Meteor Crater

Who would have thought that a huge hole in the ground would be an unusual place to visit, but we did.  After having left Verde Valley and ascending a steep 6% grade for 13 miles towards Flagstaff on Interstate 17, we turned east for our next overnight stay. 

  

The crater lies about 5 miles off the I-40 and winds were blowing so hard, we were almost knocked over getting out of our truck.  

Our RV (top left) at Meteor Crater parking area

The gusts were so strong that the guided rim tours were abandoned due to safety factors. Instead we watched a 10 minute film  on “Collisions and Impacts” followed by an interesting story about the crater, which was formed by a huge meteor about 50,000 years ago.  It’s not the largest in the world, but it’s one of the most well-preserved due to the lack of rainfall in the high desert of Arizona.  During the Apollo space missions from 1963, the astronauts trained here because of similarities to craters on the moon.

Both of us ventured outside but had to hold tightly to the railings when gusts of about 50 mph blew across the rim. If the photo is blurred it’s because the wind almost knocked the camera out of my hand!  

postcard produced by Meteor Crater Enterprises

The museum and shop were both interesting and we just had to buy a geode for our grandsons and hope that when Kevin hammers it open, it will contain attractive crystals inside.  It's round, small and weighs a few pounds but not as heavy as the approximately 1,400 pound weight of the meteorite shown below.

After our visit, it didn’t take us long to park and hook up at at the OK RV Park with a long pull-thru (American spelling) site after a run of about 154 miles.  At night we heard the freight trains as the tracks were nearby and later found out that the run about 65 trains east and west during each 24 hours.  We happen to like the sound of trains so we don't mind being   slightly disturbed by them.  Often we see three or four engines at the front pulling and one or two pushers at the back and in between anywhere from 80 to 150 wagons.

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe engines

Oak Creek Canyon

Leaving the campground on our second day, we completed a trip of 108 miles although we thought that even a week might not be enough to explore the area.  

Distant Drums RV Resort

After filling the truck with $85 worth of diesel, we took Route 260 to Cottonwood, so named for the trees on the banks of the Verde River, once a huge farming community for Jerome’s mining town, past the Tuzigoot ruins once occupied by the Sinagua people and on to Clarkdale, home of the Verde Canyon Railroad.  Upper Red Rock Loop took us to Cathedral Rock, the most photographed and most well known monolith, the one most often depicted on postcards and in paintings.  

Cathedral Rock from a distance

On the north side of Sedona, we took the scenic drive alongside Oak Creek, which winds uphill around switch-back bends to the top of the Canyon.  It took us past Slide Rock State Park, which is a natural swimming hole and looked like great fun.  At the top of the roughly 14 mile long canyon carved by this small creek, we stopped to admire the view and check out the authentic jewellery, rugs and other handmade items sold by Native Americans there.  

dusty GPS view of our road

Oak Creek Canyon Road 

The canyon nestled in part of the enormous 1.8 million acres of the Coconino National Forest is home to many wild animals and birds shown on the display below although we saw none in mid afternoon.

Ah, Sedona

Sedona: known as “Red Rock Country” is an entrancing city, home to some of the most spectacular rock formations in Arizona; massive ones with names such as Cathedral, Bell, Steamboat, Snoopy and Coffee Pot, all looking like their shapes.

Bell Rock

It’s in a spectacular location in one of the most scenic areas of the state, apart from the Grand Canyon, which is truly one of the most magnificent natural wonders we’ve ever visited. 

The city is rightly a famous tourist spot and once we arrived, we could see the attraction immediately. We were so glad we didn’t stay at a campground with our fifth wheel there because parking even for small cars was at a premium.  

one of many superb Sedona sculptures 

We took a Pink Jeep tour of the backcountry, bouncing along a mostly boulder-ridden old cow trail (and hanging on tightly for most of it), along Bear Wallow Canyon and up 2,000 feet to the top of the Mogollon Rim, part of the boundary of the vast Colorado Plateau.  At Schnebly Hill Vista, we stopped for a short break before the descent, where we had a magnificent view over Sedona and the Verde Valley.  One of the seven people in our party had a very hard time keeping her very short black dress from flying up in the wind at the top of the rim. Fortunately, she didn’t slip over the rocks with her sparkly encrusted flip flops either!  If she’d been young and attractive, some of the men might have been interested in seeing another view!

view climbing to the top of the rim

overlooking the Verde Valley and Sedona

Howard holding onto his hat

from the top of Schnebly Hill Vista at 7,000' high

Lunch was on a patio near the main part of town overlooking “Snoopy Rock” at a delightful restaurant called “Wildflower Bread Company” - delicious sandwiches, soups and pastries.  We returned again after our two hour jeep tour to buy a loaf of sour-dough bread and have a drink and pastry on the patio. 

 selection of delicious breads 

Wildflower Bread Company restaurant

At the scenic overlook on Airport Road, we waited with approximately a hundred other people for a spectacular sunset  that barely arrived. The view was lovely though to see Thunder Mountain in the center of the photo below with Chimney Rock on the left and Coffee Pot Rock on the right.

It's truly a photographer and artist’s haven where several old western films were made. We’d like to return sometime to explore the Indian cliff dwellings of Montezuma Castle, maybe take a balloon ride, visit a museum or view the vortices of natural energy that bring many people on a spiritual quest to this particular area.

Dances with Snake!

An eventful first day of travel after roosting in Tucson, Arizona, since November of last year.  We did have a wonderful four wintery weeks in Massachusetts with our #1 daughter, Elisia, son-in-law, Kevin, and our two super adorable grandsons, Duncan, now aged five and Tobin, who was three in January.

One evening before we left having had a delicious BBQ meal and a “Mexican Train” domino game afterward with #2 daughter, Anthea, and son-in-law, Todd, we parted with lingering hugs and kisses of farewell.  On departure day, an “au revoir” but no good-byes to our dear neighbors, Berry and Gus, and their two dogs, Zoe and Oscar. 

We left Rincon Country East RV Resort at 9:00 on a sunny Wednesday, 20 April 2011 with a temperature showing of 73℉ (23℃). Our mileage, after almost 4 years, was only 50,138.  So, we have two trip mileage records, one for each day and the other to record our future total mileage from Arizona heading north to Canada and back into the USA until we reach New Hampshire at the end of June.  At least, that’s the plan for now but with this lifestyle, plans often change. 

Central Tucson

one of many decorated bridges in Arizona

Passing Picacho Peak, north of Tucson on the I-10, traffic heading south was nose to tail for about 10 miles due to a major crash. Seeing a huge plume of black smoke ahead on our side of the Interstate, we drove past a vehicle completely gutted by fire. We also passed several men picking up trash along the edge of the road and a truck with a sign which read, “Don’t stop - inmates at work”.

Picacho Peak

After 93 miles, Howard stopped at the first rest area and, as always, pulling into the truck and trailer parking lot. In desert areas, the ground is often landscaped with gravel, various cacti, shade trees and other desert plants.  Walking back along the cement path and holding a small paper cup of coffee I’d just got from a vending machine, we heard a small noise similar to a cricket or some bird. Being my usual curious self I thought it might be up in the branches and stepped onto the gravel to look. The noise became a bit louder and suddenly Howard shouted “SNAKE” and I, not knowing where the thing was, danced up and down with coffee flying and almost stepped on a rattler! Really, he could have acted more calmly but he was so shocked because I was only three feet away from it.  It was indeed a baby rattlesnake about two feet in length but still as venomous as a larger one and we hadn’t recognized the sound because it had smaller rattles and blended in so well with the background that we hadn’t seen it.

We stopped once more at “Sunset Point” rest area after a 6% climb uphill for about 7 miles and had a small picnic overlooking a panoramic view of grasslands and distant mountains.  

Sunset Point rest area

Saguaro cacti

Our first run was 234 miles and ended about 3:30 p.m. at “Distant Drums RV Resort”, off the I-17 at Camp Verde, south of Flagstaff.

6% descent to Camp Verde, AZ

Welcome back - it’s now 2011

Well - what can I say!  I never did catch up to show you the photos of the wonderful trip that we had last year.  The excuses wouldn't interest anyone. This year begins in April, after another season spent in Arizona.