Amy's Rear View Mirror

Sedona, AZ ...
4/15 - 4/16

 
Jim took a weekend to go scuba diving in Florida. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and his trip was canceled at the last minute ... what a bummer!! ... I know how much he loves to dive.
 

I invited my mom to visit ... girl's weekend. I decided we'd go to Sedona since mom had not been there before ... Jim and I were there several years ago and enjoyed it. I picked her up at the airport early Saturday morning and we took the motorhome up and stayed at Sedona Pines Resort on AZ-89A. She was amazed by the scenery ... especially the dramatic entrance to Sedona as you leave I-17 exit 298 and travel down AZ-179 toward town.
 

We spent the weekend finding the best roads to view the rock formations.   We arrived in Sedona around lunch time  and by 2PM we were in the visitor's center getting  the scoop on everything we could!  Saturday afternoon we took the Airport Road to the top and got a picture of the western view ... Chimney Rock across to Steamboat Rock.  Then on our way back down we stopped at the lookout at the halfway point and got pictures of the eastern view. There were a few Indian women with blankets spread out on the ground displaying handmade jewelry they were selling. This lookout point has lots of trails to walk the ridgeline ... plenty of good places to sit down and just be with nature. We spent quite a while just looking at the view.

Then we left the Airport Road and found the Upper Red Rock Loop which led us to the Crescent Moon Recreation Area  in Red Rock Park. This is one of the best places to view Cathedral Rock. You can walk along Oak Creek viewing Cathedral Rock in the background. When the water is low you can walk in the creekbed and get even closer. After walking around the park and through the creekbed for an hour or so we decided to go find dinner.

Mom had spotted a Southwestern restaurant named Casa Rincon on AZ-89A in Western Sedona on the way to the campground as we had entered town earlier in the day. So we decided to give it a try ... what a great idea! The food was great, the service was fast, and according to mom ... the best Sopapias she's ever had (including the ones in New Mexico). After eating we were so full and were exhausted from the afternoon of sightseeing ... we turned in early to get a fresh start in the morning.

Sunday morning we went to Tlaquepaque. Mom likes the artwork of Bearcloud and he has his gallery there. We got there when it opened and were greeted by Bearcloud himself. We spent a few minutes talking with him and walked around the gallery looking at his paintings ... each one more amazing than the last. His paintings are absolutely unreal ... he does hidden images in the clouds and ground. I just wish he had something small enough that would fit in the motorhome! At noon we had to leave Tlaquepaque ... we had almost seen it all, but it was time to go check-out of the campground and head back to Phoenix so mom could catch her plane back home.

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