After being cold for most of week 4, we enjoyed the bone-penetrating warmth of the Arizona sun this week!
Tuesday–Saturday (5/28-6/1) – Cottonwood, AZ
This was our third week traveling with our friends Hal & Val, and we spent most of it in the Sedona area. I had visited Sedona with my friend Jill seven years ago, and had fond memories of hiking in Boynton Canyon, which is one of the major energy vortexes in the area.
On Tuesday we drove all afternoon from Winslow to Cottonwood, with a stop in Flagstaff for lunch at Chipotle. Hal & Val like Chipotle A LOT, and they hadn’t been able to get any since they had been on the road. We checked into the Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort, which is a Thousand Trails property. Hal & Val are members, so they are able to stay for “free,” but for us it would have been $42 per night. We decided we would become members as well, just to try it (normally $585 per year, but $320 with discounts of various types). When you enter the property, you get to choose from any open site, so we chose large sites on the outside perimeter that were water & electric only. The full-hookup sites were so close together you could converse through the windows with your neighbor. No thanks.
I was under the weather on Wednesday, so the rest of the group went to old town Cottonwood for a stroll around and then brought back goodies to cook on the grill. I was fine by the next morning, so we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Mariposa (thanks for the recommendation, Facebook friends!). The views there are incredible and the food is first-rate. We had tender fish tacos and crispy yucca fries with a spicy dipping sauce. Yum! Then we visited Tlaquepaque Village, a lively tourist mecca full of art galleries and fun clothing stores. My favorite part of the day was visiting the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park (below). It was sunny and warm, and the peace flags were flapping in the juniper and pinyon trees, with the glorious red rocks as a backdrop. I loved it there.
At the end of the day we took a drive up Oak Creek Canyon road, which is full of switchbacks (see photo) and just lovely. Unfortunately, we arrived 20 minutes after the overlook closed (who knew overlooks closed?). We found ourselves back in Flagstaff for dinner, and also poked around the downtown area.
Friday was our big adventure to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We had decided it would be fun to take the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to the south rim, so we got up early to make the 1.5-hour drive from our campground. Our train was at 10:30, but they wanted us there at 9:30, presumably so we could shop in the gift store and partake of the Wild West show at the end of the platform. I use the word “show” generously: The Cataract Creek Boys needed some breakfast money, and there was some elaborate—though painfully dull—dialogue about their ma being in jail so she couldn’t cook for them. There was a shootout with the marshall, and some lame audience participation. There was also a dwarf: Sawed-off Sam. Two horses tied to the railings snoozed on their feet. Classic Americana, in other words. I laughed throughout the show, but in more of a hysterical way than an appropriate one!
Once we got on the train there was more where that came from, although it was more fun. It took 2.5 hours for our 1950s train to chug to the south rim, and along the way Tom, the cabin attendant of the Coconino Car, regaled us with stories and jokes:
What are the 5 C’s Arizona is known for?
Not what you might think: Climate, Cattle, Citrus, Copper, and Cotton.
What do you get when you drop a piano down a mine shaft?
A flat miner.
What do you call a cow lying down?
Ground beef.
What do you call a retired cowboy?
Deranged.
Why did the three-legged dog go to the bar?
He was lookin’ for the feller that shot his paw.
There. Now it’s just like you were there!
We also had musical entertainment from a fiddler and a guitarist, both of whom were funny and reasonably talented. We bought the guitar player’s CD, which featured our new car sing-along favorite, "Hobo in a Rowboat." Ask me to sing it for you sometime! It’s a real earworm.
When we arrived, we were immediately herded onto our tour bus. We had purchased the Grand Tour, which meant a bus tour and a buffet lunch at the Maswik Lodge. Our bus went to lunch first before going out on the tour, so we arrived at the Maswik to what was essentially a high school cafeteria lunch. We were not impressed, although the fresh fruit on the salad bar was good. Our bus took us to two overlook points on the south rim, Yaki Point and Yavapai Point. We were given about 20 minutes in each location. Knowing what I know now, I would not have taken the bus tour, as there are shuttle buses that run all around the park. We joked that we had become the “bus people” that we tried to avoid at other spots we had visited along the way, like Canyon de Chelly (as in “quick, get over here before the bus people come!”). We became those people.
Our bus driver, James, a lanky, friendly man with a Midwestern sincerity, regaled us with various facts, including that there are 150 mules on the south rim. They are used to transport riders and goods down to the bottom of the canyon (and back up, of course). He also told us that the bark of Ponderosa pines smells like butterscotch, but I didn’t get close enough to smell for myself.
We had a little free time after the bus tour to wander the rim and the little village there before we got back on the train. (Note to self: Book a stay at the El Tovar Hotel next time.) On the way back we were able to travel in the dome car, thanks to Val pointing out to Tom that we had paid for first class seats with big windows, and were given seats with obstructed views. He made it right for us by upgrading us on the way back, although we didn’t get the free champagne that came with it!
It was a super fun day together, and we laughed a lot. We sang "Hobo in a Rowboat" at the top of our lungs on the long car ride home, our headlights and the stars lighting our way.
On Saturday, our final day in the Sedona area, we lounged around in the morning, then took a drive through downtown Sedona and on to the outskirts of town to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Built in the 1950s, it sits on a red rock promontory with incredible views. We were able to get a parking spot about halfway up the hill and go inside. Unfortunately, it was overrun with tourists taking pictures and talking, so any feeling of sacred communion was not happening. I had to remind myself that I am a tourist, too; they are us. Then we drove past Bell Rock (also overrun) before we dropped Hal & Val off at Whole Foods, where they had dinner and went to a movie. Dave and I went to the home of a high school classmate of mine, Julie, whom I had not seen since graduation 39 years ago. What a hoot! Julie lives in a lovely home in Foothills South with majestic red rock views out of every window. She fed us dinner and we caught up on our lives, in a brief way, over the past decades. When she found out I lead writing workshops, Julie said I could be very successful in Sedona, as everyone here “likes that shit.” I had to laugh.
On Sunday, we said goodbye to Sedona and drove to Page, AZ.