Monthly Archives: October 2011

Halloween at the Beach: Part 5 – Have to head home

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Although its been great fun, it must come to an end.

Monday morning we woke up relatively early and were checked out and on the move about 9:00. We stopped in Kill Devil Hills to fill the truck. The Shell station had an interesting layout. There were 6 or 8 pumps on 3 or 4 parallel islands. Traffic was so that everyone came in from the same side of the corner and then went to the islands. Cash or credit didn’t matter, just pump and go. With the traffic pattern, everyone went out by passing the cashier sitting in a drive up booth. The lines were orderly and not having to prepay cut the lines and time to accomplish your business and move along.

We decided to follow the GPS to see what way they would send us around or through Norfolk this time. The routing got us off the 168 toll road expressway and on a surface street that took us into Virginia Beach via the Centerville Parkway. This was a new one to us. We got onto I64 a few miles before the Hampton tunnel.

Our next stop was lunch at Pierce’s Pitt BBQ in Lightfoot near Williamsburg. That’s a frequent stop for us as the food is good, the prices reasonable and the in and out relatively easy.

Although it threatened rain, it never hit us and we made good time to the Springfield interchange about 4:30. Traffic wasn’t as bad as we figured and the new configuration for the I66 interchange kept the backup limited to the right two lanes allowing us to continue on to slow at the Tyson’s Corner construction. With two of us, we were able to use the HOV lanes on I270 and made it home about 5:30 which was ahead of the trick or treaters.

This trip and the one in the spring are highlights for me and recharging the internal batteries. Unfortunately, Tuesday meant back to work.

 

Halloween at the Beach Part 4: Tying Up Loose Ends

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Sunday the skies were sunny but the wind was still whipping albeit with less force than on Saturday and the temps were in the 50s. Janet and Bruce called from the Diamond Shoals where we joined them for breakfast before they headed for home. (Jeremy and Rosemary had left earlier.)  After farewell wishes for a safe journey, Betty and Keith decided to go back to Ocracoke to further the pursuit of known shipwrecks.

The ferry was just finishing loading and we were the last car onboard. The ride over was less exciting than either trip the day before. As happens seemingly too often, Keith was mistaken for someone else and we were approached by fellow travelers who believed Keith was an old high school chum but it lead to a friendly conversation included a look at the strangers wind screen contraption made from 2×2’s about 6 feet long with silt fence stretched between to block the blowing sand. He indicated it worked fairly well on the sand but still allowed too much wind to keep really warm.

We entered the beach at the northern most Ocracoke ramp and turned towards the north point. The island has grown since last spring with this area covering more territory. The texture was the hard damp sand we had seen on the southern end on Saturday. We scoped it out then turned south towards a wreck believed to be about ½ mile north of the Ocracoke Pony Pens. At the GPS-designated point, we noted nothing indicative of a shipwreck although we were adjacent to an area of dunes that had been replenished since Irene. The beach was relatively narrow here and we found we were very very close to the highway as well.

We turned back to the ramp and headed into the town of Ocracoke for quick trip to the welcome center gift shop and then off to Ramp 72 to try once again for the shipwreck noted to be there. Since today’s weather was better, we were able (willing) to walk across the dunes to search. We never made it to the west side shore of the point but sighted something n the marshgrass but we weren’t prepared to walk/wade to get close up.

There was more loose sand making small dunes and large ripples on this section of the beach so that staying back from the water resembled a roller coaster.

We turned north on the beach to check for more shipwrecks and condition of the shore. There were a few fishermen and others enjoying the beach. We even saw a couple of folks trying to surf but the waves weren’t really cooperating.


As we passed Ramp 67, there was no indication that there was not another ramp ahead but we eventually reached the end of the open to vehicles part of the beach and turned around to leave at Ramp 67.

There was one more shipwreck indicated on Ocracoke Island just north of the pony pens so we stopped at the crossover there. Several of the ponies were out in the pen so we walked over and took a few pictures. We also learned a few things that made the Ocracoke ponies unique including two fewer vertebrae than other horses, fewer ribs and denser bones.
We then headed up the beach on foot in search of one more but it eluded us as well. Total for our long weekend had us finding two confirmed sightings on Hatteras Island and one maybe on Ocracoke. It later occurred to us that several previous trips had a goal which we had not met because of ferry schedules or darkness or hunger but this time, without trying, we had managed to cover ALL of the drivable ocean side of Ocracoke Island!

We caught the ferry back to Hatteras. We had ridden the ferry 4 times this weekend and not ridden the same one twice. This time we were onboard the Chicamacomico which was pictured on the postcard back to the folks at home.

One place we had missed in our travels that is always part of our trip was a ride out to the point and past the Cape Hatteras Light. The approach by the campground and where Ramps 43 and 44 meet the pavement was underwater as we had learned before arriving. It’s on National Park Service property but for some reason doesn’t drain and hasn’t for a while. One can’t help but think it contributes to the mosquito population that plagued the island after Hurricane Irene. This beach had obviously had more traffic than any other beach we had been to this weekend. We drove out to the point and around but would have needed to drive across water if we hadn’t turned back. We made our way back to the pavement and off to dinner.

Dinner was at Rusty’s, one of our favorites and tonight didn’t disappoint. Broiled bay scallops for Betty and a Caribbean-spiced snapper for Keith followed by New York style cheesecake (not too dry) and with a light glaze on the plate of raspberry and mango gels with coffee for a near-perfect finish for the meal and our weekend.

We aired up the tires on the truck and made fresh coffee to fill the thermos bottles for the trip home and we were set after returning to shower and off to bed. We head home on Monday.

Halloween at the Beach: Part 3 Visiting the Moonscape

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Saturday morning we headed over to the Red Drum for a headlight and a tire gage as I discovered the digital gage in the console had a dead battery. While there, I met Mr. John Couch of OBPA and internet fame. He is president of the OBPA, one of the organizations fighting to maintain access for pedestrians, sportsmen and other folks who use the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area for recreation. In conversations with Rob Schonk, the principal in the Robert and Jean Schonk Foundation, Rob recommended that I make the time to make Mr. Couch’s acquaintance. After installing the new headlight, we headed to Frisco and Wave Hopper to gather Bruce, Jeremy and Rosemary for some time on the beach.

We headed over to Ocracoke in spite of the weather forecast. The day was to be windy and the forecast was accurate on that account. The predicted rain held off however. The wind was strong off the sound and made the landing of the ferry somewhat exciting with the captain using the pilings to bounce his way into the slip.

We headed to Howard’s Pub, one of our favorite lunch spots. Bruce had the chowder, Betty had grilled shrimp, Keith had marinated tuna steak, Jeremy had the tuna steak sandwich and Rosemary had the grilled tuna salad. The food was excellent as usual. After lunch, we headed into town to do a little shopping and found our way to Mermaid’s Folly and Craftsmen Paradise on Howard Street. It was a successful trip. Everyone found something to their liking and connected on some items which we couldn’t find.

Next we headed for the beach, more particularly the South Point. It was a surreal sort of moonscape actually having been flattened with only the occasional small dune still there. The wet sand was pretty hard requiring the four wheel drive rarely. Looking over the inlet to Portsmouth Island you could see shafts of sunlight coming through.

The loose sand was blowing across the hard wet sand making interesting patterns and beginning to form ridges and small dunes.

As we headed back towards the ramp off the beach, we noticed a pair in a pickup that seemed to be making more downward progress than forward. It was a pair of fisherman whose four wheel drive was malfunctioning. After lending them a shovel which wasn’t enough to get them out, a tug on our towstrap got them back over to the hard surface and on their way. As we got to the ramp, Bruce saw Jeremy and Rosemary headed up the ramp and began to follow them off the beach and back towards the ferry on Highway 12. Keith and Betty lost sight of him but decided that was the direction he was headed. Of course, Keith and Betty also had Jeremy and Rosemary in the rearview mirror. After failing to see Bruce, we gave him a call to inform him that he was lost as we did not know where he was. It turns out that Bruce was following a different dark-colored F150. But as it was getting time to head back to Hatteras Island, it worked out for the best.

We commented earlier about the difficulties getting the ferry into the dock but the weather had worsened and the docking of the ferry to take us back was quite a spectacle. One gets torn between fascination with the difficulty in putting the ferry where it belongs and admiration to the captain for doing so in spite of the conditions. At one point, the ferry was perpendicular to the slip and hard against all three pilings and the engines roaring at near full throttle with little effect. Eventually the ferry came into the slip and we pulled out only a few minutes after our scheduled 5:30 departure. We found out Sunday that the ferry had stopped running with the 6:30 departure Saturday evening. Had we stayed on Ocracoke for dinner, we may have stayed the night or whenever the schedule resumed.

The five of us had dinner at Diamond Shoals Restaurant in Buxton and bade our farewells to our friends. Across the street to our hotel and the nightly computer checks, tv, shower and bed.

Halloween at the Beach: Part 2 Hunting for Shipwrecks and the Aftermath of Irene

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Friday, Betty and Keith had breakfast at the Hatteras Island Inn (formerly the Comfort Inn) and then set about our day which included a stop at the Really, Really Free Market in Salvo. Friends at home had filled two storage containers with needed and requested items. We had a piece of carpet and some clothing to contribute as well. The carpet remnant, we were told, was being set aside for a local 80 year old woman who had been through this ordeal without insurance and was putting things at home back together.

Betty and Keith had set out to locate some of the many shipwrecks for which we had found GPS coordinates. After finding one last spring, that seemed like it would make for fun.

As we headed north from Salvo, we took a bit more time to check off the main highway for remaining damage. The KOA campground was open for business. They had cleared the portion near the ocean and were working their way back toward the highway. The camping cabins (basically shell sheds with built-in bunk beds) looked to be basically undamaged but had been floated off their footings. The ones that appeared undamaged had water damage to worry about but were structurally sound. The bathhouses all had siding taken away to allow drying out.

The Chicomacomico Lifesaving Station was closed. Reports on the interwebs had indicated there was much cleanup to be done as well as resetting on footers.

We drove again over the new bridge and stopped to get some pictures by walking through the dune line to the beach and coming around. The speed with which the current moved through the inlet was impressive. I’ve tried to get some pictures but am not sure they really convey the current. It makes one wonder how much more the inlet will open in the unfortified sections with time. We stopped at the Coquina Beach day use area to see if we could find the remains of the shipwreck there. Like most of the wrecks, changing sand profiles will expose or cover from season to season. We didn’t find it this time.

Next we headed further north to Nags Head for lunch. Having heard so much about Sam and Omie’s across from the new pier. They were busy and we had about a 20 minute wait. The food was good, the clientele and food were local as well. Betty had the mushroom and crab soup and an order of onion rings. Keith had the scallop cake Sam-wich, think crab cakes make with scallop bits. If we lived nearby, they would be on our regular rotation for lunch but don’t qualify for driving 50 miles just to eat there. Good and repeatable but not a special treat to work for. When we came out, it had started to rain lightly.

We turned south again to the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Bodie Island Light was/is under a major renovation. When the funding ran out, they took down the scaffolding until more funding allows them to continue the work. The light is removed from the structure for now and will be replaced when the renovations resume.

Next stop is the Oregon Inlet fishing pier. During Irene, all the fishing boats left for less exposed locations. The flooding damaged the piers which delayed the reopening and return of the fleet. Now with new piers installed, life appears to be near normal again.

Before leaving home, we had entered the GPS coordinates for several known shipwrecks which are sometimes visible from the beach. As we passed Salvo, we noted three showed on our track as being nearby. We entered the beach access ramp 23. The GPS coordinates revealed three near to the ramp. The first was just as you entered the beach. According to the coordinates, we were literally right on top of it. If the coordinates were correct, this particular wreck wasn’t visible at this time but there were two others in the vicinity. As we drove north on the beach, we saw what looked like it could be a buoy that had blown up on the beach similar to one we had seen on a past trip to Carova. As we got closer, we realized that we had found the remains of a sidewheeler that had wrecked on the beach in 1862. It was just offshore, inside the breakers. The pieces we saw were iron and probably the remains of part of the propulsion machinery. We were 1 for 4.

We moved further down the island and decided that timing was such we could probably hit the shopping area at the ferry landing and move on to another wreck site that we had seen last spring. The remains of an unidentified ship, probably a schooner, can be found at the end of Flambeau Road in Hatteras Village. We parked and walked over the low dune line on a boardwalk. Considerably more of the wreck was visible than had been in either of our spring visits. We then joined Jeremy and Rosemary, Bruce, and Janet for dinner at the rented house, Wave Hopper. As we pulled in the carport, we noticed a nail lying on the concrete. As we looked around, we noticed a few more, and then a few more. By the time we had arrived at the top floor, we had picked up easily two dozen or more ranging from roofing nails to siding nails to 10 penny galvanized nails. Apparently a roofer had been doing some patchwork after the hurricane and been less than meticulous about picking up loose nails. To the best of our knowledge, no one’s tires helped us pick them up. Our delicious dinner was a cooperative effort on their part and included salad, red potatoes and individual shrimp and scallop casseroles. Accompanying our dinner was a Chilean grape merlot which had been bottled by Jeremy. For dessert, Rosemary had made a sweet potato pie. We enjoyed our meal and some fine company afterwards.

We headed for the hotel around 9:30. It’s about a 6 mile drive and midway we met a Dare County Sheriff’s Deputy coming the other way. Just as we pull even with him, he flashes the blue lights and pulls a u-turn after we pass. Assuming he is responding to an emergency call, we slow down and move over to let him pass but he just stays right behind us with the blues flashing. We pull over and turn on the interior lights while waiting for him to walk up and introduce himself and state his business. It turns out we have blown a headlight and he is concerned for our safety since the local deer population has been rather active. In fact, we had observed a pack of raccoons the previous night.

After asking where we were going and where we had been, he advises us of an auto parts store near our hotel and asks if I’d had anything to drink. I honestly replied that I’d had a glass of wine with dinner several hours earlier. He asks for my license and goes back to his car. When he returns, he has the mobile breathalyzer and asks for a sample. He goes back to the car and returns a few minutes later and informs me that I’m not impaired. While a number of things pass through my mind, the only thing out of my mouth (thankfully the filter was working) was thank you and have a good night.

We head back to the hotel, check email, and get ready for bed.

Halloween at the Beach: Part 1

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We got underway around 10:00 Thursday morning. This trip is somewhat traditional for us as we have headed to the beach on Halloween weekend for several years. The trip has had several labels, including the S10 trip, CORE and Friends and now Keith and Friends as the attendee list varies from year to year although the numbers have dwindled. I think this may be among our lowest turnout for the October trip as there are six of us: Betty and Keith, Jeremy and Rosemary, Bruce and Janet. But the numbers aren’t as important as the people themselves and the trip itself.

Because of the devastation wreaked on the northern end of Hatteras Island by Hurricane Irene, the trip itself had been in doubt but NC DOT managed to get the temporary bridge across New New Inlet, the break in Pea Island which had cut off access from the islands to go north on Route 12. The only access for some time was via an emergency ferry for residents only, then later access was available via a 2.5 hour ferry ride from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke Island and then the 45 minute ferry from Ocracoke Island to Hatteras Village at the lower end of Hatteras Island. The temporary bridge opened about two weeks ago and all access has been restored to the Islands. You can still see significant damage to the northern villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo. Some of the best coverage and photographs of the current state and the damages can be seen at www.IslandFreePress.org.

We stopped at the Aunt Sarah’s pancake house at Exit 104 which has become a staple for us. We arrived at Buxton about 6:30 (a little later than we had planned) and gave Janet and Bruce a call after we got checked in. They turned out to be a little bit behind us and we made arrangements to meet at the Captain’s Table for dinner. Jeremy and Rosemary also came up from Frisco (they had arrived earlier) and joined us. It was good to do some catching up as well as enjoy the excellent food and service. After dinner, we decided to join them at Wave Hopper (the house they rented) for some more conversation and Bruce shared some great music with us. Jeremy, especially since retiring from USN after 21 years earlier this month, had been making some wine which he shared. Excellent! Bruce had also stopped in Raleigh and delivered a couple of internet purchases I was making. We headed back to the motel with plans to get together Friday for dinner at the house.

Airplanes with a View: Headed Home

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We’d reached the last day of our vacation. As the pattern had been set, we slept in and had breakfast at the hotel and then checked out.

The trip back to the Flagstaff airport was uneventful but it’s always a surprise to check into a small airport. The distance from the rental car return to the plane itself was a couple of hundred feet at best. We arrived a couple of hours early as is the norm for larger airports. The flight before ours hadn’t yet departed so we had a bit of time to kill.

We stopped into the coffee shop and had coffee but it was served in a mug instead of the usual styrofoam. Security lines were at most 3 deep. Did I say lines? I mean the security line singular. Our Dash 8 sat on the tarmac waiting for us. After we checked in through security, it was surprising to see that one had to leave the secure area to go to the restroom. But getting back was no big deal.

Seat assignments were a bit unusual. Seats were assigned sequentially. Keith was in 6F, Betty was in 7A. It was a short flight but just seemed unusual. Both had window seats but they were in different rows on opposite sides of the plane but that’s not very far apart in a Dash 8!

Seated next to Keith was a woman with a European accent. She saw him taking pictures out the window and asked if he would snap a couple for her. He obliged and probably took about as many with her iPhone as with his camera. You’ll see the results from his camera below.

We changed planes in Phoenix to another Airbus for the crowded flight to BWI. Current protocols for flights cross country involve selling food from a center aisle cart which starts up front in business/first class and those in the last few rows are limited to whatever wasn’t sold to the front half of the plane. We ended up with the snack packs but it got us home.

When we arrived in Baltimore, it was raining lightly and late in the evening. We got home around midnight after retrieving the car from long term parking tired but satisfied that this trip of a lifetime had been rewarding.

Ratings wise, the bed at our house was a world better than the one in the hotel but after a certain time in life, that is to be expected.

Stone Dwellers and Copper Mines

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Our goal for the day was Jerome and Montezuma Castle as they had been recommended as must see spots. We started our day as we had all of them since arriving in Arizona, by sleeping in and then having breakfast at the hotel. We got into the car and headed down the interstate in part because it seemed to be the most direct route and partially because we had only gone that route in the dark.

The scenery is terrific even at 70 mph but we decided to stop at a scenic view to get a closer look. There were a couple of other groups there including one that was talking to a woman who had a collection of Native American jewelry spread on a cloth on the ground and seemed to be selling it. We briefly glanced at her wares but since nothing particularly caught our eye, we moved on south toward Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Montezuma Castle has nothing to do with Montezuma and was never a castle. It was given that name by early Europeans who mistakenly believed it to be connected to him and it resembled the high stone structures of Europe. In reality, Montezuma Castle is a cliff dwelling structure built and occupied by the Sinagua people. It is located alongside the Beaver Creek which allowed them to farm the area.

Although the Sinagua lived there for 300 years, they disappeared in the 1400s with no sure conclusion as to where they went or why. Hopi legend indicates the Sinagua may have joined them on the mesas to the northeast. Beaver Creek is fairly tame in our pictures but the dry bed spread for quite some distance and made it clear that flooding was not unheard of.

The monument operations and facilities are run by the National Park Service so our pass allowed us to enter with no charge. There is a small gift shop where we bought postcards and prickly pear jelly (prickly pear was recommended by cousin Brenda). The exit from Interstate 17 leads past a new casino soon to open.

Our next destination was Jerome, located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet) between Prescott and Flagstaff. Once known as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. Four disastrous fires destroyed large sections of the town during its early history.

Founded in 1876, Jerome was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The population peaked at 15,000 in the 1920’s. The Depression of the 1930’s slowed the mining operation and the claim went to Phelps Dodge, who holds the claim today. World War II brought increased demand for copper, but after the war, demand slowed. Dependent on the copper market, Phelps Dodge Mine closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 hardy souls promoted the town as a historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Today Jerome is a thriving tourist and artist community with a population of about 450.

Jerome sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced 3 million pounds of copper per month. Men and women from all over the world made their way to Arizona to find work and maybe a new way of life. Today the mines are silent, and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.

Jerome’s personality has changed dramatically in the past 30 years.  It includes a modicum of artists, craft people, musicians, writers, hermits, bed and breakfast owners, and fallen-down building landlords.

The Douglas Mansion has been an eye-catching landmark in Jerome since 1916, when James S. Douglas built it on the hill just above his Little Daisy Mine.

Douglas designed the house as a hotel for mining officials and investors as well as for his own family. It featured a wine cellar, billiard room, marble shower, steam heat, and, much ahead of its time, a central vacuum system. Douglas was most proud of the fact that the house was constructed of adobe bricks that were made on the site.

He also built the Little Daisy Hotel near the mine as a dormitory for the miners. The concrete structure still stands.

This former home is now a museum devoted to history of the Jerome area and the Douglas family and is open Thursday to Monday each week as a state park. Unfortunately, our visit occurred on Tuesday.

Our touring included a visit to the headshaft of the Audrey mine, separately open by the Jerome Historical Society.   After looking around here a bit, we headed back into town where we visited several galleries (where the view out the window was as impressive as some of the pieces they had for sale).

For lunch, we visited an English Kitchen barbecue where we were told told that only the brisket was available at this hour. While we enjoy barbecue, brisket isn’t usually our first choice but theirs was excellent. Glad we decided to go that way.

After lunch we walked along the next higher street past the firestation (where they had a beautifully restored 1928 Dodge firetruck tucked inside the garage) and then climbed the stairs again to the next higher street. After we got home, Keith’s nephew advised us that we should have checked out the haunted hotel which we never even saw. A little more wandering on the streets and we headed back to the car and back down the hill. (There was a really nice looking 1948 Ford F1 pickup with a for sale sign but we decided that someone back home would have issues if we sent another email saying “Dad bought a truck” while on vacation.)

The Firetruck

Before we got back to the interstate, we noted on the map that the Tuzigoot National Monument was nearby and with daylight left, we wanted to check it out as well. Betty had traveled to this area years before and remembered touring dwellings that you could walk through, not just view from a distance as we had done at Montezuma Castle earlier in the day. Perhaps Tuzigoot was that place?  The historic site name derives from Apache term for “crooked water” Pronunciations: TOO-zi-goot

Tuzigoot was a pueblo village constructed by the Sinaguas (the same people as at Montezuma Castle) and was one of 50 pueblo villages in the Verde Valley. Like Montezuma Castle, it had apparently been occupied from 1125 to 1425.

Being built on a pueblo, the structures were less vertical and more horizontal but served similar purposes with storage and preparation areas near dwelling sections. It was built with consideration for security from invaders with many entrances coming from the roof and a view of anyone who might approach. There were approximately 110 rooms. One factor that struck us as odd was that apparently children who died were buried within the confines of the dwellings while the elderly were buried outside of the village. The only explanatory bit we got of that was a desire to keep the spirit of the children with the family.

Evidence exists of farming efforts including redirection of the water for irrigation purposes. The climb was more gentle and the view of the surrounding valley was excellent. There were cautions to stay on the pathways to minimize damage. One particular sign which somehow escaped our camera advised visitors to stay on the path with a picture of a rattlesnake. We had to wonder if that meant that the rattlesnakes would stay off the path!

It is not known why the Sinagua left the area. Some clues that they joined the Hopi to the northeast exists but it is non-conclusive.

We left Tuzigoot and headed back to the interstate and towards Flagstaff. Just before dark, we stopped at a McDonald’s for a coffee break. We discovered that we only would get the senior discount on coffee if we specifically asked for it. We had been getting the discount earlier in our trip without mentioning it. While we appreciate it and can understand the desire to avoid offending those who didn’t wish to be identified as seniors, a little consistency would make it easier on us “old people”.

We returned to Flagstaff and once again went to CoCo’s for dinner but we went for something a bit more filling than the soup and salad of the night before. The food was excellent and we recommend it if you are in the area.

Visiting Relatives at Prescott

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In preparing for our travels to Arizona, we contacted Keith’s cousin, Elaine and her family to see if we could get together sometime as we hadn’t seen each other in several years. After a conference, we decided that schedules and logistics made Prescott a good halfway point and with good food and entertainment for both the young and not-so-young kids.

We started our day as we had all of them since arriving in Arizona, by sleeping in and then having breakfast at the hotel. We got into the car and headed down the interstate for Prescott. By the way, the “locals” pronounce it PRES-cot with the emphasis on the first syllable.

The ride along and from the interstate was desert and rock formations and pretty typical for what we’d been seeing. As we neared town, the landscape changed to a more typical suburban landscape with strip malls and the standard chain stores with a Walgreens, RiteAid or CVS on virtually every corner.

Prescott central was built around a square with the courthouse in the center and the US Post Office and Federal Courthouse right across the street. Since we arrived before we were scheduled to meet Elaine and family, we spent a little time checking out the square and downtown. We found the timeline in the concrete sidewalk particularly interesting. It traced the history of Arizona for the past 200 or so years. The timeline only covered that part of Arizona’s history since that is the history of Arizona as territory and state. Quite a contrast to Maryland’s Lord Baltimore and the Calverts from the 17th century. I wonder if their fourth graders appreciate that there is less state history to be covered?

Erected in 1907, this statue is considered one of the finest equestrian sculptures in the U.S. and honors members of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders who gathered at the plaza on May 4, 1898, before heading to San Antonio at the onset of the Spanish-American War.

Federal Courthouse and US Post Office

The courthouse has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1916. The entire downtown area has a history of extensive fires and rebuilding. It’s listed on the American Register of Historic Places. Barry Goldwater (remember him?) announced his candidacy for President from the courthouse steps in 1964.

One of the more unusual statues depicts a cowboy and his horse with the cowboy lying on the ground with his bedroll.

The courthouse plaza is well-used during the midday by joggers and walkers as well as those folks just having a seat and watching the world go on by.

This gallery wins kudos from us in the category of Clever Names that Fit.

We were to meet at the Palace in Whiskey Row.

On a summer night in 1900, this block was totally destroyed by fire. The liquor was removed and carried across the street as they fought the fire. The story is that the firefighters dumped water on the fire then crossed the street to sample the liquids they’d saved. Within a few days of the fire, new construction was underway in brick and masonry. Most of the buildings on this block were constructed between the fall of 1900 and 1905.  Most of the color and stories of Prescott originated in this one block landmark that still celebrates that fact that it once hosted over 40 saloons.

We were waiting on the street when Elaine and family arrived. We directed them to the parking garage where we had parked and waited until they returned on foot. Along with Elaine were her husband Frank and their daughter Brenda with her four children, Erin, Eric, Ethan, and Emily. Brian and Kathy and their son were unable to join us this time. We had a nice lunch at the Palace where one of the descendants of Wyatt Earpp was walking around visiting. We didn’t get a picture with him though. I have a word or two for those of you who pause at the thought of four children aged 3 to 11 at lunch. Whatever Brenda is doing to raise those four, she is darned well doing right. The children were well-behaved and polite and watched out for each other. If these four are typical of today’s generation of young children, there is hope for the world. When we went walking around after lunch, the kids were where they belonged and said they’d be and considerate of each other and those around them.

After a leisurely lunch where we had a nice visit, we walked around downtown Prescott and checked out the specialty stores. Keith bought a hat appropriate for touring and cooler weather. Frank bought ice cream for all who wanted one.

Frank and Keith were sitting on a streetside bench outside the pet supply store when a lady and her dog walked by. Apparently the dog was a lap dog and Frank’s lap looked good as the dog just jumped right up and made herself at home. It was a surprise and was good for a smile from all. Eventually our visit time came to a close and it was time to say goodbye so we walked back to the cars (Frank and Elaine had just bought a new one and it had DVD players for the passengers. Nice VW van.)  We posed for a picture or two then headed back towards home and hotel.

Betty and Keith had a light dinner at CoCo’s in Flagstaff. It had been recommended by another airplane passenger on the way from Baltimore. The soup and sandwich were tasty and hit the spot. After that, we crossed the street back to the hotel for emails, postcards, showers and to bed.

Another good day!

Turquoise and Red Rocks

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Sunday was to include a scenic detour, shopping, a water slide, some insight into a question that had been on my mind for quite a while and finished up the day with the full moon rising as we left a fascinating church structure. Still enjoying sleeping in a bit in the morning and breakfast just down the hall in the hotel lobby.

We swung by the Flagstaff WalMart to pick up a few supplies and then headed for Sedona. Since we were on vacation, it really wasn’t that big a deal when we missed our exit on the way, although the one we took looked familiar. We ended up winding through a residential area where the houses were set into the trees and looked like a combination of retirement cottages and weekend getaways. From a sheer directions standpoint, I think the Garmin could have gotten us back on the right track without quite as extensive a tour but it was a pleasant diversion to somewhere we hadn’t seen before.

Rt. 89A takes one through Oak Creek Canyon and delivers some scenic forest and water views.

Also along this stretch of 89A is a bridge across a gully known as Hoel’s Wash. Adjacent to Hoel’s Wash is Hoels Indian Shop and Rental Cabins.  The open sign was lit so we stopped and went in. The merchandise was all Indian-themed and Mr. Hoel was very knowledgeable about his merchandise and his artists. We probably spent the better part of an hour looking at EVERYTHING and we found the piece that was “it”. Mr. Hoel wrapped it up and we were once again on our way. (It was a ring by Greg Lewis but I have no pictures. It was a gift for our daughter.)

Next along the way is Slide Rock Park, a joint venture between the US Forest Service and Arizona State Parks. Originally the Pendley Homestead, the park is a 43-acre historic apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon. Frank L. Pendley, having arrived in the canyon in 1907, formally acquired the land under the Homestead Act in 1910. Due to his pioneering innovation, he succeeded where others failed by establishing a unique irrigation system still in use by the park today. This allowed Pendley to plant his first apple orchard in 1912, beginning the pattern of agricultural development that has dominated the site since that time. Pendley also grew garden produce and kept some livestock. Historically significant because of early efforts at agriculture and the 1930’s addition of guest cottages (no longer used). Recreationally, its significance is tied to the natural water chute and slide.

There were a number of families and small groups enjoying the park during our visit. Only one family seemed to be actually in the water and on the slide though. The rest were enjoying the sun and the view as we were.

We spent some time enjoying the warm sunshine and then trekked back to our rented car to head into Sedona. The midday ride was a bit faster-paced than yesterday’s but not rushed at all. As we had scoped out the town somewhat, we quickly recognized that an on-street parking spot would work and lucked into finding one in the first block or so. We had some time and wandered about trying to find just the right spot for a light lunch.  The Canyon Breeze is relatively open in a food-court sort of way and we chose tacos. My experience with tacos had always been either the crunchy corn shells or a soft flour more like a burrito. These were flour but with some crunch. A bit lighter and a good flavor. They hit the spot quite well.  

After we finished lunch, we made our way a few doors down to await our scheduled Jeep tour ride.

There were four of us scheduled to make the ride and the other two were being retrieved by our driver down the road a ways. We watched as other groups met with their drivers and departed. And then other groups would come along and depart with their driver. It was about to become an issue worth inquiring about when a red Jeep TJ pulled in off the main road and our driver, who introduced himself as Mike (I think), came to collect us. It turns out we had added another pair to the mix and there would be 6 of us plus our guide. Our tour was with the Red Rock Western Jeep Tours. It appears there are at least 6 tour companies in town specializing in this type of tour. Most of them use Jeep Wranglers of the YJ or TJ variety for those of you who know the difference. What they all share is modifications that include a higher canopy and additional seating in the rear area. In theory, the one we rode could carry 7 passengers plus the driver but it would be snug. The added seats were smooth and narrow so you really needed to cinch down on the seatbelt to stay in place when the going got rough.

 Our tour started going through town on our way to the Red Rock District of the Coconino National Forest. We passed through several traffic circles (or as they call them in Maryland — traffic calming devices!) We passed the house formerly owned by one of my personal favorites, Lucille Ball. A domineering and impressive structure with covered balcony porches overlooking the red rock landscape and the town of Sedona. This took us out Schnebly Road, named for one of the founders of the town. According to guide (and I add the appropriate disclaimer as all tour guides seem to have a blurry line between historical accuracy and delivering a good line, a practice commonly known by storytellers everywhere as not letting the facts ruin a good story) the town was to be named after the nearby Oak Creek Canyon but instead was named after one of the Schnebly brothers’ wives. Her death and the death of their only child within a few years lead to the Schneblys abandoning the area. 
Schnebly Road is typical US Forest Service (USFS) roadway, hard packed dirt and rock with gravel (of varying sizes up to softball size) which climbed up to our viewpoint.  Our guide went out of his way to communicate the full feeling of the early stagecoach. (Translation: It was an uncomfortably rough ride, especially when combined with the seats described above.)  This part actually surprised me. As most of the readers here would know, I recreationally travel/drive a 4×4 truck just to reach some otherwise inaccessible spots. I have often wondered why more folks didn’t share the interest and I wonder if their experience is with tour companies like this whose primary objective is to get the tour group from one spot to another on a schedule rather than to enjoy the journey. For example, traversing the same route, we would have lowered air pressure in tires to make it easier to negotiate the rocks and to make the ride more comfortable. Additionally we would have slowed down well below the 25 mph speed limit. In doing so, we would also have easily taken 6-8 hours to see the same sights that we were shown in 4 hours.

 

Old Bear Wallow
Climb this early stagecoach route along Schnebly Hill Road through Bear Wallow Canyon just below the Mogollon Rim to enjoy STUNNING VIEWS of Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon 2000 Feet below. Step onto Munds Wagon or Huckaby Trail and hear stories of Sedona’s early pioneer days. The 2-hour tour features a 4×4 excursion along the scenic volcanic Mogollon Rim Trail among the world’s largest continuous stand of Ponderosa Pines.
Canyons & Cowboys
Your Red Rock Western Guide takes you through a scenic wonderland surrounded by seven majestic canyons into historic Dry Creek Basin. Relive early cowboy days with tales of MURDER AND MOONSHINE at the old “Van Derin” cabin, a focal point of your tour, permitted ONLY to select jeep tour companies.
The murder at the Van Derin cabin was never solved although it was suspected that robbery was the motive. Mike, being a good storyteller made it an engaging story, of course. The difficult-to-reach cabin could be much easier to reach if one were to approach from the opposite direction. In the middle of the last decade, that property was developed as an expensive country club with houses on the golf course. The economic bust of the last few years stopped that development after only a couple of memberships and houses were sold.
Final thoughts on the Jeep Tour: They took us to places we would not have gone nor found in the rental car. We got to see some of the surrounding area close up and heard local color stories that we would not have otherwise heard. I’m glad we went and it was money well-spent. I recommend that you take one at least once but that you keep in mind that this is not necessarily what your wacky friends who play with their 4x4s do when they go riding on the weekend.
One more location we got to visit was the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
Built on a twin pinnacled spur about 250 feet high, jutting out of a thousand foot red rock wall, “solid as the Rock of Peter” the building of the Chapel was completed in April 1956. Just the physical construction was a physical miracle, overcoming difficult conditions to construct this chapel.
As before with the Watchtower, we arrived just before closing time for the day and it was located high up on the hill with a long winding ramp to the front doors. But the view was worth it! The wall behind the altar is made of glass with a floor to (very high) ceiling cross. The wall at the opposite end is also largely glass with the exception of two floor to ceiling doors. Around the perimeter the 14 Stations of the Cross were identified by Roman numerals formed from what appeared to be iron railroad spikes. Very dramatic! The pews were backless wooden benches and a woven tapestry hung on each of the side walls.  We’ve included a few pictures and invite you to visit the website (link above).
We finished the day with a last pass through the streets of Sedona and found a nice bar and grill, The Open Range. Looked like they enjoyed a brisk business and a nice view but since we were there after dark, the view was invisible. After finishing our dinner, we returned to Flagstaff via the Interstate and called it a night.

Unexpected Road Like a Malaria Germ and into Sedona

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When we told friends that we would be staying in Flagstaff, several recommended that we include Sedona in our plans. When we mentioned we were including Sedona in our plans, the recommendation was to avoid the Interstate and make sure we took the scenic Hwy 89A. When we told the GPS we wanted to get from Flagstaff to Sedona, our plotted route sent us along scenic 89A.

We left Williams and headed back towards Flagstaff. We planned to go on one of the Jeep tours into the Red Rock country around Sedona on Sunday so decided to drive down and check out the area a little bit rather than just booking over the phone or internet.

The roadway started out as a two lane paved road moving through rural area actually passing by Fort Tuthill, a recreational campground associated with Luke AFB.

Then the road started to get a bit more scenic and um, interesting.

The speed limit decreased and the yellow road warning signs showed what appeared to be more correctly identified as u-turns.  If you drive in the mountains much, you are familiar with switchbacks. Although we didn’t get a picture of it, the path on our GPS map screen looked all squiggly, doubling back on itself and reminded of the line from the CW McCall song, Wolf Creek Pass.

Well, from there on down it just wasn’t real purdy: it was hairpin county and switchback city. One of ’em looked like a can full’a worms; another one looked like malaria germs. Right in the middle of the whole damn show was a real nice tunnel, now wouldn’t you know?  (Bill Fries, Chip Davis)

-CW McCall “Wolf Creek Pass”

The ride took us alongside the Oak Creek. As local schools were beginning a one or two week fall break, the several campgrounds along the creek and in the canyon were full. Traffic was not especially heavy although there were enough cars around to require close attention but we moved along at a reasonable rate.

Along the creek, there were a mixture of private residences, small commercial establishments (shops, B&Bs, eateries) and USFS campgrounds.

As we passed some of the more popular businesses like an outside ice cream stand, traffic got a bit heavier and slowed down with more traffic in both directions. About a mile or so outside of Sedona, it was bumper-to-bumper and essentially stopped. It was a pace that would rival the Beltway and 95 North interchange on a Friday afternoon…but on a much smaller scale that didn’t last as long. As we crept along we enjoyed the scenery and the deep red color of the rocks that the area is known for.

As we cruised (crept?) into Sedona, the landscape went from forest to citystreet in a very short stretch of 500-1000 feet. This main street was wide and pedestrian friendly with lots of on-street parking and numerous signs to off street public parking.  Wide sidewalks separated the street from one and two story storefronts. The storefronts were an eclectic mix of touristy shops, restaurants, tour operators, artistic galleries and mixed retail. It was almost as much fun to walk along remembering pre-Mall Main St as it was to investigate the shops and watch the people along the way.

We planned to make arrangements for a Jeep tour of the surrounding area the next day and wanted to look at some turquoise jewelry. We had done some research on the internet and there were some shops that had looked interesting but the jewelry wasn’t quite what we seeking. We did run into some very helpful and some very persistent shopkeepers but it just wasn’t “it”. So we bought no jewelry that day.

We did however make arrangements for our Jeep tour. We had wanted to take the Soldiers Pass tour but it was full up (and at 8:00 am) so we booked a combined tour for tomorrow afternoon which combined Old Bear Wallow and the Cowboys and Canyons tour.

It had gotten dark and it was time for dinner. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from and varied in their fare from typical pub fare, various barbeques, Thai, vegetarian and southwestern. We chose the Oaxaca Restaurant for some traditional southwestern/Mexican fare which was quite tasty. The margaritas were pretty good as well.

After dinner, we made our way back to the car and chose to make our way back to the hotel via the interstate rather than run the gauntlet of campgrounds along Oak Creek Canyon. After preparing a couple of postcards, we turned in for the night.