April

Well....I didn't think it was necessary to post any more photos of March.
This is April.
Now that it is May, it is hard to believe it was so grey only a few weeks ago.
The lagoons still had ice on them, and the creek was running high.
And the lovage weathered the long, very cold winter.

Time flies!

My Next Trip

It is always a bit anticlimactic when the trip postings finish.

It was a lot of fun to share those travel moments here with you.
This is such a great spot for me to see and remember my favourite moments.
Like a photo album...only with stories.

A few weeks ago I set out on a new trip.
It has been so cool so far.
I accepted a challenge to read the New Testament in 40 days.

The reading plan is found on YouVersion.com
There are tons of different Bible reading plans here. And you can download the Bible app there.

They have 141,778,892 Downloads to date!

On this trip there are also moments, stepping stones, and words I want to remember.

...so I started a separate little blog for it. Double Double - Milk and Honey.

I'm excited to be on my way somewhere new.....

The Chapel, Courthouse Butte and Little Horse Trail, Sedona, AZ

I can't believe it's already the last day!!
This day saw the biggest crowds as weekenders flooded Sedona. We ended up abandoning some hiking plans since there was no parking at some trail heads.  Instead we hiked where there was parking.

I don't really get the Chapel.  But it was nice. I guess I'm not sure of the attraction for something man-made in the middle of the natural beauty, but it was PACKED.  They had parking attendants and everything: nice imported cacti, nice rock formations all around, and mansions.

After the chapel we headed on down the road and stopped at Bell Rock. We set out to hike around it...and we followed the fork in the trail and also hiked around Courthouse Butte.  Then we headed into town for some lunch, and got stuck in lunch traffic....Wow! 6 rotaries never took so long! We ended up stopping at the first eatery we saw, which was Senior Bob's Hotdogs.

And we wanted to squeeze in one more hike on this our LAST day :(

We chose the Little Horse Trail which was part of the Bell Rock Pathway Loop but started in a different parking lot. The canyon and dessert floor hikes have a lot less elevation than any of the rim hikes we did in the Grand Canyon. This is awesome since you can use your energy for distance instead of having to save it for the inevitable uphill climb! This was also around the time we realized that we had just spent almost 8 or 9 complete days in the outdoors and together.  About 20 hours combined driving time...good time spent together.

Little Horse was an awesome last hike before heading home.  It went over rock, through forest, along wash outs, and at the far end we took a little tangent trail, scrambled up the rocks that were the little horse ears at Chicken Point and rested there.  Quite often my beloved walks ahead and waits for me when I have trailed behind to take photos. He at his pace exploring, and I at mine, capturing moments along the way. I love that he is so patient.  He doesn't hurry me knowing how much I am loving this element of the trip.   And while we rested.... I switched out my lenses and got some closeups of the flora in this very dry climate. Mmmmmm...texture.

And the way out of the canyon we spotted the chapel....

And then we left....

Leaving is always bittersweet.  I like beginnings much more than endings.
But it was time to go home again.

And we saw tons of saguaro cacti on the way to Phoenix.....and I wish I had photographed the Joshua Trees on the way to Niland, CA. Only one little regret on an amazing trip!

Next stop: HOME!!

Fay and Boynton Canyon,Sedona, AZ

When we left Monument Valley, Utah, we drove straight to Flagstaff and got there around sunset. We checked into the hotel and found a restaurant for supper.  The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant there is laid out exactly the same as the one near us and we sat in the exact same booth we usually get in London!!

We drove away from the desert valley and into prairie grassland that slowly grew into forest (this time the Coconino National Forest) once we passed the San Francisco Peaks and SnowBowl area.

At the Desertview lookout in GC, we had met a couple from Texas who told us all the scenic hotspots to hit in Sedona.  One of them was taking the Oak Creek Canyon highway to Sedona.   It was everything they said it was!   Fun hairpin turns, campsites and creeks right beside the highway....and no places to pass.  We usually get quite a following on routes like that one :)

This nice couple also recommended the fantastic Tourist Info office in the town...and that was our first stop.  We got several maps for hikes...there are so many, and after a long week of terrible coffee, I asked for directions to the nearest Starbucks!! Such. A. Great. Cup. Of. Coffee.

We headed first into Boynton Canyon, a 6 mile round trip hike.  As we headed out onto the trail, we heard this beautiful, haunting flute song....and eventually spotted someone sitting on the top of one the nearby spires.  Soon after, the sky became threatening and we decided not to get caught on the trail in a rain storm and headed back in.  Hike smart!    We got in the car and headed to Fay canyon instead which was close by.  It did rain, but only for 15 minutes and it was a mere drizzle.  Not even enough to keep the dust down.

Hiking a canyon was so different than being on the rim looking down, or in the desert.   I LOVE the forest. You don't see as much from the canyon floor, looking up through trees, but I love being surrounded by texture!!   I love those details in God's amazing creation!! 

After the weather cleared we did go back to Boynton Canyon and hiked the whole trail...and spotted mule deer and a bunny!  It was almost suppertime and we drove into town for a bite and headed out to Airport Mesa for the sunset.  I got a few photos and was so ready to go, after days and days of amazing scenery. How could you get tired of this?!  And then I looked behind me and saw how dark the sky still was....and my beloved drove around and around until we got a nice clear view of this mountain....   And isn't life just like that sometimes?   You get tired of the road, even of the great work you are involved with, and then God sends His special Light onto your path...and it is Awesome....all over again....in the place you least expect it.

This was one of my favourite days. 

Next stop...Last day....Sedona!

A Tour and A Hike, Monument Valley, UT

The West Mitten

Petroglyphs!

The Eagle

Sleeping Frankenstein

Other side of Frankenstein

Near John Ford Point

West Mitten - Wildcat Trail

Desert Scrub, up close

This venue is actually one of the main sights we wanted to see in Arizona.  Ironically, it is in Utah.  And while it too was lovely, it probably wasn't our favourite day. We spent just one night and one day. After the sunrise we went on a Navajo guided tour on the valley floor.  The only way to get onto the floor of the valley was to take a Jeep tour....I don't think our little Focus had enough clearance!  The tour was soooo expensive, but we did enjoy the back country section which is only accessible with a native Navajo guide! The dunes are crazy red!!

In the afternoon we hiked the Wildcat trail around the West Mitten monument.  This...we loved.  The shale trail was easy to follow, with white-painted rocks for markers, and easy footing. I love these opportunities to get away from the main attraction and so few people seem to be "out there". 

Near the end of our day, this lovely white haze drifted in and that light is great for photos. It is amazing how much the landscape changes under different skies.  It ended up raining after we left, and we saw snow along the way to Sedona as well.

One of our favourite little unexpected gems was the very informal (FREE!) film museum at Golding's Trading Post.  That was so fascinating! Wish we had stayed here or at least gone here first.  Although it's hard to pass up the sunrise on the balcony in pajamas drinking really bad hotel room coffee.  

Next stop: Sedona, AZ

Sunset and Sunrise in Monument Valley, UT

I'm so excited that you're still following along!!! 

By the time we made it to Monument Valley, the sun was already setting.  We walked straight to the large balcony after checking into the hotel, and watched the sun go down. It was strange not to feel more awe at the sight of the towering rock monuments. To find the sunset just ho-hum that day.  I thought about that later.   How do you sustain  a high level of awe when you are seeing so many places that equal in beauty and sheer size?

Don`t get me wrong...the sunset was lovely. The towering shadows crept across the dessert floor like long fingers getting longer. Fun to try different settings and try some Ansel Adams monochrome type effects.  And then it was done.  This valley, the scene of many John Wayne Westerns, had gone to sleep for the night.

I thought the sunrise would be more of the same.  But it wasn't.  And I love that.  I love the unexpected.  These are some of my favourite photos of the trip!  The scene before me that morning  revealed the amazing pastel dessert sky that is so prevalent in South Western American art.  It is so neat to experience the moments that inspire pottery and weaving patterns.  And the next time you see the art or the pottery, you realize the patterns are from nature itself...because you saw it with your own eyes.   And buying a souvenir for someone else...just wouldn't evoke the same emotion in them as it did in you.  (So just keep it for yourself! tee hee hee)

Next stop: Monument Valley Floor