The Wandering Adventurers: Sedona

April 5
Still no bag…Faye and John were here bright and early. After catching up, we drove up to the two best views of this incredible valley surrounded by buttes of red rock. The Chapel of the Holy Cross sits in the rocks up high enough for an amazing view and is beautiful in itself. It is said to sit on a vortex. When we were walking up the hill we passed a man who was having a difficult time walking after having a “vortex experience.” He could barely walk and couldn’t move his arms or hands but wasn‘t upset about it and seemed to be in a good state of mind, interesting. I was remembering Jake talking about the feelings he had when he was here. Chris and I took time for a quite moment. Our bodies definitely had a reaction with light headedness and uneasy feelings in our stomachs. I have a difficult time quieting my mind and it definitely wouldn’t happen with scads of tourists around. Maybe the sense of peace that one can feel around this area of red rock and vortexes is helping me not be too upset about my lost bag. Across the street and in total view from the chapel is a $19,000,00.00 11,000 sq.ft. Italian villa owned by Dr. Lasiks who invented the process to improve vision. It is beautiful but doesn’t seem right ro be across the street from the chapel. Most people who go to the chapel seem to be more interested in seeing the villa than the chapel. Oh well, each to their own. We also drove high enough up Schnebley Road for an awesome view. Lunch at the Wildflower Bread Co. fortified us for a couple of walks to the Palatki and Honanki Sinagua cliff dwellings. Palatki is considered to be a spiritual site and goes back to 8,000 BC with so many pictographs. Knowledgeable docents were at the Palatki sites to give us some history and explanations of the pictographs. We were really fortunate to be there when a docent was taking an additional walk to an agave pit where the Sinaguas would roast the 10-12 pound heart of the agave for four or five days. The pictographs drawn here through the ages were amazing! It is a very spiritual place and has a split in the rock that resembles a doorway which is said to lead to the spirit world and with a large rock sitting in front of the doorway where the shaman would sit. The area at Honanki was inhabited between 1150 AD and 1300. We could walk right up to the cliff dwellings here. Of course the red rock buttes in all these places are gorgeous. We were looking hundreds of feet straight up the butte and then walking under the overhangs where we viewed the drawings.
We made a stop at the market for beer, wine, chips and pizza for an easy dinner back home. We had a great old time playing Mexican Train way into the night. Faye began a tradition of bringing a box of See’s candy with every visit. This time they brought us each a box filled with our personal favorites!

Faye, John & I looking at the View

View from Chapel

Door to Spirit World at Palatki

Pictographs at Palatki

Clifff Dwellings at Honanki Runis

Cliffs at Honanki Runins

Veiw of Sedona from Schenbley Road

April 6
Still no bag…Clouds this morning but we decided to stop for sandwiches and have a picnic at the Tuzigoot Ruins National Monument. These ruins sit high on a hill overlooking the Verde Valley and date back to about 1100 AD. Around 1930, a large mound was thought to be Sinagua ruins and a excavation was begun in 1934. The mining in the area was drying up and men were put to work digging out the remains of walls that formed up to 85 rooms on the lower level and another 20 some on the second story. The 250 some people who lived here at its height were farmers and hunters and probably led a happy and simple life. There was plenty of water in the valley below for farming. They probably enjoyed the company of others that passed through trading goods and sharing news. They figure there were about 50 other building sites similar to this one in the area. We headed back to Sedona for a stop at Crescent Moon Ranch at Red Rock Crossing State Park. What a magnificent view of Cathedral Rock even with the gray clouds. The path follows Oak Creek to a vortex area. Christy and I had been here before at the end of a day and didn’t walk very far. At the time we didn’t know about the vortex and I was more interested in getting some great photos of the creek with the late afternoon sun. Today we walked to the vortex at Buddha Beach. The “Buddhas” are rocks piled up in columns balancing on each other and are everywhere. We did one for the five of us and then one with Allison in mind. I was standing by the water saying a few prayers and started swaying. Then my fingers started tingling and the feeling spread up to my wrists. Christy and Faye joined me and had the same tingling sensation. It is a very special place I’m sure. We all “cleaned up” for a fancy dinner at the Shugrue’s Hillside Restaurant. Luckily I had one decent outfit or they would have had to leave me behind with left over pizza! Dinner was great but can’t say the same for the service. Oh well, onto Mexican Train and See’s candy. I got my nightly call at 11:00 PM from Hawaiian Air and it looks like I might REALLY have my duffle bag on Friday! They actually have it at the airport and will Fedex it tomorrow. It’s been a little frustrating to say the least but I’m with great people in an amazing place.