Arizona: Homolovi State Park and Oak Creek Canyon / Sedona
Truck passes 90,000 mile mark
Sunday, May 15
Me sick, so delayed departure by a day. To break up trip to Sedona, we stopped for one night at Homolovi State Park outside Winslow. Nice day but very windy. Arrived late in the day but managed to get in a quick walk around ruin #1 behind the campground. Not rebuilt but potsherds all over, what’s left over the years anyway. Super windy so not interested in riding bikes. Busier than expected but picked spot #31.
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| Junior archaeologists like to pick up pieces and leave them on display, as if the rest of us can't see them ourselves. |
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| Always enjoy new additions to this billboard along I-40 |
Monday, May 16
Bill drove over for a look at ruin #2 while I took my time getting ready. Still feeling sick so moving slow. A drive down steep Oak Creek Canyon hwy 89A and we were at our campground, Pine Flats, #27. No electricity, but we have the generator. Dark canyons not my favorite. Drove down to the Village of “Old Creeps,” looking around to get the lay of the land. Slipped on a slick rock down by the creek, with sand, and smashed my knee good. Didn’t affect movement, but swelled up quick and ugly.
Tuesday, May 17
Had a rough night of sore throat and coughing, decided I am ready to visit urgent care, need the drugs. Rainy day today, looked at some houses for future reference. Lots of expensive old crap out there, not too encouraging. Found an urgent care on the west side of town, pretty quick in and out with diagnosis of sinus infection. What? Really? I have allergies? That’s what the PA said. On to Walgreens for Z-pak, I could have done that. Big dark clouds over the dark red sandstone, got caught in some rain as we made our way to Oxauca, for a late lunch-dinner. Bad service for us as always, my taco salad pretty gross; Bill said his flautas not bad. Back to the dark canyon...
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| through the skylight, rain rain rain |
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| What you do when it rains in Sedona. |
Another rainy day, so out driving again to check ’hoods, this time discovered Pine Valley, and the idea of a lot as an alt. Another awful night of coughing.
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| No need to saturate a photo when it's sunny in Sedona. |
Finally a sunny day! Planned on biking around Bell Rock area but busy and not a place to park so did some more touring. Turned out to be several open houses in Pine Valley so we checked out a few. Again, not too encouraging. Later went back to the trailhead and got a parking space. Rode about 1.5 miles uphill on the rocks, 84 degrees full sun, and I was dyin’. Rode back on the highway -- that was enough! Totally out of shape and still remnants of sinus breathing issues. Moving on... More driving around and a visit to the library for some wifi surfing--there is no signal to speak of at the trailer--thanks canyon. Then the final 20 minute drive back up the canyon to camp. Finally got to sit outside with a fire, only to add to all the other smoky campfires that stink up the canyon. Not one of my fave spots to park.
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| The very short (hot) bike ride. |
Both of us awake at 5:30 AM so decided to start the day the earliest ever (for me)... Breakfast, packed up and on the road by 7:15 AM!!! 10 am as I write and we are almost to Kayenta. Plus we lose an hour due to DST -- AZ does not participate.
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| Mileage milestone. In not quite 5 years. |
RIP: Morley Safer “60 Minutes” and Allan “Wilbur” Young of “Mr. Ed”
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