Anyone Game? 2 Castles and a Road Trip TR! Last Day and TR Wrap Up! #2796; 10/01

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Sinagua Afternoon




The Sinagua Plaza area in Upper Sedona is one of those small open shop squares where you’ll find your standard range of tourist shops.







Our restaurant was based here and aside from a few other restaurants, we found jewellery shops, Native American Indian artefacts, Christmas decoration shop, Olive Oil, clothes shop (of sorts). We didn't seem to grab any pictures of the shops; but there was a water feature in the central courtyard area.







We took a look in the Native American Indian artefact and jewellery shops and came out with a few items. DH was on the look-out for moccasins but didn't find anything he liked here. Our favourite shop for the afternoon turned out to be Joe Wilcox Indian Den. I bought some Christmas decorations....Arizona Native American Indian style.

I think you've already worked out that the views from Upper Sedona are pretty special. If you head to the back of Sinagua Plaza, you'll find the car park.







Check out the view!

Those houses/condo's were not here 13 years ago.







I do remember someone mentioning Snoopy Rock to me.







It's the little one!







In the daytime, the colour striations of the different layers are clearly visible.










Did you wonder why there was no dessert to go with lunch?







We had spotted something else instead. There were local flavours like prickly pear yoghurt here. It was delicious!







Afterwards, we spent some more time exploring the few shops in this little stretch; and across the road before heading back to the house.

 

[hayesktrm]

I was missing WDW, started lurking on DisBoards and came across TRs. I saw yours and was immediately drawn in. We used to live 1-1/2 hours from DL, so we would go there almost every weekend. The kids thought of it like other kids think of city parks. We've been gone for 9 years...a lot has changed I see as I'm looking at your pictures. This TR has made us all want to go back...and soon.

I'm not sure if we will make it to WDW or DL first, but I'm sure when you get to WDW I will be loving that, too, and wishing we were there (instead of looking at the snow out the window ).

Thanks for sharing and letting me relive one of our favorite places.

 

[ejud]

I suspected it was a rather long hike down.

Longer up! General rule is one day down, two days up. Of course, I spent a few days down.

Gotta go read your newest update now!



Jud

 

[ejud]

The Call of the Wild
The wind rustles through the trees.
The leaves move....it sounds like a cacophony of kettles whistling.



Pine cone drops, twigs crack....
....leaves fall.
...

Okay now you are making me "homesick"! All great shots, but this one is just beautiful!

Oh my...



Jud

 

[zanzibar138]

Great photos from the walk

OMG that yoghurt looks so delish! I discovered prickly pear at the Grand Canyon - I had some sort of prickly pear lemonade cocktail, and it was yummo!

Sounds like a nice laid-back kind of afternoon after your long hike.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I love all the scenery. The beautiful view more than made up for the dodgy decor. The food looked nice as well. DH would have loved the Prickly Pear Frozen Yoghurt.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

See, you did get a little shopping in during this trip! Just not the power version that you're used to on the trips to SF! I noticed that while you were taking pictures of the shopping center and things, your boys were fully immersed in their devices!

I guess I can understand why you like to get out of them! I'm the one who is always getting in trouble for being immersed in my devices!

I think the lesson here is that when you have the option to go for a rare regional meat, DO IT! I'm sure the Bison burger would have been awesome!

Sorry about your little scratches from the obligatory "call of nature" at least you didn't come down with a full case of poison oak! As a kid, we hiked through enough poison oak forests that we learned to regret it and NEVER do it again. It made those scratches look like nothing, however, we were only in the 4th grade and were happy we had to skip school because of our injuries. As an adult and still sporting the wounds, I'm sorry.

 

[kmedina]

The house you stayed in is just lovely, so I agree you made the right decision on bypassing a hotel. I cannot wait until the boys are old enough for us to sneak out for a bit. At 13, I do not think I will feel guilty but you never know until you get there, right? It is funny that he was still asleep upon your return. We worry for nothing at times. The trail is stunning. We tried to do the run at Red Rock a while back but quickly realized we are too out of shape. Xander whined the entire time too. In a few years, when the boys are older and our health is better, I want to return. Five hours is a long time to hike. I have never lasted more than two. Good for you. The wet feet would have driven me nuts, but I am glad your DS liked it.

 

[BringingUpDisney]

Late to the trip report but so excited to be following along!! It seems like such a short time since that meet up! Happy to report that DD shot up the necessary inch and a half that kept us off Radiator Springs Racers, so she is over 41 inches as we head off to the World next weekend.

 

[spiritsim]

I spent a week in Sedona with my favorite aunt when I was a teenager. It still looks as lovely as I remember. Thanks for the memories.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I was missing WDW, started lurking on DisBoards and came across TRs. I saw yours and was immediately drawn in. We used to live 1-1/2 hours from DL, so we would go there almost every weekend. The kids thought of it like other kids think of city parks. We've been gone for 9 years...a lot has changed I see as I'm looking at your pictures. This TR has made us all want to go back...and soon.

I'm not sure if we will make it to WDW or DL first, but I'm sure when you get to WDW I will be loving that, too, and wishing we were there (instead of looking at the snow out the window ).

Thanks for sharing and letting me relive one of our favorite places.

Welcome to the TR! Thanks for posting.

DL has certainly changed in the last 10 years. If you haven't been for a while, it is worth thinking about a trip down memory lane to see the changes. Perhaps your kids would appreciate to see what their backyard now looks like.

I've still got another 12 days to go before I get to WDW. I'm hoping to get there before the snow melts where you are.

Enjoy the snow. It sounds lovely from where I'm sitting.

Longer up! General rule is one day down, two days up. Of course, I spent a few days down.

Gotta go read your newest update now!



Jud

Yup. That's my rule of thumb as well. Plan for twice as long going up as it takes going down.

I better clarify that the statement above is in reference to bush walking!!!

Okay now you are making me "homesick"! All great shots, but this one is just beautiful!

Oh my...



Jud

Thanks Jud. It is one of my favourites from the walk as well.

Great photos from the walk

OMG that yoghurt looks so delish! I discovered prickly pear at the Grand Canyon - I had some sort of prickly pear lemonade cocktail, and it was yummo!

Sounds like a nice laid-back kind of afternoon after your long hike.

It was a nice way to 'chill'.

I love all the scenery. The beautiful view more than made up for the dodgy decor. The food looked nice as well. DH would have loved the Prickly Pear Frozen Yoghurt.

Corinna

The decor suited the place. I was pleasantly surprised by the food. And yes, that Prickly Pear Frozen Yoghurt was sensation.

See, you did get a little shopping in during this trip! Just not the power version that you're used to on the trips to SF! I noticed that while you were taking pictures of the shopping center and things, your boys were fully immersed in their devices!

I guess I can understand why you like to get out of them! I'm the one who is always getting in trouble for being immersed in my devices!

I think the lesson here is that when you have the option to go for a rare regional meat, DO IT! I'm sure the Bison burger would have been awesome!

Sorry about your little scratches from the obligatory "call of nature" at least you didn't come down with a full case of poison oak! As a kid, we hiked through enough poison oak forests that we learned to regret it and NEVER do it again. It made those scratches look like nothing, however, we were only in the 4th grade and were happy we had to skip school because of our injuries. As an adult and still sporting the wounds, I'm sorry.

Shopping for souvenirs and trinkets is NOT the kind of shopping I had in mind.

I did keep an eye out for poison oak when I was heading off-trail. I sure didn't want to come down with the case of the scratchies! What's that they say....leaves of 3, let it be??

I think the only reason I didn't go for the Bison burger was because I wasn't sure that this place would cook it properly. I like my meat medium rare and it can be easy to stuff that up!

The house you stayed in is just lovely, so I agree you made the right decision on bypassing a hotel. I cannot wait until the boys are old enough for us to sneak out for a bit. At 13, I do not think I will feel guilty but you never know until you get there, right? It is funny that he was still asleep upon your return. We worry for nothing at times. The trail is stunning. We tried to do the run at Red Rock a while back but quickly realized we are too out of shape. Xander whined the entire time too. In a few years, when the boys are older and our health is better, I want to return. Five hours is a long time to hike. I have never lasted more than two. Good for you. The wet feet would have driven me nuts, but I am glad your DS liked it.

I have no issue with leaving DS alone for a bit when we're at home. He knows our neighbours and he can call us if he needs. But we were just a little worried about being in a strange place. But he's quite a good boy and knows to stay away from trouble. So we did give him a bit more time and space on this trip. It also made for us getting a bit more 'together' time.

DH and I used to do a lot of hiking when we were younger. We were pleased to find that the 5 hour hike didn't stretch us too much. Perhaps it was the DLR conditioning.

May your boys grow up quickly (but not too quickly) so that you can enjoy the same.

Late to the trip report but so excited to be following along!! It seems like such a short time since that meet up! Happy to report that DD shot up the necessary inch and a half that kept us off Radiator Springs Racers, so she is over 41 inches as we head off to the World next weekend.

Nice to see you here! Can you believe that it's been over 2 months???

Good news about your DD growing taller. Perhaps you can all get on Test Track. Have fun at WDW and the BC. We really enjoyed the resort this trip.

I spent a week in Sedona with my favorite aunt when I was a teenager. It still looks as lovely as I remember. Thanks for the memories.

Glad to help you walk down memory lane. The natural surrounds of Sedona hasn't changed much but the town has certainly built up a bit more.

 

[knewton64]

.....yet your Arizona pics are just putting me in a mood for a
*** ROAD TRIP!! ***


and a HUGE THANK YOU for the solving of the "Spagetti measurer Mystery"




P.S.
that one pic of the truck.......YES - I too was thinking that looks straight outta 'Carsland."







T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[LegoMom3]

Came in for this latest update and realized I missed one!! Yikes! But I'm caught up now.... Your house was adorable! Love the style; reminds me a bit of the house we stayed in when we went to Colorado (right down to picking up supplies at Safeway!!). I love the whole southwest theme.

Great shots from your hike! I really love the one where you are looking up through the trees.

.

 

[Pluto0809]

Sedona looks so beautiful! I've been out to Utah but never to Arizona. There is just so much to see in America I'm not sure you could ever do it all!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[ACDSNY]

The Call of the Wild pics are stunning, I sorry you picked up a few scars along the way.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

What a lovely update! The house is wonderful really a must to give you that full 360 degrees Sedona spaghetti western feel! Either that or stay in a metal trailer like in the Movie Kill Bill lol. I think I prefer your option!

Prickly pear yogurt yum! I would have loved to have tried that and def the bison burger. My carnivore in me would have had to had that...

The walk looks inspiring. It reminds me of a walk Jo and I did years ago in the Somalia gorge in the Greek island of Crete. You start early before sunrise and as you walk the 16 km canyon floor the sun rises to reveal the red and orange bursts of colour that just feel like they have no place in nature. It's amazing so glad I did it whilst I had my mobility.

I am glad your ds came along. A memory he can treasure! Great you found a native American shop. I just love dream catchers!

 

[franandaj]

Lunch looked great, but I think whenever you have the chance to try something unique like bison burger you need to do it! Although the beef burger looked pretty tasty too! I'm sorry you still have the prickly scars, I didn't even notice them in Florida, but then again I wasn't necessarily checking out your legs, maybe I should go back and look at those shots from the table at Raglan Road!

 

[PrincessInOz]

.....yet your Arizona pics are just putting me in a mood for a
*** ROAD TRIP!! ***


and a HUGE THANK YOU for the solving of the "Spagetti measurer Mystery"



P.S.
that one pic of the truck.......YES - I too was thinking that looks straight outta 'Carsland."



T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

If the cold is as bad as being reported over the International wires, I suspect that you staying put and reading this TR might be a better way to enjoy a road trip.

Came in for this latest update and realized I missed one!! Yikes! But I'm caught up now.... Your house was adorable! Love the style; reminds me a bit of the house we stayed in when we went to Colorado (right down to picking up supplies at Safeway!!). I love the whole southwest theme.

Great shots from your hike! I really love the one where you are looking up through the trees.

.

That southwest theme is something that I love too. Colorado houses have a real distressed wood look to them. I quite liked that look too.

Thanks.

Sedona looks so beautiful! I've been out to Utah but never to Arizona. There is just so much to see in America I'm not sure you could ever do it all!

Every time I go over the US, my 3D friends will say to me "Again???". They just don't understand why I keep heading over. But there is still so much more I haven't seen or enjoyed in the US. You may be right in thinking that you could never do it all.

Great update!

Thank you.

The Call of the Wild pics are stunning, I sorry you picked up a few scars along the way.

That was my fault. I really should have taken a closer look as I was walking past.

What a lovely update! The house is wonderful really a must to give you that full 360 degrees Sedona spaghetti western feel! Either that or stay in a metal trailer like in the Movie Kill Bill lol. I think I prefer your option!

Prickly pear yogurt yum! I would have loved to have tried that and def the bison burger. My carnivore in me would have had to had that...

The walk looks inspiring. It reminds me of a walk Jo and I did years ago in the Somalia gorge in the Greek island of Crete. You start early before sunrise and as you walk the 16 km canyon floor the sun rises to reveal the red and orange bursts of colour that just feel like they have no place in nature. It's amazing so glad I did it whilst I had my mobility.

I am glad your ds came along. A memory he can treasure! Great you found a native American shop. I just love dream catchers!

I haven't been to Crete and if there are reds and oranges, I might need to put it on the list.

The dream catches were amazing on this trip. But we weren't looking for dream catches.....

Lunch looked great, but I think whenever you have the chance to try something unique like bison burger you need to do it! Although the beef burger looked pretty tasty too! I'm sorry you still have the prickly scars, I didn't even notice them in Florida, but then again I wasn't necessarily checking out your legs, maybe I should go back and look at those shots from the table at Raglan Road!

The scabs had mostly healed by the time I got to Florida. Whilst it was a superficial wound, I still can see the crisscross lines.

But you've got me curious. I wonder if you can see them in the RR pictures.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Cathedral Rock Moon Rise - Night and Day




Cathedral Rock is one of four rock formations in Sedona believed to contain an energy vortex. It is believed to contain feminine or magnetic energy, which encourages relaxation. Irrespective of your beliefs, it is one of the most photographed formations in Arizona.


Why is it called Cathedral Rock? The best explanation I've heard is due to that saddle or 'gap' crop of rocks that is the lowest in the formation. It is looks like hands with palms together and the index fingers pointed like when you're praying.






Our accommodation was picked because of it's proximity to the Crescent Moon Picnic area and accessibility to Cathedral Rock. It's no wonder that DH and I came here as often as we did; particularly at sunset.






As the sun drops further in the horizon, the whole formation just glows.






I really love seeing the changes in colour.






Today, we stayed far longer than most. We stayed so long that we saw the bats come out to play and were bitten beyond words by the mosquitoes.
I had definitely said silent prayers and was hanging around in the hopes of those prayers being answered.







And they were! You see....tonight was full moon night. And I had hoped to capture moon rise in Sedona but had no idea WHERE to point the camera.

Given where I had seen the moon yesterday, I hoped that the moon would rise over Cathedral Rock. When planning for this trip, I had checked. Moon rise was scheduled at 6.32 pm and with the sun setting at about the same time, I figured it was going to be the perfect opportunity for some moon rise shots.



I was definitely going to be rewarded tonight.


Moon Rise over Cathedral Rock, where night and day can be found in the same moment through the lens of my camera.



A sliver of light begins to form in the distance






Moving constantly, the light grows







She dares you to ignore her existence






Changing insistently, time flows







She shines, she floats with persistence






Clearing finally, her face glows









After this night, if you ask me, Feminine energy definitely prevails at Cathedral Rock!






(Continued in Next Post)