Chapel of the Holy Cross

We slept in as long as the dogs would let us, then made a relaxing start to our day. Coffee and tea on the patio followed by a bit of yoga in PJ’s “fort”.

Pamela got an organizing bug and repacked some cabinets and searched for and actually found my missing owners manual for the van. I took it easy on our minuscule patch of grass and kept the dogs company on the patio.

Had a late breakfast then a mini nap. PJ rousted me and we took the dogs down to the creek and went for a swim. Hardly anyone was around and we got the upper swimming hole to ourselves for about an hour.

Much deeper and better swimming than yesterday’s spot. Got both dogs in with a little coaxing and had a lot of fun.

Tried to sneak in another nap but Pamela wasn’t having it. She had her heart set on going to see the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a chapel built into the stone face of the hillside. It is overseen by Dominican Friars from the local diocese. The location is only about 4 miles from where we are, so we decided to ride the bikes.

We kicked on the A/C and locked the dogs inside the RV before pedaling off down the road. What the map didn’t show was the major climbing we would have to do to get to the chapel. We got a rhythm and pumped our way up the hills getting down into the lower gears on a few of the steeper stretches. The final grade to the chapel was straight up and we ended up walking the last part.

 

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a pretty popular tourist destination. We didn’t realize there would be so many people. It is said that when entering the chapel you are overcome with a feeling of inspiration and unconditional acceptance.

As sweaty as we were from our bike ride in the desert heat, we went to a pew near the front and prayed, for family members and for guidance on our journey. We lit candles for loved ones going through difficult times and one in remembrance of little Eddie.

The chapel is cut into the side of a cliff in an amazing array of red rock formations with beautiful views towards the village of Oak Creek. We stayed until they gave us the boot at 5:00, then pedaled our way back towards Rancho Sedona.

We stopped at a big tourist curio stand with all kinds of pottery, petrified stones, art and antiques. Lots of stuff to take in. Even had their own little chapel in the back. We picked up some liquids to rehydrate, then continued our ride back to the RV park. We still had two dogs that were none the worse for wear. So that was a real positive experiment. We can actually go out and tour a little and the dogs are going to be o.k. Took them for a walk, then it was time for the mundane tasks to get ourselves ready for an early departure tomorrow.