanksgiving meal, all prepared and being served in the Community Room. Scott was fully prepared to cook, but, we probably would have been eating late, so this was a nice treat and everyone was so welcoming and friendly.

Just got back from a nice soak in the hot tub and we are all ready for bed! Not sure if we will stick around for another day or head up to the Grand Canyon!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

~Linda 

Flagstaff, AZ

November 27, 2013

We didn’t quite make it to Sedona today.  We left Holbrook, AZ and continued down Interstate 40 West with a couple more stops on Rte 66 along the way. 

First stop was the Wigwam hotel. Roadside kitsch at its finest. The sign out front asks, "Have you slept in a wigwam lately?"  a throwback to the time when entrepreneurs went out of their way to find something unusual with which to lure travelers. Vintage cars parked around the premises were the perfect accent to a great photo op.  

Ever since I plotted a loose itinerary, I wanted to stop thru Winslow, AZ.  As we were taking our photos, I can only think that someday in the future Jack & Tyler may make this same trek out West.  I can imagine them holding up the photos I am taking now of their 9 & 11 yr old selves doing the “Young me, Now Me” photo op at all these places!  see here http://www.zefrank.com/youngmenowme/

We bottomed out the RV and a metal plate that protects the propane heater got bent out of shape.  We decided it was best to get it checked out and we needed an oil change as well.  We spent the next couple of hours at Campers World…good news is we got the scheduled maintenance done, tires checked, and the piece of metal is stable and can wait to be repaired when we get home.  

We decided to just stay in Flagstaff for the night and grab a bite to eat at Black Bart's Steakhouse, Saloon, & Musical Revue which is right at the RV park.  

It was very convenient to leave Scout all buttoned up in the RV and walk the 30 steps over to the restaurant.  The only time we eat out is if we are either (A) desperate or (B) it is something unique and fun.  This was definitely a (B) This was an experience. Waitstaff randomly perform on stage in a musical revue, including songs from Broadway, Disney, 60s and 70s, and much more in between waiting on their tables!  Before dinner even arrived, the waitress brought over hot biscuits with a honey, cinnamon butter that literally melted in your mouth.  So much fun!

~Linda

Hey you guys, sorry I was bad about responding to your comments on my blog. I kind of forgot they were there...LOL.  I appreciate you taking the time to read these posts and continually encouraging me to keep it up!

Painted Desert & Petrified Forest, Arizona

November 26, 2013

Yesterday, the big blue skies of Santa Fe opened up and we were finally able to safely leave and make our way into Arizona.  After, many minutes of strategizing and analyzing the maps, our course will take us along the northern parts of these southwest states and then on the return trip home we will stop along to see the highlights in the south.

We left around 10am and I found the drive from Santa Fe, thru Albuquerque, and into Arizona to be both beautiful and quick.  I loved driving thru the snowcapped mountains and then transitioning into the red rocks and desert feel of Arizona.  We arrived at the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest at around 2pm, made some lunch, and started making the 29 mile drive thru the park. 

Only one national park in the country includes and protects a section of historic Route 66: the Petrified Forest National Park with one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils.  A broad region of rocky badlands encompassing more than 93,500 acres, this vast landscape features rocks in every hue – from deep lavenders and rich grays to reds, oranges and even pinks.

How do you like it?  I call it the Painted Desert.  I painted it myself! Nah, I’m just kidding.  The Painted Desert is a real desert that we went to on our way to the Petrified Forest National Park.  So, it was a place we drove around and saw all these red rocks and dead grass.  There was an overlook that you could see for a few miles.  As we drove on, the Painted Desert slowly turned into the Petrified Forest.

I think we’re in the Forest now.  My parents pointed out all these petrified logs on the ground.  I was expecting it to be actual trees! Instead, there were only logs on the ground.  The logs had turned to stone, that’s what petrified means.  They had some colors and it was just really cool.

~Jack

A natural canvas millions of years in the making, no one event shaped the Painted Desert. Instead, the area – which is home to many memorable formations and features – serves as proof of the earth’s volatility: volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and sunlight all combined to create the Painted Desert. Deposits of clay and sandstone, stacked in elegant layers, play with the setting Arizona sun in an altering display of colorful radiance.
Both the Navajo and Hopi people have lived in the region for hundreds of years, but it was Spanish Colonialists who gave this landscape the name we know it by today – El Desierto Pintado.

My favorite time to shoot, as much as any photographer, are those early morning sunrises and the late afternoon when the color of the light is golden.  This, however, does not always work with our family plan! That’s OK, but I like when I get lucky with my timing, like last night when we happened to be exiting the park just as the sun was setting.  If any of my photography friends are wondering why I am shooting in the middle of the day, this is the reason!

On our trek to Sedona today, we will jump back on Rte 66 to see a few more iconic treasures, like the Wigwam Motel and you better bet I will be standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona!

~Linda

Santa Fe is a great place...but, we are ready to move on!

November 24, 2013

Some significant snow arrived overnight.  Lots of people were telling me they saw it on the news! We stayed toasty all night, but, by morning our propane levels were getting pretty low.  Although we are plugged into electricity, we need the propane for the heat.  Most parks have their own propane stations right on site, like this one.  The owner here is such a nice guy, whenever he sees us outside, he stops what he is doing, like plowing, to have another chat with us.  He had us all plowed out and filled up in no time!

It didn't take long for the blue sky to appear...we kicked around a bit outside with the kids and the dog.

Lots of old machines, antique cars, and recycled scrap metal art installations around...my brother would love it!

There is an icicle hanging from your nose, Jack!

A vintage 1972 VW Bus...just for you Allegra!

I met Hoppy in the office...he has 3 legs...sad story, sweet dog.

I just barely caught some brief color from the sunset.

This will be our 5th night here.  We are ready to move on and hopefully get to warmer areas.  We will probably have a big driving day tomorrow heading into Arizona...so much to see!

~Linda