canyons – The Hermits' Rest

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!

It was a good day for seeing nature in all its glory. After work, Lee and I went on a tour of Sedona and the surrounding area. Wow, was that fun.

By the time we did two of the stops, the tour guide figured out that we were way more interested in scenery and nature than shopping and that we were more to the New Age end of the spectrum than traditional folks.

We ended up going off script because we turned down going into a church. Instead we drove around and looked at all the different terrain and natural beauty around here. I was pretty excited to find some water-carved rocks.

Nice church. Great architecture. Didn’t want to go in.

The highlight for the early part of the trip was driving through Oak Creek Canyon, which has huge trees in it. We even got to see the creek that made the canyon.

We went through town, which was fine, then out to the hills to the west. There were lots of fancy houses, but also places with horses. Then, ah, wilderness. Well, empty land anyway. There was much evidence of the powers that be working hard to shew away campers and people parking on the roadside. I sorta get it.

Our tour guide decided to take the minivan off road and show us some more remote areas. It was fun and very quiet. I liked that. It was fun to find interesting plants out there.

Our final stop was the airport mesa, which has a great lookout. You could see nearby towns.

We were thrilled to find out our tour guide also likes tarot. She also identifies with the Hermit, like Lee. It was sure lucky to get such a compatible guide and to not have any more people than us.

After a wee rest I went for an evening walk to get the rest of my Exercise and Move points. I got bonus adrenaline points when I ran into a guy who said they had just seen some javelinas. Well, of course I wanted to see some (AKA collared peccary). So I went in the direction they were headed (also the way I was heading anyway), and soon saw the whole group of them nonchalantly making their way across the edge of the golf course. It was a big family!

I missed getting a video of them arguing, but here’s one where a wet one shakes off water.

That wasn’t even the end of my nature excitement. I finally got to see the Gambel’s Quail I’d been hearing. I watched them play around in the bushes. And I got to get a photo of a desert or mountain cottontail. I’m not sure which it is. The bonus photos are pollen on the sidewalk and a male Anna’s hummingbird. I do enjoy them.