Jerome

click to enlarge
Highway down below, Cottonwood in the distance
our jeep, far left

4 Wheelin' in the Jeep

The mountain we are standing on in pics below

Henry
Me

We just got the jeep and there are so many awesome jeep trails in Arizona, it seemed only right that we check out a couple of them.

Yesterday, we drove the 10 mile rocky road up to the Honanki Indian Ruins. Along the way, we spotted a road off the main road and away we went. We took it as far as we could which may have only been a couple miles. It eventually took us to a pretty steep ascent up rock, which we didn't take, because it had been raining all day and the rocks were extremely slippery. Back to the Indian Ruins which were interesting, with the Sinagua Indian cliff dwelling remains and minimal rock art. But, honestly, I enjoyed the jeep ride far more!


This morning the weather was still rainy, so we decided to head to the town of Jerome. Jerome is an historical copper mining town, built into the side of a mountain, literally. It has become a town filled with artists and photographers, who all have opened little shops, all of which look like they're hanging by a hinge on the edge of the cliff. I loved it!! All the buildings have been restored and updated somewhat, yet they have managed to retain much of the original stone and brick and the historical aura. The Grand Hotel was incredible! To me, walking through it felt like I could have been in the year 1883. The picture below is taken from the parking lot of the hotel.

Jeepin'

So, we finally found a jeep! Now, we can check out the 4 wheel trails in Sedona, and we have a good tow vehicle.

This picture was taken before Henry got his hands on it for detailing, so I will post pictures later when it's gotten the 'once or twice over'.

Another great day off!

More of Long Canyon...

view on the way
see, nature walk

Click to enlarge all photos

Deadman's Pass and Long Canyon

At the top of Long Canyon

The view coming down
Today, we hiked almost 7 miles..the first mile being Deadman's Pass, and the rest Long Canyon. It seemed more of a nature walk, because there were a lot of trees and vegetation, yet our climb took us about 800 feet higher in elevation, to 5433 feet, and to a beautiful vista overlooking the tops of ponderosa pine and a wall of red rock in front of us. From there is where the top two photos were taken. We ate our lunch and rested for about 20 minutes, then started the journey down. Of course, being rested, fed and now hiking downward, we were feeling energized and pleased with ourselves. It wasn't until we reached Deadman's Pass again that we were beginning to feel tired. But by then, our car was only a mile away, so we talked about mountain biking , and work, which took my mind off the fact that my hip was beginning to ache. It was another good day in Sedona! Oh, one more thing. We know we have the same clothes on today that we did last week when we hiked Cathedral Rock...it honestly is just coincidence...OR 'our hiking clothes'.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

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And then we hiked to watch the sun set...

Cathedral
Home, below
In all her Glory
the end of a perfect day

Two more photos from above

Chapel of the Holy Cross,
(center of photo)
what an amazing view!
as always, click to enlarge

At the top

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you can see the creek below, where we started

Our hike up to Cathedral Rock...awesome!

The creek along the way there it is..cathedral rock, the path so far, easy

We went on our first trail today. Took us 3 hours and was 4 miles roundtrip. The trail takes you as high as you can go up Cathedral Rock. It was all fairly easy, until about the last 1/4 mile, where the trail becomes pretty vertical, making the final ascent up rock. Once on top, the view is amazing! Being afraid of heights myself, I struggled with some of the rock climbing, but Henry's encouragement and persistence kept me going. It was definitely worth the climb! I'm ready today for another hike somewhere.

That was then...
This is now....what a difference. I much prefer the 'then'.

Kokopelli and the "drink of the day"

"Kokopelli" -My early Birthday gift from Henry - a new stained glass window for our door

Drink of the Day - Henry's concoction
1 oz. vanilla vodka
1 1/2 oz. kahlua
scoop of vanilla ice cream
ice
Shake it up and serve!

(I'm not a fan of vodka, but this drink is good!)
Brian and Sarah - you'll like this one.

It's Snowing....

gorgeous reflection of the sun setting
Yes it's March, Yes it's Arizona and Yes, it is snowing. Of course, we are used to cold weather and snow....but the people around here are a little freaked out by it. I'm not talking 4 feet of snow, I'm talking it's not even sticking to the ground..yet anyway. But, the good news is the Visitor Center will be closed tomorrow because of the snow, so I get tomorrow off!

Coyotes, javelinas, rattlesnakes and dumpster diving

5 days of work, we had today off...and back at it tomorrow!

Yesterday, there was a smoldering dumpster at one of the campgrounds, so Henry was sent to check it out. He jumped right in, literally. Someone's charcoals were disposed of a bit prematurely. The fire department showed up and sprayed about 6" of foam inside the dumpster, and all was fine.

It's been an interesting first 5 days of working. I've been told by 3 different people to watch for rattlesnakes when I'm putting the flag out in the mornings. Henry has heard about the scorpions and their nasty sting. Last week we saw a coyote less than 200' away from us...and last night we saw javelina droppings on the road we walk every day.
Lots of 'critters' that we don't even have in Alaska.

Anyway, work is easier with each day. We both see ways they could be so much more efficient and organized....then we have to remind one another that we are only here temporarily...we don't want to work too hard and don't need a career, we just want enough income so we can vacation 3-6 months during the winter.

Henry's first week: He's replaced a sink, relocated a refrigerator, done some electrical work, split wood, loaded 100 bundles of firewood, and of course the inventory of uniforms! Yes, Terri, he's going to be buff and tan by the time summer is over.

I guess I've got the easy job. Talk to the tourists, recommend hiking trails (because we all know I'm so familair with the area and have done a lot of hiking!), balance the money at the end of the day, and fill the campground hosts supply orders. Pretty easy stuff! I think it's actually going to be fun!

So, that was our first week of working in Sedona.....