Travel Report – Page 15 – The Hermits' Rest

The World! There’s So Much in It!

Wow, there is a lot to see between Sedona, Arizona and Socorro, New Mexico, especially on the less crowded roads. I think I got overloaded by the variety of terrain, weather, and human interest today. I’m smiling big time!

The day started out with one last neighborhood walk in Sedona. The birds and beasts all showed up to say goodbye, except those rude javelina. I even got to see the coyote, but it ran off quickly.

Even the ash-throated flycatcher showed up.

The drive down through Arizona and New Mexico was spectacular, because the scenery would change every few miles depending on elevation or proximity to water. Plus it was cloudy and we got to see rain falling around us. Don’t let people tell you the desert is boring, because I found this high desert drive to be awe-inspiring as we went from nearly bare flats to juniper-studded hills to mountain forests of huge trees.

On the way, we did stop in Winslow, Arizona, mainly for a train. It has enough Route 66 kitsch and Take It Easy references to please any pop culture junky.

We also stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park. There is really a mind boggling amount of petrified wood just laying there, like fallen logs. It’s big business in the area, too. I also found the Painted Desert worth the trip. Its chocolate and vanilla hills are subtle compared to the red rock area, but the formations mesmerized me. If it wasn’t so dang hot we’d have stayed longer.

As we were driving near the pretty town of Magdalena, I saw something that looked like those white “marshmallows” of hay we have at home, but they seemed to be all lined up. Then I said to Lee that they looked like radio telescopes, like some kind of array. Then I got all excited. That’s what it WAS! The Very Large Array! We drove right by it!

I’d read about the VLA and all this things it found for years. I have always enjoyed learning about astronomy, so to see this piece of radio telescope history really was a great experience. Too bad the visitor center was just closed when we drove by.

I did eventually calm down, but wow, it was big.

After we arrived in Socorro, we needed to eat, so I got adventurous and led us to a local bar that was supposed to have good pizza. It was mostly a bar, but really old and funky. Everyone knew each other there.

Soon we also knew someone, because yet another of my old online/real life friends happens to live in Socorro, so she joined us. I’m sure Lee thinks I know someone everywhere, just like my dad did.

My friend Jay shows her excellent photography skills.

Jay, Lee, and I talked until the live band started, then we enjoyed the unexpected pleasant temperature and sat in the town square for more chatting. We were all (not just me) distracted by a small hawk that kept flying around. She seemed to have a mission involving the building next to the bar.

We thought for sure she was a Cooper’s Hawk, but I had a suspicion she was too small. sure enough, both iNat and Merlin identified her as a Sharp-shinned Hawk. They look very similar. Who knows for sure, though? Not me.

Tomorrow I hope to see more birds AND another long-time friend.

A Last Day of Fun

I didn’t blog yesterday, because I was wiped out from all the day’s fun and adventures. Of course, then I couldn’t get to sleep. I’ll be glad to get back home where my Thursday early meeting is only at 7 am, not 5 am. Glad my next trip is only one time zone away!

I’ll miss my morning walks in this neighborhood.

The fun part of the day was that my friend Patty, who I last saw when she visited for the eclipse in April, drove up from the Phoenix area to hang out. I’d really wanted to go back to the fishery area to see if it could find some more birds. So I dragged my poor friend off to good old Page Springs and took her on two walks at different parts of the Important Birding Area, as the signs said.

The first place we went was near the hatchery and included a nice part of the trail along the beautiful creek. It was pleasant but warm.

I did hear a new bird, and even better, I later saw it. The Abert’s Towhee is all brown but has a cute black eye mask. I would have a photo but when I saw it my phone had overheated.

We left that part of the trail to go find where I’d walked earlier. The birds were extra friendly and just sat around looking at us.

Patty developed a blister and wasn’t good with the heat, so she went back to the car to sit in the air conditioning while I went “a little farther.” Sigh.

I got past where I’d been earlier and saw that the trail was turning back. I thought how nice it would be to circle back. It was indeed a beautiful walk past an interesting wetland area with cattails and such.

But it didn’t head right back to the parking lot. Oops. I’m glad I have a good sense of direction and remember landmarks, because I found my way back. I even heard a new gnatcatcher. I felt bad for making Patty sit there for so long, tough.

So I took Patty to eat at the restaurant on Airport Mesa. It was quite scenic and the food was very fun. It’s run by the same people who run Creekside, where we ate earlier. Patty had a salad that was immense. The part she took home was definitely enough for another meal. I had trout with spinach and green chile grits with spinach and a jicama garnish. The best part was the fish skin “chicharrón” on top. I like that way better than pork skin. Mmm.

We also enjoyed prickly pear lemonade, and had an appetizer of, get this, eggplant meatballs. There was no meat. They did have “Swedish cheese” in them. We were glad we tried it, because they were very flavorful. Who knew?

After Patty left we packed up, worked, and took it easy. We enjoyed a cute PBS detective drama about a glamping site with weird murders (of course). I loved the little village where it was filmed. Can I remember the name? No.

Stay tuned to see where we stop as we meander homeward.

Beep Beep Time

I’m into alliteration in my blog post titles. But yup, I finally saw a roadrunner in Arizona. Beep beep! It literally ran across the road in front of us, as roadrunners do. I’m sure fond of these cuckoos.

Okay, so you can barely see it. But, yay.

Today was hard, so the roadrunner and its pals were a great reward. After work we had to do our penance for a nice visit by attending yet another condo sales presentation. They just take so long, and we simply don’t want anything. We escaped, though! And off we went to the Sedona Wetlands Preserve.

This place was so cool. They take waste water and turn it into habitat for native birds. That’s so encouraging, because we need more wetlands everywhere.

We heard lots and lots of birds, mostly Great-tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. I was extra charmed to see a family of American Coots swimming around and honking away.

We enjoyed seeing the facility, where lots of ducks also congregated, plus a bonus bunny. We had a good time!

By the way, I ALSO saw that roadrunner’s nemesis, the coyote, earlier today on my walk. A beautiful one, too. We looked at each other for a while and went on our separate ways. It pleases me to see them thriving. They are important pieces of the ecosystem! Crows may disagree, though. Later in the walk I heard a crow ruckus and realized at least three crows were yelling at a young coyote and sending it out of their territory. Drama!

It’s bigger than it looks (the one the crows chased)

I got a great couple of pictures of a Scrub Jay intent on catching a bug, and a sort of recognizable Gila Woodpecker. They make a great noise!

After all the sales pitching, beep beeping, and yip yipping, we were hungry. I finally got to watch Lee enjoy a meal. It was at an out-of-the-way restaurant, bar, and local grocery called Brewha in Cornville. The food was so fresh, and everything was made there, even the pickles. I also had an Old Fashioned made properly with simple but high-quality ingredients. Heaven.

Our visit to the Sedona area is winding down, but there’s still more fun to come. Stay tuned.

Looks like June is heating up back home.

Choo Choo Time

Today’s adventure was a trip on the Verde Valley Railway. I’d really wanted to see all that greenery I’d seen in the distance on earlier drives around the area.

We were picked up at the condo place, since the trip is our award for enduring the dreaded update meeting that happens tomorrow. The length of the drive confused some of the people, who had no idea where they were going or how long it would take.

I knew. So I rested my eyes a bit, like my Bushtit buddy here.

But the trip was a lot of fun for me, with my love of trains and nature.

The train majestically lumbered away through the Verde River Valley at about 15 mph, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy a lovely charcuterie plate and champagne, followed by lunch with an open bar.

And oh yes, there was scenery! In addition to the canyon formations there were cool trestles, caves, a tunnel (perfect for kids to scream through), and mining ruins.

The railway was the one that took all the ore from the mines in Jerome to the smelters in Clarkville. We did not go all the way up to Jerome, but returned with a switch of the engines from front to back at a certain spot.

On the way back was cheesy entertainment, but we were win over by the simple charm of the magician who did two tricks, one with a dove (he’s had it 14 years) and another with a rabbit. Then everyone just played with the sweet and very tame animals while the magician made everyone balloon hats or animals. I got a horse, of course.

Then we played Bingo with a young cheesy comedian. I’m not fond of Bingo but had a great time listening to how much fun the kids and other passengers had. I even won a round.

The beautiful train cars were pleasant to ride in, and the uncovered observation cars were extra fun. You could see and smell the scenery (and engines). The children sitting near us were the perfect blend of well behaved, excited about the ride, and funny. I really enjoyed seeing them have a good time.

Other than that fun interval, I got my work done. Seems like it’s all working out. This was our last group activity, by the way.

Today Was Pretend Retirement Day

How do you want to retire?

I doubt my retirement will differ much from my working years. I’m not particularly interested in not working on something, so maybe I’ll just do something more in line with my hobbies and not 40 hours a week.

There WILL be travel. I do not tire of this view coming into the area where we are staying.

If I were retired, I’d still be active and running around looking for birds, like I did today. I’d spend even more time with the horses and go around traveling, too, long as I have a horse sitter.

Lesser Goldfinch, from a distance. Retired me will learn to use a real camera.

I’ll probably drive Lee bonkers just like today, when I disappeared into a nature preserve and didn’t realize he couldn’t track me or that I had taken the car keys. I felt awful about that.

This sign shows how many birds have been found at the Bubbling ponds preserve.

BUT I found a hidden Audubon Society trail next to a fishery and made Lee take me in there. It was really something!

The trail goes through undisturbed land covered in native vegetation, which the builders have kindly labeled. I wish I could have stayed longer. As it is, I heard or saw five new birds, on top of two I found near the condo.

*Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Waterthrush
Bridled Titmouse
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Mexican Duck
Phainopepla (condo) (looks like a solid black Cardinal with red eyes)
Black-throated Sparrow (condo)

There was even a family of Mexican ducks, which do live up here.

I was so excited that I lost track of time. Plus there were squirrels and a sweet deer.

I’ll have to go back before I leave, and to the nearby wetland preserve. These are in an area called Page Creek, where there are lots of wineries. In total, today I saw or heard 38 birds!

Here’s the back of a Northern Waterthrush.

It’s no Antelope Canyon, but with all the fruit trees and native plants, I sure did better with birds today. Retired me will look for these hidden gems.

And Now for Antelope Canyon

I was too sleepy last night to do Antelope Canyon justice. After the only day I’ll get to sleep in on this whole trip, I’m much better! And yes, visiting Antelope Canyon is a highlight of my life so far.

It was really hot and sunny, but I handled it fine. It was a bit harder on Lee, yet he also had fun. It’s just a lot of climbing if you aren’t in good shape.

So, this is a slot canyon formed by flooding and wind, so there are beautiful patterns in the sandstone. There are also incredible shadows made by holes in the canyon. It’s simply breathtaking. Please enjoy and click to see the whole images. These are from both me and Lee.

Antelope Canyon, north and south chambers

We had a sweet young Navajo guide named Canyon (how convenient). I enjoyed talking to him about livestock and our traditions as we walked around.

Shadows from dust in light shafts. That’s the Holy Grail of Antelope Canyon pictures.

He did interesting demonstrations of how canyons form and of dust falling, too.

Sand falling video

Mostly, though, we all walked around holding our breaths at the surreal scenery. People keep saying my photos look fake or are a Microsoft Windows screen background. But they are real, with different colors appearing with different sun angles.

Don’t worry, I spent a lot of time just looking and not photographing. You have to sear the sights into your synapses. Here are a bunch of pictures of us looking around. Thanks, Lee.

Of course I found a lizard or two. I heard a couple of birds but didn’t see any. This part of the Navajo Nation is very stark.

However, there are other parts of the Navajo Nation I’d happily live in, even with the lack of services in some areas. I’m enthralled by areas with the dark volcanic soil and mountain views. I was surprised to see as many hogans as I did. Some have more traditional rooms attached to them.

I ended up climbing the equivalent of 41 flights of stairs yesterday. All worth it.

Old West shot of a wagon and tumbleweed.

A Day of Beauty

Another Arizona tour is in the books. My big takeaway is that there are so many kinds of beauty in this area that you could overdose on it. Today’s tour did take us to another nation and the most beautiful thing I ever saw, but the whole itinerary was filled with treats for the eye.

Our first stop was a scenic overlook where we could see a small gorge. But even before we got there, I enjoyed looking at the volcanoes and volcanic soil again. This tour guide was WAY chattier than yesterday’s, so I also learned more about the area.

For some reason these black hills mesmerize me

Next we drove to Horseshoe Bend, a place where the river makes a U-turn. It’s very popular for kayaking and canoeing, judging from the view down. I got a little nervous when people got way too close to the cliff edges. Only part of the viewing area has railings. However, I enjoyed seeing more Violet-green Swallows soaring around. They were in no danger.

More driving ensued, followed by lunch at a strange cowboy-themed restaurant where there was a very large wake going on in the back room, which we had to walk through to get to the facilities. Hmm. Next, we got a look at Lake Powell and the giant dam that makes it. I love a good hydroelectric plant and huge dam. The water is very low, though.

Next we drive through Page, Arizona, a town originally built for dam workers. The driver seemed strangely fascinated by how many boats there were. But, it’s next to a lake! I was fascinated that the high school mascot was Sun Devils. I think the guide drove us around town to waste some time so we would not be early to the next place.

I enjoyed scenery, even in parking lots.

Oh no. I’m too sleepy to finish. The best is yet to come! More in the morning!

We Came SO Close to the Real Hermits Rest

Yes! It’s at the Grand Canyon, South Rim. So were we, but we didn’t get to the end of the road, where the building and trail are. But that does not distract us from the fact that we got to see the Grand Canyon today!

We took a tour with 5 other random folks so Lee wouldn’t have to drive. I enjoyed looking out the big windows of the van quite a bit. I took way too many pictures, of course.

Our first stop was an amazing place, Sunset Crater Volcano. The lava field is huge and so black. It was a bit sad, because the big fire two years ago left a mark. But wow, the area looked otherworldly. I also heard two new birds, so it was a real success.

Then off we went to another stop, with breathtaking scenery all the way. This was the Wupatki Pueblo. It’s been so nicely preserved and cared for. They removed additions from the 1930s and made it more like it used to be. It is amazing that no one messed with it for hundreds of years. I did re-learn that most pueblos were built like apartments, not in caves.

We got back on the main road and headed back to Cameron.

Yep. Lunch was at the Cameron Trading Post, which is actually a very old place with a cool hotel and pretty garden and in the Navajo Nation. There is also much nice Native American stuff I avoided as hard as I could. I did get Cameron, Arizona t-shirts, because I feel they would be amusing back home. The meal was Navajo tacos (fry bread rather than tortillas) for us in a beautiful dining room. It was good to see Navajo folks eating there, too, as well as working in all parts of the establishment. I love fry bread, by the way.

All fortified, we next drove the extra-scenic route to the Grand Canyon National Park. Yay! Check that off the bucket list! There were other canyons and mountains to entertain us on the way.

Unfortunately, the smaller canyon was on the other side of the van.

We were lucky that the Grand Canyon itself was neither too hot nor too crowded (too many people for me, but really not that bad).

We made many stops to look at various vistas, each overwhelming in their beauty and vastness. I loved looking down at the river and the trails at the bottom. My second favorite was watching birds soar on the drafts.

Of course, I looked for birds, plants, and animals. I got photos of two birds I have been hearing all week, the scrub jay and spotted towhee. I also saw many cute rock squirrels, a chipmunk that was too fast to photograph, and elk. Nice.

I would like to have taken longer walks, but I ran off a couple of times to get private vistas. One woman and I fled to a side area by the rock that used to look like a duck, and just basked in the silent grandeur. A kindred spirit.

I definitely liked the less commercial parts and d the canyon, though the Watchtower and lodges were interesting. All the people we rode with were nice, including the tour guide.

It ended up being a very memorable day. Now to get ready for another long day that starts even earlier!

Things of Note, Sedona Edition

What notable things happened today?

Do they mean in history or in 2024? I’ll answer for today. Notably, I was surrounded by bushtits, an unfortunate name for a tiny and loud bird. They are a total hoot as they flit from tree to tree eating whatever it is they eat.

Here are two of them, one flitting and one sitting.

That was notable to me. They make such sweet sounds! As you can see, these scruffy bits of bird are quite entertaining.

I also saw my first Arizona Tan Mantis and enjoyed watching the Gambel’s quail again. That was plenty for around the condo.

We did leave the property today. Since I started work so early, we were able to go back to the Native American museum, the Verde Valley Archeology Center, which featured amazing finds from a nearby cave dwelling. No photos, because I was busy looking.

I enjoyed driving through the Verde Valley again.

We also found the historic downtown of Cottonwood, which we’d missed yesterday. It was a cute place that would be fun to visit sometime. We were told some of the restaurants are good and not so expensive.

After that, we went into Sedona to eat at Anita’s favorite restaurant, the Coffee Pot, which is next to the Coffee Pot rock formation. This is an OLD establishment beloved by locals, and serves 101 kinds of omelette. Mine came with grits and a really nice buttery biscuit, which was really a dinner roll but was good. I got Anita a new shirt from there, because her old one is wearing out.

Not too exciting in the outside, but great inside.

Then we braved the Uptown Sedona experience. It was nowhere near as bad as I’d dreaded. We looked at lots of rocks, crystals, and t-shirts. Sadly, the camera shop we were hoping to go to is no longer a camera store. But it’s named after my son’s partner! Or they have the same name.

We came back and I worked more, then the maintenance dude came to fix our televisions. He turned out to be nice and fond of birds, so we chatted away. And now the TVs work. I guess we didn’t need them earlier in the week!

Crow conference. They and the ravens are very busy every morning!

Tomorrow I hope it isn’t rainy. I have a bucket list item to check off!

A Passion for Learning

What are you passionate about?

Yeah, it’s probably the same answer many people give. But I think it’s a great passion to have. It fuels my love for nature, animals, human behavior, and science. I’m also certain that my curiosity and love of learning are what keeps me mentally sharp, healthy, and willing to stay alive in these hard times.

Today I learned about mining in Arizona…

I also learned about the importance of map reading skills. In my morning walk I went out in the neighborhood and had a plan to go about 2 miles.

Wise mountain cottontail knew my mistake

Well, when I got to the road I was going to take back to the condo, the sign said, “Dead End.” Oops. I should have zoomed in on the map a wee bit when planning my route. See, useful learning!

By the time I got back I was pretty tired, but at least I went out very early. It was extra hot here in the afternoon. And now there’s a big fire around 80 miles from here. Weather. Ugh.

Bee in a yellow bird of paradise blossom. It’s a dry heat. I’m fine.

When I was finished working, Lee and I set off to explore. I’d intended to go to a Native American museum in Camp Verde but it’s not open in Wednesday. See, now I learned to read not only the hours of operation but the days of operation for places I want to visit. Ah well, the road we went down was very wild and beautiful. And the Verde Valley, formed by the Verde River, is an amazing oasis with huge trees. No photos came out.

So, off we went to Jerome, Arizona, an old mining town with a fascinating history and incredible views.

This place is cool! We visited the state park that used to be the Douglas mansion. They had all sorts of mining equipment, samples of the copper, silver, turquoise, zinc, etc. that were mined there. It was fascinating.

We also checked out what’s left of the town, which is quirky and charming, not all polished and perfect like Sedona. That was truly fun, other than the twisty roads nerving Lee out.

So, even after my boo-boos today, I had a great time. But I must be awake at 4:45 am tomorrow. I hope someone in Europe shows up to make my open office hours worth it. The things I sacrifice for travel and learning!