Red Rocks of Sedona

 

We allowed ourselves to sleep in a little bit and enjoy the cool mountain air. Magnificent for sleeping. Only sound was the occasional lonesome wail of a train whistle passing by in the distance. First order of the day was a dog hike through the national forest adjacent to the campground. Once off property, we turned them loose and let them run free much to their enjoyment.

Back at camp, we munched on some granola and made plans for the day. My cheesy little tire compressor was having a hard time pushing in the needed 80 psi for my tire pressure. We got everything stowed away and loaded up our co-pilots and headed down the road to Flagstaff.

When we pulled into town, we hit the Walmart and stocked up for the week. Found a Discount Tire nearby and had them tighten a couple of loose valve stems and air all six tires up to desired 80 psi. Gassed up and headed down Hwy 17 to Sedona. Thunderstorms began to move through and we drove in the driving rain down the mountain. Long steep 18 miles of down grade to cover. Dropped 3000 feet of elevation in 20 minutes. Kept the transmission in tow mode even shifting down a few times. The notion that’s scaring me is the idea of us having to turn around and climb back up this hill coming out of here on Saturday.

Rounding the bend after making our exit on 173 introduced us to amazing vistas of the red rock formations that the area is famous for. Stunning natural beauty surrounded us on all sides. It’s my first time here so I was taking it all in. Pulled over to let the soul train I’d gathered behind me finally pass the slow moving hippy RV with the California plates.

 

We took some photos and then continued through a series of round-a-bouts passing through the the artsy upscale little communities. Parked for while at a scenic view point and hiked a ways down a red dirt trail admiring the colors and odd symmetries of the rocky mesas and buttes of the valley.

Pulled into Rancho Sedona RV campground around three and got checked into our tight little spot among the sycamore grove along Oak Creek. Peaceful little haven within walking distance of town. Although the spots are small, the.. park is immaculate and green with a totally calm vibe to it.

Our neighbors are an older couple from Prescott with a little vintage trailer with a few potted plants that they haul everywhere displayed out front. This is their last stop before home on the return trip from Yellowstone. We got set up, fed the dogs, then went exploring around the camp. Let the dogs loose in the little dog run and meditated for a few minutes on the little bench.

We walked down to the creek to check it for swimming. It is running fast and muddy red from the downpours of the past few days. We’ll have to see if it clears up over the next few days. Cali and Koda sniffed every bush and rock throughout the entire park as we strolled around getting the lay of the land. Went back and sat at our picnic table and ate Subway sandwiches and chips as night began to descend on the valley. PJ hung her chili pepper lights while I relaxed and wrote up this blog post.