Grand Canyon

Though there was snow on the ground again in Flagstaff this morning, the forecast looked great for a sunny (and relatively warmer) day so we finally started on our way to the Grand Canyon and drove in from the east, stopping at Desert View and a number of overlooks on the way to Mather Campground at the North Rim.

We had an early dinner so Nath could pack his bag, ready for the big hike he had planned for the next day.

It's Raining, It's Snowing...

Well, surprised was an understatement when it started snowing this morning in Flagstaff. Then the winds started picking up and sending tumbleweeds down the road at the same speed as the cars and we became a little worried.

We knew it was getting serious when all these old timers started walking around the campsite starting up conversations about the best way to stop their pipes from freezing up. Then we found out that a snow storm was bearing down on the whole region.

Note to selves: check Weather Report when we first get internet access.

We knew America's Winter extended well into Spring but a snow storm in Arizona in April was not something we'd anticipated.

So here we are in Flagstaff, itching to go to the Grand Canyon, holed up in an RV park and waiting it out.

Though in saying that, while it was still just sleet, we braved part of Route 66. I'd like to think that it was to absorb some of the history of the road, but it was purely by accident - it was the way to Walmart and Best Buys.

And now we are the proud owners of a TV and are hooked into the cable here, enjoying the delights of spongebob squarepants and his contemporaries.
Happy days!

Cathedral Rock

After a peaceful night in Cave Springs Campground, we set out to explore the rock formations along the 179 heading south from Sedona.

Just out of town is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a Catholic construction set solidly in the red rock about half-way up a large chunky mountain - very pretty views.

Next we parked at the trail head to Cathedral Rock and started the two-kilometre return climb. It's only a short walk but there are significant steep sections so after the clamber up the rock face, the kids enjoyed sliding back down over large sections of rock to reach the bottom (safely).

After checking out Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock from the road only, we started our drive north to Flagstaff.

The Sedona rock formations, canyons and rich red hues really blew us away. The rock formations are very similar to those in Monument Valley in that several of them spear straight up out of the earth creating these sheer cliff faces and sharp elevation changes, but the point of difference is that these ones in Sedona are speckled with greenery at the base whereas the Monument Valley ones are stark orange-red. Another significant difference is that you're not charged an arm and a leg to check out the ones in Sedona!!

Sedona is also an amazing lesson in town planning, with everything in the town coloured in the hues of the region - like soft greens and strong reds - even the McDonalds! But it works, because the whole place seems so beautifully in keeping with the landscape that the township has that postcard-perfect kind of look that makes you want to look at real estate.

There's a large number of upmarket resorts and spas in town too and Sedona has a plethora of natural healing places (a few years back they discovered vortexes here - ya what???!!!). Aahhhhh NO, we didn't get a chance to try out an aura cleanse. I think the presence of us four sends peace and tranquility packing from even the most serene of places.

Even so, massive thumbs up for Sedona from us. Lovely! Although judging from the tourist bustle in early spring, I'm not sure I'd fancy being there in the height of summer.

Slide Rock’s Youngest Slider

After the first of two nights in the Cave Springs Campground within the Oak Creek Canyon, north of Sedona, we started our day at the Slide Rock State Park.

Oak Creek is gorgeous and our stroll through its narrow walls, as relaxed as it was, was exactly the stretch out we needed.

The water temperature was about 16 or 17 degrees (C) and so even after our walk, we hadn’t worked up enough of a sweat to brave that.

But when Indy caught sight of the teenagers and adults going down ‘slide rock’ - the natural water chute the park is named for - and with Nath egging him on of course, he stripped down to his undies and strode straight out.

We’re still unsure whether he intended to start immediately (allowing no time for freaking out – smart thinking) or whether he just slipped in, but he was sliding from the minute he stepped out from the bank, with an expression wavering between exhilaration and panic as the creek carried him in and out of the many small pools along the slide’s more than 20 metres of length.

The greatest challenge ended up getting him back to our side of the bank. He had pulled himself out on the opposite side and stood there shivering, unable to process what had just happened.  Then he slipped trying to cross the creek and slid down an entire section of the slide over again.

His understated comment “Mummy I’m cold” preceeded him lying straight down on the red dusty rock of the creek bank, shivering and leaching all warmth from the ground.

Needless to say, our lazy afternoon getting groceries and checking out the town paled in comparison to the morning’s excitement.

Sweet ride dude

The mountain bike instructor was sadly not referring to Bessie, the big beautiful RV we purchased in Pheonix, Arizona, and our home for the next 10 months. He was instead commenting on Indy's new Viper Diamondback, and more about that shortly...

After 21 hours total travel time from Brisbane to Phoenix, we thought we were doing pretty well on the jet-lag front. We even had a swim in the hotel pool to soak in those bodyclock resetting rays before heading out to a local restaurant.

When Indy and Dash both fell asleep within minutes of sitting in our booth, the waitress thought it was adorable. She only called over the other wait staff when Indy, still unconscious, started groping at his plate and feeding himself fries.

Picking up the RV the next day went without a hitch and on our maiden trip to Walmart, we filled two trolleys twice over (with a few other shops since).

After provisioning up, our second night in Bessie was on the road north and by Day 3 we were exploring the red rock monoliths of Sedona.

Taking in the vista from the cultural centre precinct over lunch that day, Indy and Dash started checking out a group of mountain bikers who were getting pointers from an instructor prior to beginning their ride.

Indy, ever keen to get in amongst the action, begged us to pull out his new bicycle, complete with its training wheels. What better way to test out his first bike, for the first time, than with a seasoned mountain biking professional and several keen mountain biking enthusiasts looking on. Clearly looking to them for feedback, Indy was rewarded when the instructor stopped the class, shouting "Hey, sweet ride dude!"

The smile on his face was sweet indeed!