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

[PrincessInOz]

Very nice pictures from the music museum.

Thanks Bret.

Oh don't mind me, I was just ten pages behind...gah! Caught up now though!

That's a bummer your DS was less than thrilled about the Haunted Mansion! It looks very cool with the holiday decor!

But, Splash Mountain definitely looked like a fun, albeit wet, exchange!

Loved your night shots of Carsland!

World of Color looks beautiful!! And dinner sounds delicious!! A very nice ending to your already fabulous day!!!

Oh no, what an unpleasant surprise at the airport the next morning, but great that they got you on an earlier flight!!!

I'm sorry it took so long at the rental car counter! We've had similar experiences and they always try to sell a bigger, pricier vehicle! Good for you getting a brand new car in the category you wanted!!

Yay another DisMeet and a yummy looking Japanese lunch!! That is making me mighty hungry for some Miso soup and sushi!!

The Music Museum looks spectacular! Wow! So happy to read you had a great time there! And kudos to your DS for keeping up with his piano practice even on vacation!!! Hope he does well on his test!!!

Welcome back, TM.

I keep trying with DS and that HM ride.
And yes, he did very very well on his music exam.

Following along really enjoying your report can't wait to see where you go next

Glad you're still here.

 

[ejud]

I keep trying with DS and that HM ride.
And yes, he did very very well on his music exam.

Glad to hear your son did well on his music exam... did you ever mention to him there is a piano player in the Mansion?



Jud

 

[PrincessInOz]

Glad to hear your son did well on his music exam... did you ever mention to him there is a piano player in the Mansion?



Jud

No, I haven't. I wonder if it would make any difference?

 

[PrincessInOz]

The 17 to 179




The Road Trip component of our vacation was kick starting with one of the most scenic drives in the USA. We took the 17 north out of Phoenix.








With this kind of landscape.....







.....and flora, we made a couple of stops along the way. We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.







Despite being in reputed desert country, it was pretty green here. And as we travelled, we found that we were climbing up in elevation.







It was beautiful countryside.







It was supposed to take about 90 minutes to drive from Phoenix to Sedona. From the MIM and with the stops, we did it in just over 2 hours.







We were heading to Oak Creek Canyon country.







The 179 or the Red Rock Byway did not disappoint. For a road less than 10 miles long, it is a destination unto itself.







The scenery is spectacular and as a consequence, the road was rather dangerous.








There were far too many drivers like us slowing down every so often to enjoy the jaw dropping scenery. Yes, it really is a real life Carsland.








It’s no wonder that there are so many scenic lookouts along this drive. I think it felt like we had come out of the exit, barely drive 5 meters to find the entry of yet another scenic lookout.







We did briefly stop at the Oak Creek Warehouse Outlets (they aren't very big with about 30 shops or so); but most places were closed or closing so we didn’t stay long. I had planned on coming back…but we never found the time. It was like all the shopping places along the way were mocking me!







We made another stop here.







The proximity of Courthouse Butte to the Village of Oak Creek and Sedona makes this one of the most visited wilderness spots in America. Despite the closeness, the National Forest Service does an amazing job at making sure that “the earth and its community of life are untrammelled by man, where man itself is a visitor who does not remain.”







The reddish layers around this part of the world are known as Schnebly Hill formation. Hard to believe…but this area was all once an ancient sea. Above the Schnebly Hill formation are striations of colour. When the sea levels rose and fell, it left deposits of sediment and salt flats in layers that record the rise and fall and the passing of time over 15 million years ago. And as the sun hits the layers at sunrise and sunset, the rock just glows!





The last time DH and I had been here, we hiked this area and around Bell Rock. We were both really pleased to be back in this part of the world again.











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[PrincessInOz]

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Sedona, Arizona




Sedona is one of those adventure new age spots in the US. It's a little town with a population of about 10,000 people. Set in the Coconino State Forest area at an elevation of about 4500 feet with the Oak Creek running through, it is surrounded by Red Rock colours, ponderosa pines, cottonwood and just stinkin' beautiful everywhere you look. There are 4 energy vortexes in Sedona and they attract the New Age crowd. One of the energy vortexes is around Bell Rock.




As a destination, it's just the perfect spot to suit both my husband and myself. We’d been here twice before; once in 1997 and once when I was pregnant with DS, 13 or 14 years ago. We had always said that we needed to bring him back here. The timing worked out right on this trip to fulfil that dream. Afterall, we did have 2 weeks to fill in between Castles and when we were working out where to go, it seemed like a Four Corners road trip was just the ticket.




This red rock country is just spectacular. There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe it. The colours of the burnt orange and ochres and earthy yellows just touch my soul in a way that no city (except for Melbourne and San Francisco) or Disneyland can ever do.







And we have 2 full days and 3 nights to fill in this little corner of Arizona.






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[PrincessInOz]

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Searching....Searching.....No Service





We kept going. It was getting late and we still needed to make it to our accommodation for the night.
We drove past Oak Creek and into the "Y" that forms the junction of the 179 and the 89A. The Village of Upper Sedona is located around that Y. We didn't have time to stop; but there were a lot more shops along the stretch of road from Oak Creek Village to Upper Sedona than I remembered. It certainly was all 'grown up' now.



I had rented a place to stay in Sedona out in the middle of nowhere.








Well.....not quite. We did have neighbours; but it is so quiet here that my city boy of a DS was freaking out. He cried when we took the left fork down a windy road to nowhere....and kept crying as he realised that there were no street lights and all he could see was trees and darkness.




Yes. Suck it up, buttercup.



Okay. Maybe I am exaggerating a little. But the crying was real. You see.....when we took that left turn, all electronic devices went.....




Searching....
Searching....
No service.








I did tell him. But there's nothing like 1st hand real world experience to reinforce the point.




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[PrincessInOz]

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In Food We Trust - Lisa Pisa Dinner




Chef Lisa Dahl is a long standing member of the James Beard Society. Her philosophy - In Food We Trust - is based around providing fresh and organic food wherever possible and the belief that when you cook with love and passion, you feed the soul.



The first time I came to Sedona in 1997, we ate an amazing Italian restaurant. The hotel we stayed in at that time recommended it to us. I didn't know it then; but Restaurant Italiano was part of the burgeoning restaurants that would be part of the Dahl and DiLuca stables. In fact, I didn't even remember it; until we drove past this trip and I realised that I had eaten there. Isn't it funny how life works out?



With 3 restaurants in their stables (Restaurant Italiano, Cucina Rustica and Lisa Pisa), I was going to be spoilt for choice this time. I knew that I wanted to eat at one of the 3....the question was which one?
However, what with the driving and late arrival in Sedona, our choice was dictated by the simple expediency of proximity. Both Restaurant Italiano and Lisa Pisa were close enough to us (Cucina Rustica required us to backtrack to Oak Creek Village) and we decided to take our chance with the one we had not eaten at before.


Lisa Pisa is the newest establishment for Lisa Dahl. It opened in April or May of 2013. Reputed to be the cheapest place of the 3, this place specialises in wood fired pizza. From our accommodation to here, it was all of 10 minutes to get to. So after we settled in and unpacked, we headed here and went in to enjoy a meal. The decor was wood tones, rustic and dark.






We checked out the menu.






The pizzas averaged around $15 per pizza, maybe a little pricier than in a city; but it was not exactly sticker shock for Aussies used to paying that and more for pizza. We settled on some soda.....






.....and two pizzas to share. This was the Margherita or Cheese and Tomato.






We also ordered the Melanzane Parmagiana. Tomato sauce, provolone-mozzarella, ricotta, grilled eggplant, picante peppers and parm-reggiano.








The pesky vegetarian needed greens; so we included a full serve of Caeser Salad to share.







The pizzas were very very good. I loved the Melanzane Parmagiana but thought they could have included a bit more topping to the dish. It really was a true representation of the sparsely decorated Italian style pizza. And the pizza bases were delightfully light and perfectly cooked. The tomato sauce was out of this world!





I refrained from using exceptional with the pizzas. Certainly, DS remembered that pizza meal for quite a while and we all remembered the pizzas here as one of the better ones we've had in a long time. The exceptional tag? Well, that was reserved for the 3-toned panna cotta. Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate and Coffee. O.M.G.! I scrapped out every last skirret I could!








It was so good that I wished I could have fitted another one in! Surprisingly, the coffee layer was the one that I enjoyed the most.



After stretching our bellies and enjoying that amazing dessert, we headed back to our accommodation after dinner. It had been a long travel day for us today.

 

[dolphingirl47]

OMG, that scenery is absolutely stunning. I could not get enough of the photos. I think Arizona may need another look.

Corinna

 

[ejud]

How wonderful! The country out there is just so magnificent! Glad you got to see it- and apparently, again! That is exactly why twenty minutes into Cars at the theater, I declared my intent to buy the DVD! They really nailed it! (Of course, it doesn't "read" the same on TV as it did in the theater...)

The problem is, you do want to stop every ten feet for a new exciting must have unbelievable picture!

That pizza looked pretty darn good too!



Jud

 

[zanzibar138]

Wow, you've just added another half a dozen locations to my wishlist... I'm so fascinated by deserts, and so desperate to get to Arizona for a real desert road trip!

 

[LegoMom3]

What absolutely stunning countryside....!! I've been to the southwest but not that part of AZ. I'll bet it *was* hard to drive with all that distraction!! Just gorgeous.

.

 

[rentayenta]

Now I'm hungry and want to take a road trip. Excellent writing and photos. I didn't realize Sedona was so varied in its landscape. Super cool.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice pictures of the countryside. I could easily see you telling DH to pull over to the side of the road and get all of those scenic pictures.

The food looks very nice especially the Melanzane Parmagiana pizza.

 

[ACDSNY]

Truly a beautiful area. I was cracking up at the "no service" part with your DS along with it being too quiet and in the boonies.

You should have sent all of us some of the pana cotta to try it looks awesome.

 

[jedijill]

I need to get to Sedona. The scenery is stunning!

That meal looked fantastic too.

Let me know if you ever get up to Colorado...I'd be happy to play tour guide here...we have some fantastic scenery too...and lots of places with no cell service!

Jill in CO

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Double wow and a oh my to Sedona! Those hues of orange and red are just spectacular. Like the fall in New England but in rock form. I wonder is that what Aryes rock is like PIO? I would love to see that one day.

That pizza porn looks yum. I could dive right in. What an amazing adventure and I think it's wonderful you bought your DS to the spot where he was a twinkle in your eye!

 

[kmedina]

The landscaping does remind me of Carsland, especially the picture of the truck pulling out of the parking lot. It is really beautiful there. Despite living relatively nearby, I have never been. A friend of mine goes every year. She talks about retiring down there. It is now on my list of places to see even though the lack of cell service may have me crying too.

 

[ejud]

Ya know, when I was a kid, we didn't have yer fancy cell phones! There was one phone in town and you had to walk uphill both ways to get to it! In snow!



Jud

 

[Meriweather]

Ya know, when I was a kid, we didn't have yer fancy cell phones! There was one phone in town and you had to walk uphill both ways to get to it! In snow!



Jud

LOL......I'm with you Jud......I could live without a cell phone with no problem at all.
And there is definitely a beauty to the desert that is unbeatable.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Oh no! Camera trouble???

Glad you got DS on HM, even if he didn't really 'get' it or like it, at least he's not scared of it now. He looked pretty happy on Splash, so looks like you made up for it there.

Unfortunately Pirates (and the Blue Lagoon restaurant) was down for maintenance when I was in Paris, so I can't shed any light on that for you. Some people claim that it is the best version though

30 minutes for Peter Pan WITH a human fastpass Wow! What was the standby time?

Belatedly catching up - I still think DL version is better than Paris. My diary notes say that DLP was longer than the US version and good, but DL still wins in our books for atmosphere.

and our poor children - DD still has memories of terror in DL, first visit age 6, because of all the scary moments we subjected her to - like Indiana Jones, The Matterhorn, Haunted Mansion. She forgets all the soft rides she enjoyed. My diary fails me here though - I ran out of steam (how unusual!) and can't believe I have no record of what we did or thought to refresh our memories of this visit (it was at the end of a long trip to Europe first). She now enjoys HM, but not as much as us as we can still remember being blown away by the special effects back in the early 1980's which are ho hum now. She says she can see how back then it must have been mind boggling...and she LOVES Pirates and Peter Pan like us and IJ except sometimes she feels a bit motion sick on it.