Day 2 - Winslow - Sedona, AZ

We took the opportunity to have a slower morning today so after gassing up, we did a quick swing through downtown Winslow and then headed southwest on Arizona highway 87.  As we left town, the landscape quickly began to look like a typical desert, scrubby and sandy.  Eventually we gained elevation and entered the Coconino National Forest, where we got to experience following a pilot car on a one-way road on three separate occasions.  And of course, when you are stopped in line waiting your turn, you take photos!

After a turn onto Highway 260, we started down into Verde Valley.  The temperature went up and the haze increased.  We soon stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument, a five-story, 20 room cliff dwelling built by the Southern Sinagua Indians between 1100 and 1300.  American explorers in the 1800 erroneously assumed the people who built the dwellings were Aztecs from Mexico, so they attached Montezuma’s name to the monument.  Looting of the structure started in the early 1900s and by 1951 visitors were causing such damage that tours up to the dwelling were stopped.  Sadly, even now folks are vandalizing the site as we saw several Arizona sycamore trees whose trunks had been carved into.  The National Park Service had the tree trunks covered in a mesh that prevented the damage from being seen.  One of the more interesting trees we saw as a oneseed juniper.  The bark made an amazing pattern as it morphed around knots and eyes.

We turned north and jumped onto the Red Rock Scenic Byway en route to Sedona.  The red sandstone so synonymous with this area began to appear and soon great pullouts allowed us chances to see Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Little Horse, and views of the valley to the north.  This truly is a geologist’s dream.

A short time later we were in downtown Sedona and found a great lunch spot called 89Agave Cantina.  For the remainder of the afternoon we drove around town, going up Airport Mesa to get a great overview of the town with Coffee Pot Rock and Capitol Butte in the background.  We didn’t hike to the well-known Airport Mesa vortex, but saw lots of folks headed that way.

For sunset, we took the Red Rock Loop Road and parked at Crescent Moon Picnic Site.   As we walked down to Oak Creek, Cathedral Rock came into view.  The setting sun lit up the rock so it appeared to glow.  As an added bonus, the moon happened to rise right from behind the rock formation, as if on cue.  A perfect ending to a perfect day for sure!  Tomorrow, we head north to the Grand Canyon. 

 

Day 1 - Conway, AR - Winslow, AZ

Another fall adventure started early this morning as my travel companion, Carolyn, and I arrived at a misty, rainy Little Rock airport before sunrise.  Our journey this time takes us to the American Southwest!  We were soon soaring high in the sky towards Houston and after a short layover, we headed to Albuquerque.

After getting our rental car (a 2023 Ford Explorer), we headed to downtown to grab some lunch at Cocina Azul.  We found one of “the” local spots for sure.  While we waited for our food, we enjoyed salsa rojo (red) and salsa verde (green); the red was VERY flavorful and instantly started to burn away any of those pesky tasted buds on our tongues.  Wow was that spicy!  Yummy, but it packed a big wallop.

With our bellies full, we headed to the store to grab water for the car (a must needed item when traveling in the desert) and were soon headed west to Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America.  Sky City is the physical and spiritual homeland for the Acoma people and the mesa on which they have lived looms 370 feet above the desert floor.  On top there are over 300 structures of adobe and sandstone.  Most of the Acoma people no longer live on the mesa, but they still return frequently for ceremonial occasions.

In 1629, the construction of a mission church atop the mesa was begun.  It’s a 21,000 square foot complex that took 11 years to build under the harsh rule and treatment of the Spanish that had taken over New Mexico.  The remaining buildings on the mesa are of various ages and have been rebuilt several times.  As our tour ended, we were privileged to have been given cupcakes and cookies by one of the Acoma.

Our next stop was La Ventura Natural Arch located near the El Malpais National Monument.  The arch has been formed due to the sandstone expanding in the day and cracking apart from the still cool rock hidden behind. The rock at the base and in the center was under the greatest load stress, cracked, and then failed first. Rocks on either side failed soon after somewhat symmetrically. The load from the overlying rock and the ensuing cracking apart lessened upwards. Over time this created an arch that grew from the base as more rock failed and collapsed.

With our pueblo tour taking a bit more time than planned, we had to hop onto I-40 and head west to our final destination of the day, Winslow, Arizona.  We arrived and were soon seated at the Turquoise Room inside the La Posada Hotel.  It was a fantastic meal after a really long day of travel.  Tomorrow we head a bit more west to Sedona!