Sedona Sojourn Day 2 continued

As I approached Sedona I chose the scenic route that would wind down through Oakcreek Canyon. The canyon was green and deciduous, and the further I traveled the more red rocks started showing through the trees. Since I was not in a hurry, I stopped and found a trail to take a walk through the woods. The trail ended overlooking Slide Rock State Park, which looked like a stellar place to take a swim on a hot day.

I checked into the resort and was rather impressed with my plush accommodations; one bedroom condo with a balcony overlooking one of the pools. The resort had complete spa with free exercise classes (yoga for me!) and big salt water pool and a hot tub. Me being me, after a my short tour of the resort I headed right to the hot tub.

While chatting with the other guests in the tub I sought dining advice. "Where would there be a fun casual place for a single gal traveling on her to find a meal?" It was Saturday night... perhaps a place with music. A local in the hot tub suggested the Oakcreek Brewery. Not the pub by the resort, but the actually brewery in West Sedona, where they have open mic night on Saturday. Sounded good to me.

So after my soak I head off for my dinner adventure. The brewery was a little tricky to find, behind the shopping center, down a dark road, no sign of anything, until I spied some twinkly lights up on the hill. Sure enough that was the brewery. I walked in, there was a concession window on the right, and through the second door I found the brewery. I had expected a yuppy pub like we have back home, but I walked in to dark room with a bar on one end, about five pub tables, surrounded by huge stainless steel vats. A musician sat next to the vats playing his guitar. The bar was, quite literally in the the brewery, I sat down at a table, and quickly realized, that I was the tourist in a sea of locals and that nobody was going to come serve me, so I relocated to a seat at the bar. I asked what sort of beer they had, and was having a hard time deciding between the porter and the seasonal. As I paused to think the bartender whipped out 2 sample cups, filled them up and handed them to me try. Clearly, I was not in Utah anymore. No free tastes back home! I chose the seasonal.

I was starving, so asked for the menu. Well, the menu was hot dogs. Simon's Colombian Hot Dogs. I could order at window I passed on the way in. At the window I pondered my choices, and decided, "When in Rome" and ordered the Colombian, a hot dog with pineapple, cheese and crushed potato chips on top. So much for the yuppy brewpub fare I expected. I headed back to my seat at the bar, where I sipped my beer and chatted with neighbors. The folks at the bar were friendly I had a nice conversation with some local business owner who splits his time between Sedona and San Diego where his family is. Another fellow was there to join the open mic night. He made instrument for a living, banjos and ukuleles. The ukulele he brought to play was just lovely. And then there was some buy named Papoose, who welcomed me to the brewery and invited me back for drum circle night. The music was really good too. I found I really enjoyed meeting and chatting with the random interesting people in the bar. It was fun to have these encounters that never would have happened had I not been traveling alone. And you know what, that Colmbian hot dog was good too!

Sedona Sojourn Day 2

Day 2, on the road again... heading south to Sedona. There are two ways to get there from Kanab. Highway 89 and Highway 89a. I had been advised to to take both routes, one on the way down, one on the way back. I chose 89a, the slightly longer route, which heads south towards the north rim of the Grand Canyon for the way down. First thing I found was that Kanab bar that I couldn't find when I thought I'd seek a beer the night before... Apparently Kanab, UT keeps it bars just over the border in Arizona. The drive towards the north rim made me a little melancholy. The only other time I'd traveled that road was years ago when my parents came to visit. We had gone to Bryce and Zion National Parks and while at Zion dad decided that since the Grand Canyon was only about 100 miles away we detour should go see it. I spent much of the drive thinking about Dad, who I lost last year, and how excited he was to take that drive to see one of our national landmarks.

I cheered up when I got to Jacobs Lake Lodge. On another family visit my sister and family took a similar southern Utah trip. Up on their return my sister and brother in law could not stop sing of the praises of the quaint Jacobs Lake Inn. So I stopped there, and had had a nice breakfast, tried to call my sis to say "Guess where I am?", but lack of cell service had me send them post card from there instead.

As I drove away from the inn the most interesting creature crossed the road in front of my car. At first I thought it was skunk because it was black and white, but it paused on the side of the road I realized it was a black and white sguirrel. Wasn't quick enough to snap a picture, but a little google search revealed it to be an Abert's Squirrel.

The views Of the Vermilion Cliffs were spectacular as I descending down from the Kaibab Plateau.

My first Indian ruins of the week!

We interupt your regularily scheduled travel blog....

What a nice surprise I had tonight. When I went to pottery class tonight I discovered I won second place in gallery show competition. For September's gallery stroll Red kiln had a show - Don't Be So Square! A ceramic meditation on the box form. The show was the night I left on vacation so I missed the festivities. My large blue box came out of the kiln that morning, so I had to run by the studio to attach my lampwork beads to the lid the morning I left on vacation. I'd completely forgotten that the exhibit was a competition as well a show, so when I went into the gallery tonight to see the show I had missed, I was rather surprised to see a pretty red ribbon hung on one of my pieces.

This was especially exciting for me because these pieces represent my first multimedia work, combining both my pottery and my lampwork glass beads. Even more exciting that because these are the first pieces where I feel like I came up with an original design that is truly all my own.

I have to admit that I find the idea of a competition a tiny bit absurd... I don't know how judges really can compare and rank pieces of such diverse designs as were entered in the show. Everyone's pieces were wonderful, so it's not like winning a ribbon really means your pieces better than someone else's. But it does say some likes them and positive feedback sure feels nice!

Sedona Sojourn Day 1

This is how it started... a month a go I opened one of the myriad of travel emails that show up in my inbox every week... and there was an offer for a very sweet deal for a weeks lodging at a resort in Sedona Arizona. I've been jonesing for vacation for quite some time. Have wanted to take my kids somewhere, but being busy college students living far away in different states, I have not been able to get them in the same place at the same time. Of course a trip with some wonderful prince charming also sounds really great, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards either. (Guess I need to kiss more frogs or something).

But here I am, no kids, no prince charming, with a great lodging deal sitting in my inbox, someplace beautiful, close enough to drive to. So I decided what the heck, I'll just go on my own... and a few clicks of the mouse later I'm booked for a week in Sedona.

From the bathroom at the Crazy Horse Campground

I wasn't sure I wanted to drive the whole 10 hours at once, so I decided to drive half way and camp for the night. So first stop... Kanab, Utah. The Crazy Horse Campground as recommended by my friend Joe from Kanab. I instantly made friends with the 12 year old son of the campground manager who was in the lodge playing pool on a tattered table with my soon to be "neighbor" -a hippie-ish (long hair, earrings, wearing an amulet bag of juniper berries) retired guy from jersey who's been traveling for months on his motor cycle. After a nice chat I pitched my tent, and went off to adventure.

First stop the Little Hollywood Museum. Kanab was the home base for many old westerns, thus the Hollywood connection.

Second stop, a hike, a cheeseburger summit, I'd hoped, though it's not on the list... I may have to consult with my hiking buddies about whether it qualifies for an add. A lovely hike up Sqaw Trail to the butte above town. Just in time for the setting sun, with just enough light left to make it down without incident. Beautiful views from the top for sure!

Thought maybe I'd find a cowboy bar for a beer, but alas, being a mormon Utah town, I couldn't find a bar.... so I settled for checking my messages at the campground.. picnic table wireless.... who would have thought?!

Summers Big Hike.... Mt Timpanogos

Mt. Timapanogos... My big hike for the year. I was lucky to join my friend Susan's annual Timp hike... It's a long hike, about 16 miles over 4600 foot elevation gain to the 11,749 ft summit. My friends have it all figured out... we went during peak wild flower season. We shuttled cars, so we could hike up the Timpanokee trail and down the Aspen grove trail. It's a lot of work, but an amazing hike. First switchbacking through the trees to the amazing wildflower meadow. Then up a rocky trail to the saddle, then winding and stairstepping to the top. We headed down the the other side of the mountain to the glacier, we slid down a snowy luge run to get to Emerald Lake. Mountain goats were abundant on cliffs near the lake. As we switch back down the Aspen Grove trial we are treated to water falls created by the glacial melt off. The wild flowers could not have been much more amazing, the views spectacular!

I took many more pictures... you can see them on my facebook page and of course this was also a cheeseburger summit!

Small and colorful blessings...

Yesterday was a slightly craptastic morning. I had to run one of those lousy errands...a trip to the tire store for new tires for my car. **Poof** to $500+; don't we all hate it when that happens even when we know it's coming? Of course by the time I was done at the tire shop I was rather late for work. Working for the University means parking is at a premium, so arriving much past 9 am can be parking problematic. Even if you've purchased a $200+/year staff parking pass a parking spot can be elusive.

After cruising my two, first choice, late arrival lots and finding nada I realized I was screwed and headed out and around campus to the far north end where I've heard rumors that there are always spaces in the engineering lot. And, thankfully, there were. Nothing like adding at least a half an hour to the morning commute, but at least I got to park, even if it was in Zimbabwe... **sigh**

Along with the inconvenience and expensive came a few nice additions to my day. I got to take a nice walk through a 'foreign' neighborhood while my car was being worked on, and I came across some lovely morning glories rambling over someone's fence. Later, while walking to Zimbabwe for my car after work I passed the most delightfully colored roses in a campus garden I never would have otherwise walked by. Flowers always make my day, and the lighting was nice... So here is the reason why I always like to carry my camera!

What I did on my summer vacation..

Clearly it wasn't blogging, LOL. Of course the reality is that as an old working person I don't really get a summer vacation... just more weeks of work and hot weather! But even without a really vacation I managed to get some local fun in, and mostly for the benefit of my daughter who reads this but doesn't see the pictures I post on facebook, I figure I'll share... even it it is a bit after the fact.

So one cool thing I did this summer... My friends and I hiked up to the Little Cloud Bowl at Snowbird to watch them fly in the towers for the new Little Cloud ski lift. It was pretty cool to watch the helicopters at work, those pilots appear to have mad skills. Hovering above the platform, tethered to the tower as it gets screwed down, pirouetting on the end of the cable. Pilot hanging his head out the window, watching what's happening on the ground, controlling the helicopter. Mad skills I'm sure! Besides watching the helicopters, the hike from the base to the top of the tram was incredible too. The wildflowers in Little Cloud Bowl were some of the most beautiful I've seen in my lifetime. Amazing!