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

[PrincessInOz]

A Stop and a Shop: Checking out Upper Sedona




After we finished at Rollies Camera, we decided to take a stroll around Upper Sedona. Afterall, we were parked and in the area and it seemed like a good idea to check it out.






Upper Sedona is filled the most kitschy shops filled with Southwest trinkets.











We spent a bit of time down this breezeway.






Right at the end and on the upper level is a Christmas decoration shop. Between Joe Wilcox and the shop here, I ended up with a few extra decorations for my tree this year.





















We did head into a few more jewellery shops.






But I didn’t see anything that matched the range in Jerome. I will say that we did spend our time on Main Street along the 89A. There are the more upmarket shops, including Tlaquepaque, along the 179 at the corner of the Y and we just didn’t have time to get to them this trip. I remember Tlaquepaque as one of those complexes with lots of galleries and high end shops; so if you’re in the area, it might be worth stopping in and checking it out.



DS had fun keeping cool. It’s amazing how much cooler it is with that bit of moisture in the air.






I found the street scape to be really interesting in this part of Sedona.






There were such quirky touches of SouthWest Cowboys....






....and Indians here.






And then there was just the quirky!







And all around us was that amazing Red Rock Country.























Another favourite shop we stopped in was the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop.





We were all drooling over the treats.







We got some morning snack in here. I spent some time trying to choose between these....






....and these peppermint covered oreos.







On hindsight, I should have gotten BOTH!








Time waits for no one and we still had a little bit of drive ahead of us.







We could have easily spent another week in Sedona. For DH and myself, it was a very relaxing place to be. For DS....once he'd gotten over the shock of limited mobile coverage, he was fine. But it was too quiet for him. He sure is a city boy.



Time to hit the road!







(Continued in the Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Oak Creek Canyon Drive: Arizona State Route 89A




State Route 89A or the Oak Creek Canyon Drive is yet another one of those drives in Arizona that you just do whilst picking up your jaw from the ground.






Aside from unbelievable scenery, there are all sorts of seen-to-be-believed things along the way.






Yes. It IS a not Golden Arches.






Believe it or not, when McDonald’s applied for a licence in Sedona, the city resisted the Gold Arches colour and McDonald's were asked to select a different colour for the arches....and they went with the turquoise green.
It must be the only McD is the world without that distinctive gold. However, what DH and I found to be super interesting was the Super 8 motel less than a mile down the 89A was allowed to keep their yellow and red signage.




On a road filled with scenic wonders, it's the man-made things that stand out and appear larger than life.







We stopped and parked before walking down at Midgley Bridge.







It has a very nice viewpoint of Oak Creek and the Canyon.







We took some snapshots down here and wished we had time to do the walk. Maybe next trip.







We kept heading out along the 89A and hit the forest area.







I had hoped to see some fall colour; but the season hadn't quite turned yet in Sedona. I was about 3 weeks too early.







If you only have time to make one stop on this drive, I highly recommend stopping at the Oak Creek Vista. We were to find and see many such stalls on our road trip from here on end.







Sometimes, there would only be one stall; other times there would be several. These stalls were set up by the Native Indians and there would always be loads of silver jewellery to look at. We always looked and invariably either DH or I would indulge. W found everything from decent jewellery to souvenir trinkets at these stalls.







As you walk past the stalls, it really is a short walk to the Vista Point.







The view is amazing!








And you get to see how scenic this drive really is.











After our happy families shot....






....and more shopping at those stalls on the walk back....it was definitely time to keep going. Blue skies and big country beckoned!







(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


A PITA lunch




The drive from Sedona along the 89A is a short 30 miles to Flagstaff. And it was getting pretty late in the morning. A stop for lunch was definitely in order.


I've long learnt from experience that whenever I plan to embark on a road trip to make sure that I cover the pesky vegetarian bases where food is concerned. DH gets pretty frustrated when we travel and he can't find anything vegetarian to eat. And I would agree....afterall, it's not as if being a vegetarian is that much out of left-field that cooks and chefs can't cater for. So, I'd spent a bit of time checking out every town along our road trip itinerary and figuring out viable options for all meals for this trip. I'd even printed out google map directions for how to get to the various places. Yes, OCD gone wild!



There was only one place on my hitlist for lunch in Flagstaff. With my planning prep, we found the Flagstaff store easily.






The Pita Jungle is a restaurant chain in Arizona (and starting to head towards California) serving Middle Eastern style healthy-option food. The menu covers everything from dips, salads, burgers through to pizzas. It isn't strictly vegetarian; but the vegetarian options are extensive. It's the type of cuisine that appeals to my entire family.






I chose the Mediterranean Chicken Salad.






DH ordered the Lentil Fetoosh Salad.






DS went with the Falafel.






We also ordered the Blue Corn Nachos to share.






You'd think by now that we would have learnt about mis-judging American serving sizes!!! We ended up with a few boxes to take away with us.


For the record....the food was very good. It had the right balance of lemon in the dressing and sufficient spice for us to enjoy our lunch on this day.




So far, it had taken us 4 hours to drive some 30 miles. We still had a little bit to go to get to our destination for the night.

 

[ejud]

Isn't that just the most striking country???
Flag??? You're going to the Grand Canyon, aren't you???



PS: that last food picture? I want that now!!!

Jud

 

[PrincessInOz]

Isn't that just the most striking country???
Flag??? You're going to the Grand Canyon, aren't you???



PS: that last food picture? I want that now!!!

Jud

Grand Canyon here we come! But first....I still have the late afternoon to meander.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We love the Oak Creek Vista. We were there in October during our government shutdown. We were surprised that the parking lot to the vista was open. The vista is part of the National Forest Service, so all services were closed, including bathrooms and the ranger office. However, the crafters were still out selling their wares. Did you get anything? We bought a couple of ornaments from them earlier in the year.

 

[franandaj]

Upper Sedona is filled the most kitschy shops filled with Southwest trinkets.

We spent a bit of time down this breezeway.

You know what? This is all that I have seen of Sedona. This is the exact section where we would be dropped off for three hours on our band tours. I think our band director who chose the spot would spend his time in a bar drinking margaritas!

Right at the end and on the upper level is a Christmas decoration shop. Between Joe Wilcox and the shop here, I ended up with a few extra decorations for my tree this year.

Rockin' Rollercoaster!

Another favourite shop we stopped in was the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop.

We call it the Rocky Mountain Poison Company. There is one on Second Street in Belmont Shore.

We took some snapshots down here and wished we had time to do the walk. Maybe next trip.

I LOVE this picture of your two!

This is a day spent how Fran and I do on road trips except she would have taken the giant SUV to hold all the goodies that she would have purchased!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice pictures from Sedona stores.

The Midgley Bridge pictures are very nice and the one from the Oak Creek and the Canyon. That is a very nice picture of you and your DH.

The Pita Jungle restaurant looks like a very nice place to eat.

Very nice update.

 

[ACDSNY]

I was a little worried when I saw "PITA Lunch" so I'm glad the PITA Jungle was good and not the other translation. I wish we had one near my office.

Love the pics as always.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I was a little worried when I saw "PITA Lunch" so I'm glad the PITA Jungle was good and not the other translation. I wish we had one near my office.

Love the pics as always.

my EXACT thoughts....and it all looked so delicious !

Love how you travel from Oz find your way to a place in Sedona and get (like Alison said) a Rockin Rollercoaster Christmas ornament !

Don't know how I missed commenting on the train trip That was gorgeous I would have opted for the outdoor seating too silly to sit inside What a peaceful and beautiful area for that wedding you saw I want to go there

Ah the lens and the eyeglasses..funny how we learn what's really important right ?

 

[zanzibar138]

More stunning scenery and yummy looking lunch

I wish the Maccas in Tecoma would take notice of the objections from the community like that...

 

[franandaj]

I was a little worried when I saw "PITA Lunch" so I'm glad the PITA Jungle was good and not the other translation. I wish we had one near my office.

Love the pics as always.

I had this same exact thought!

 

[Pinkocto]

Great update. I'd probably be drooling over the silver jewelry.

Yes, next time you must get both treats, you can always save one for later, or not


Lunch looks tasty. I too was worried with the title

 

[PrincessInOz]

Isn't that just the most striking country???
Flag??? You're going to the Grand Canyon, aren't you???



PS: that last food picture? I want that now!!!

Jud

The countryside is what keeps pulling me back to this part of the world. It is beautiful!

We love the Oak Creek Vista. We were there in October during our government shutdown. We were surprised that the parking lot to the vista was open. The vista is part of the National Forest Service, so all services were closed, including bathrooms and the ranger office. However, the crafters were still out selling their wares. Did you get anything? We bought a couple of ornaments from them earlier in the year.

It was opened during the shutdown? I did wonder.

DH and I both bought a bracelet. I think DH got a decent one; I was after a trinket.

You know what? This is all that I have seen of Sedona. This is the exact section where we would be dropped off for three hours on our band tours. I think our band director who chose the spot would spend his time in a bar drinking margaritas!

I had a suspicion I knew which spot you had seen when you told me that you had only seen one part of Sedona.

Rockin' Rollercoaster!

Why do you think I got it???

We call it the Rocky Mountain Poison Company. There is one on Second Street in Belmont Shore.

Lucky for me, I'm not Snow White.

I LOVE this picture of your two!

This is a day spent how Fran and I do on road trips except she would have taken the giant SUV to hold all the goodies that she would have purchased!

Fortunately, we didn't take that SUV offered to us at Phoenix.

Very nice pictures from Sedona stores.

The Midgley Bridge pictures are very nice and the one from the Oak Creek and the Canyon. That is a very nice picture of you and your DH.

The Pita Jungle restaurant looks like a very nice place to eat.

Very nice update.

Thanks Bret. I like that picture of me and DH too.

More stunning scenery and yummy looking lunch

I wish the Maccas in Tecoma would take notice of the objections from the community like that...

I know. It seems a shame that Tecoma is going to have one opened there.

I was a little worried when I saw "PITA Lunch" so I'm glad the PITA Jungle was good and not the other translation. I wish we had one near my office.

Love the pics as always.

my EXACT thoughts....and it all looked so delicious !

Love how you travel from Oz find your way to a place in Sedona and get (like Alison said) a Rockin Rollercoaster Christmas ornament !

Don't know how I missed commenting on the train trip That was gorgeous I would have opted for the outdoor seating too silly to sit inside What a peaceful and beautiful area for that wedding you saw I want to go there

Ah the lens and the eyeglasses..funny how we learn what's really important right ?

I had this same exact thought!

Great update. I'd probably be drooling over the silver jewelry.

Yes, next time you must get both treats, you can always save one for later, or not


Lunch looks tasty. I too was worried with the title

*sigh* I should have picked that up!!!

A little confession time.

I had originally had written that DH and I had an argument over lunch. It was our first argument on this trip...after a week travelling together....so on reflection, we'd done quite well. I don't remember what we argued about but I definitely remembered feeling so upset that I ended up in tears. It was all over and done in 10 minutes but at the time....

It was Pita Jungle by name; and PITA by experience.

When I came to post the update, I figured it was TMI and deleted that section out. But I forgot to update the title.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Road to....Sunset Crater Volcano




It was close on 3 pm when we finally left Flagstaff on our way to the Grand Canyon. Pretty ridiculous really; especially when you consider that we left the house in Sedona at 8.30 am in the morning. I should have realised it then....but DH and I were to turn seemingly short drives into major epic journeys on this trip. To put it into perspective for you all, according to Google Maps, Sedona to Grand Canyon should have taken us 2 hours to drive.


I could have taken the 40 West to the 64 and entered the Grand Canyon from the South entrance. But given the relative "shortness" of the journey, I'd decided to head along the 89 and come in via the East Gate.



Why?





This route was reputedly more scenic and with a couple of brown signs that we were interested to detour. Despite the lateness of the hour, DH and I were still keen to go-see.

Brown signs? Any street signs you see along a US highway with a brown background colour is usually related to points of recreational or cultural interests. In short....tourist attractions!
DH and I had long learnt that whenever we see a brown sign on a US highway, it was probably something that we would turn around and turn off for.



If you head 12 miles along the 89 north, you'll come across the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Entrance fee is $5 per adult for a 7 day period. If you take the detour, the Visitor Centre is 2 miles in. I figured that if we took this route, it would be kinda cool to stop for a go-see.







We picked up our tourist map and headed along the road to where we could see signs of the cooled lava flow.







The Sunset Crater Volcano erupted over 900 years ago. There are a couple of walks that you can do here but we were very time constrained and stayed only long enough to see the volcano cone from the first vantage point.







Cinder cones, such as the Sunset Crater, are formed during early explosive stages of an eruption. In this case, the Sunset Crater eruption was so explosive that it produced a blanket of ash and lapilli covering an area of more than 2,100 square kilometers and forced the temporary abandonment of settlements of the local Sinagua people....for about a hundred or so years.







The volcano has partially revegetated, with pines and wildflowers. I found it beautiful to look at.








From the Sunset Volcano, we could drive along a wide loop and head towards the other attraction that was along this way. Despite not being that much further, speed limits in the National Park area were set at 35 mph and that made our decision easy. We headed back out to the 89 and sped down the highway.





(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



Road to....Wupatki National Monument





Wupatki National Monument can be reached by the same loop road that passes Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument or directly off the 89 itself. The same $5 Park Entrance permit is valid at both Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano if you visit within the validity period (7 days). The consensus is that Wupatki was built after the eruption of Sunset Crater. But no one knows if it was built as a result of the eruption or if there was another reason for the settlement.

In any event, Wupatki is one of several sites preserving pueblos (villages) of ancient peoples that left many ruins scattered over a large area of desert northeast of Flagstaff. This 3-storey Wupatki Pueblo (Hopi for 'tall house') was once home to 300 people and had over a hundred rooms. If it seems familiar, that's because it seems to feature as one of those iconic images representing the state of Arizona.






The ruins can be reached by a short, paved, self-guided trail starting at the visitor center and takes about half an hour to walk at a leisurely pace. Hiking off trail is not permitted.






The visitor centre provides a leaflet which describes 20 points of interest along this walk. The numbers are clearly marked and the accompanying print material provides the commentary for the point. Can I just say that the information is pretty dry? DH and DS tuned off by the time we got to the house and I was left chasing after them without being able to fully read and absorb the material.







We could look into many of the rooms of the main building. The pueblos in this part of Arizona all have a distinctive deep red color and were made from thin, flat blocks of the local Moenkopi sandstone.






I'm not sure if these were for ventilation or used as a chimney to draw out the smoke. In either case, the Puebloans were incredibly clever to develop these.







There was one section of Wupatki that we were allowed to go into and pretend that we were there 900 years ago. So cool!






We kept walking along the path.







Apart from the main building, there were a number of other areas to visit. The ballcourt was used for special ceremonies and also where games were played.







From the looks of things, it is a pretty good water reservoir...or swimming pool.....as well.







Also present was a natural blowhole. This is a vent of unknown depth linked to underground passages in the sandstone, and either blows out or sucks in air, depending on the ambient pressure. As I stood over the vent, the cool air blew my hair off my face. The pressure was obviously outward and pretty strong that day.








There was another circular structure in the area. It might resemble a kiva; but archeologists have been unable to find any evidence of a roof or floor that so typifies a kiva.







Instead, this is considered an open-air community room.







There were a few other people visiting the site when we were there. One of them was gracious enough to take a picture of us. It’s one of my favourites of this trip.








One final view of Wupatki....with that community room.







And it was time to push on.






(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



East Gate to the Grand Canyon Village, South Rim




Would you believe we still had another 90 miles to travel to the Grand Canyon Village from Wupatki?



I had originally hoped to be seeing sunset at the Canyon. Instead, we were still lead-footing our way down the 89 to the East Gate. We eventually got to the 64 turn-off at around 7 pm.


Some couple of miles down the road, we saw a sign. It wasn't a brown sign but it did say scenic lookout. The walk from the parking lot was over slippery stones and I nearly slid once as the light was fading fast. The view? We got a look at the Little Colorado River from here.







I had to remind DS not to get too close to the edge.








And this is what sunset looked like on this day.







We'd been out of media circulation for a while so we hadn't heard any news of the impending shutdown of the National Park Service. Seems like the shutdown came in force on 1 Oct and we were really lucky to have been able to complete all our road trip without being impacted by the lack of agreement by Congress and the White House on the US debt limit.


We were to figure out later that this was probably why there was no one manning the entry booth at the East Gate of the Grand Canyon. We drove up and were surprised to see a sign up advising visitors to head in and pay at the NPS building in the Village. So, in we went.


It was past 8 pm when we got to the Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim.

Yup. DH and I had managed to turn the 2 - 3 hour drive into an 11 hour odyssey today. By this stage, we were really pleased to find the reception at Yavapai Lodge.

These were taken during the day by DH. The rooms at Yavapai are located in buildings like this.







When staying at the Grand Canyon or any National Park, there is only one place to book accommodation through if you wish to stay in the Village. The NPS has outsourced this facility and the management of the in-park hotels, lodges etc., to Xanterra. Accommodation bookings open about 12 or 13 months out from your proposed arrival date and they are booked well in advance.


If anyone is interested to head to the Grand Canyon, make sure you book as soon as your dates are set. I looked at booking our accommodation for this September trip way back in January/February. Bright Angel Lodge and El Tovar were already booked out for my dates. Maswik Lodge was the other option; but it didn't appeal to me. All lodges at the rim were fully booked out by the time April came round.

Whilst located right in the Village, Yavapai is not located right at the rim. If that matters to you, look at getting rooms at El Tovar or Bright Angel.



As it was past 8 pm, we decided to get food before we went to our room. Most of the food options at the Grand Canyon close by 9 pm. DH and I decided to take the simplest option. We headed into the cafeteria at Yavapai.







It's typical cafeteria food. There were a number of stations for the different food groups. Salad, carbohydrates, protein and sweets.

The hot buffet food didn't appeal to any of us and there was a very limited choice of vegetarian food. DH decided on just a salad plate.






I looked at the pizza option for DS but the pizzas looked like they had been there a while and it didn't look like any fresh pizzas were coming out any time soon. So, we both settled for pasta instead.







The food filled our bellies but given the choice and more time, I will not be back. The pasta really was the best of the bad lot at that time of night. The server took a packet of pasta out of the fridge beneath her. It had been pre-cooked and pre-measured out. All she had to do was open the plastic wrap, pop the cooked pasta into a strainer and put it into hot water to re-heat for a minute. And then it got put on the plate and she scooped the sauce over it.

I really won't be back for a repeat visit at this cafeteria.




After dinner, we were itching to get to our room at Yavapai Lodge. It is pretty dusty travelling on the road in Arizona and hitting both Sunset Crater and Wupatki had only enhanced that fine layer of sand that we were all wearing. A shower was most definitely in order for all of us!


I booked a room in the East Side of Yavapai. This is the side that has been refurbished; so the rooms and facilities were quite decent.






You can't see it; but there is a little fridge in the room under the table there. I popped our leftover Pita Jungle packages in there.






I was very pleased to see that the facilities were clean.













I actually liked that they provided liquid soap, shampoo and conditioner in the bottles. There was no extra paper or plastic packaging waste to deal with.







There was neither WiFi access nor mobile coverage at our room and it was just as well that I had reminded DS of this all the way to the Grand Canyon today. To his credit, it took the news and reality fairly calmly.



We would have two very comfortable nights in here. As an accommodation option for being at the South Rim, this was a pretty good choice. There are limited options to stay inside the Grand Canyon Village; so invariably room rates can be a little pricey. For this Aussie, I didn't think the rate was exhorbitant for Yavapai. If I ever come back this way and Bright Angel Lodge (we're happy to have share facilities down the hall for a few nights) isn't available again, I'd be more than happy to stay here. Of course, if money were no object, El Tovar is going to be the place for you.

Otherwise, there are a number of the chain hotels/motels at the South Gate entrance.

 

[jedijill]

Wow, that's some stunning scenery. I haven't been to the Grand Canyon in 30 years. I need to get back down there some of these days.

Jill in CO

 

[Luvchefmic]

Very pretty area I agree the picture of the 3 of you is a favorite of mine too
Re-closing down of the govt and the Nat'l parks I had you all on my mind when that was going on, glad it didn't adversely affect your trip

 

[ejud]

Road to....Sunset Crater Volcano

I could have taken the 40 West to the 64 and entered the Grand Canyon from the South entrance. But given the relative "shortness" of the journey, I'd decided to head along the 89 and come in via the East Gate.

OMG!!! WHY????

Why?

Yes: why???? LOL!

This route was reputedly more scenic and with a couple of brown signs that we were interested to detour. Despite the lateness of the hour, DH and I were still keen to go-see.

Brown signs? Any street signs you see along a US highway with a brown background colour is usually related to points of recreational or cultural interests. In short....tourist attractions!
DH and I had long learnt that whenever we see a brown sign on a US highway, it was probably something that we would turn around and turn off for.

Ahhhh! Good for you!!! I like it!



Jud