Tourist Heaven

Today is the day that we have to move over to our new site by the creek. Since we have to disconnect and pack everything up, we decided to take advantage of this and go spend the day in the tourist center of Sedona. So far, we have been on the outskirts near Tlaquepaque and Oak Creek.

We started our day leisurely having breakfast and doing some stretching while a squirrel tortured the dogs by casually coming within feet of them while exploring the campsite. The dogs charged but got the brakes put on by their cables which were attached to the picnic table. The table moved about a foot but the squirrel ran laughing up a stately sycamore tree.

Around 10:00, we were loaded up and ready to go. Easily found a parking spot on Forest Rd. next to the fire station. The weather was already warming up as we strolled into the little tourist Mecca that is Sedona. Boutique shops, t-shirts, souvenirs and art galleries. Not really my thing. I was getting grumpy standing around in the heat holding dogs while PJ went into shop after shop after shop. I guess I could have hidden it a bit better. Maybe someday I’ll learn to be a little more gracious, but today wasn’t that day. PJ bought shirts, gee-gnaws and some overpriced gourmet Sedona liver treats for the dogs.

Pretty little shopping town, the Seaport Village of the red rock desert. Mobs of tourists from all over the world swarmed the street. Tons of people had dogs so we fit right in. Many of the establishments had big water bowls by the door for your pooch. Wandered around for a couple of hours then stopped into a Mexican restaurant with a dog friendly patio area with the little misters that sprayed you as you sat to help keep cool. Busting the budget again. Maybe soon, we’ll figure out this living on a fixed income thing.

Excellent food and even better service from Shanna at 89Agave. The dogs each got their own bowl of water as soon as we sat down. Enjoyed the shade and being in the middle of throngs of people passing by. Fantastic people watching and every direction we turned was the red rock formations that encircle the town.

Rushed the dogs up the now too hot pavement back to the RV. Other RVing tourists were circling like vultures waiting for our spot. Traffic is thick in Sedona. Guess it’s an ongoing issue because both guys running for city council made it a big part of their platform. We drove over to the west side where real people live and real stores are located.

Went to the Safeway for some essentials, then headed back to Rancho Sedona and squeezed into our little spot at the end of the line under a tree by the fence. Neighbors are from Florida and seem pretty cool. They are doing the rental RV thing and touring the Southwest. They took off for town as we were setting up.

After getting set, we walked over to the creek and hopped into the chilly water. A lot slower and clearer than when we first arrived. Rocky and not too deep. Dogs weren’t overly impressed. Cali, who never likes to swim, actually came in a ways and Koda, the water dog, was oddly hesitant.

Must have been the rocks we needed to navigate to get in deep enough to submerge ourselves. She went running off over the ridge into the campground and I had to jump out of the water and chase her down. So much for fun in Oak Creek.

 

Got showered up and heated up our leftovers for dinner. PJ hung all of her sarong things up from the awning as privacy curtains to keep the other campers from peeking in. She’s really into it. Placed her chili pepper lights around the perimeter and voila, hippy heaven. Cleaned up a bit and relaxed and wrote up a blog post. Dogs are bushed and so am I.