The Spirit of Adventure 2.0

We have set up camp in Cottonwood AZ which is just outside Sedona  Home, home on the range.... Sedona Arizona is just a short 1 hour drive from the Grand Canyon but the terrain and the feel of the area is so very different. With it's red rocks towering above the surrounding scrub oak Sedona offers hundreds of hiking trails allowing you to get up close and personal while hiking around the giant rock formations. Many come here to experience one of the many "Vortex" that are said to be in the area. Vortexes are said to be "enhanced energy sites that facilitate prayer, meditation, mind body healing and creative thinking. Ommmmmmmmmmmmmm I got nothing .....Oh well Sedona is also a great town with many, many tourist shops , restaurants and galleries.  There are also several Jeep tour companies that will take you out in the back country  All the fountains were decorated for Thanksgiving ...

Happy Thanksgiving! Hello, this is Debbie.  When we were at the Oklahoma City bombing site, we learned that the tree above, while severely damaged, survived the bombing. Through the years it has been lovingly cared for to become the healthy, strong tree that you see above.  Seeing the inscription, "Gratitude" struck me while we were there and sums up my feelings today. Ralph and I are both grateful for the special people that we have in our lives and those who hold a very special place in our memories.  We're also grateful for good health and the amazing opportunity that we have to travel and experience this great country.   May you, your family and friends have a blessed Thanksgiving and holiday season. 

Before going into the Grand Canyon National Park we spent 2 nights in Williams Arizona, Williams is a great stepping off place where you can stock up on groceries and items you need,  fill the tanks that should be full and empty the tanks that should be empty. Williams is just a busy little railroad town on the BNSF line and is home to The Grand Canyon Railroad. Each morning the train pulls out of the station in Williams taking people approximately 60 miles to the Grand Canyon. Late in the afternoon it makes the return trip back to Williams.   Route 66 runs right through the center of town and the town is known as   "The Gateway to the Grand Canyon"   And like most of the small towns they play up the Route 66 of the late 50's & early 60's The old style main street has the old hotels with their neon signs and old cars After a week in the Grand Canyon we returned to town to restock and pick up our mail that had caught up...

Although we were here at the Grand Canyon during our first extended trip back in 2008, we were only at the canyon for two days. This time we are here for an entire week. (All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them) During our 7 days at the canyon we left the car parked and hiked almost everywhere In the picture above you can see the Colorado River down in the bottom of the canyon Below is a zoomed in look at some of the rapids from a different vantage point It was too beautiful to get in the car and drive on the roads, we saw so much more hiking the rim  While hiking the Rim Trail we spotted this herd of big horn sheep on a cliff not far from the trail Elk on the trail seemed tame but they were big enough to stomp on this Jersey Boy Every time we went out there were more amazing things to see  While I may have ventured off the trail at times, some people (like this guy) go ...

Anyone traveling along I40 through Arizona has to stop off in Winslow Arizona Well I'm standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona .... Such a fine sight to see Although most people will remember the words of the Eagles hit Take it Easy most don't realize that while the music was written by Glenn Fry of the Eagles the words were actually written by Jackson Brown The song is about an incidence that actually happened to Jackson Brown in the early 70's   Since the song is this tiny town's claim to fame they have embraced it by building a park in the center of town where hundreds of tourists stop daily to have their picture taken After doing the touristy picture thing we took a ride through the tiny town and were surprised to learn that out here,...  in the middle of desert, .. is the beautiful  La Posada Hotel  This is a very beautiful and luxurious southwest style hotel Just 30 miles outside of town we stopped to t...