Sedona: Land of Red Rocks and Tourists

This weekend escape our from Winslow was Sedona, where we did a little hiking, wine tasting and a lot of eating!

It was too early to check into our hotel when we got to Sedona, so (big surprise here!) we went for a little hike.The main highlight (although I'm not sure that's the right word for it) was BJ being the luckiest puppy in the whole wide world-let me explain.

From Arizona

After a couple minutes on the trail we heard some movement in the woods-my immediate thought of Bear!! was wrong but it was a HUGE skunk-needless to say we got the heck out of it's way and oblivious BJ had no idea what was going on. We round the next bend and what's there-another HUGE skunk and this time BJ notices it and takes off running after it-oh dear lord NO! We try to call him back but he keeps pursuing. Keith realizes that he needs to just go drag BJ away from the skunk, by the time Keith pulls BJ away BJ has had his nose directly in the skunks butt and made it away without being sprayed! My only guess is that the skunk was having a confused Pepe Le Lew moment and thought this stinky black thing must just be an amorous skunk-and I'm sorry there are no pics I couldn't get a shot of two black animals running around in the woods (Keith is very disappointed by this!)!

Sedona is very beautiful and has some great restaurants, but it is also full of old people tourists so we did what we could to stay out of the downtown area. We were planning of spending Saturday wine tasting, but our day didn't last as long as we thought it would. The first place we went to Page Springs Vineyard had some really great wines but kind of a weird set up-at least for us Oregonians- for $ 10 ($10 !?!?!) we got to taste a preselected flight of five wines (they had a number of flights-no mixing and matching) and while they were good and we did buy a bottle it would have been a massive amount more fun and we probably would have bought more wine if we got to pick what we tasted and didn't have a ridiculous fee that was not refunded with the purchase of a bottle (unheard of in Oregon!). The second place we went to was Oak Creek Vineyard-this place was a little better at only $5 for 4 tastes and the wine was surprisingly really great. The third place was Javelina Leap Vineyard-all we needed to see what 4 tastes for $12 before we walked out-do these people think this is Napa-it's Arizona!!

What to do for the rest of the day? Go to Jerome, AZ "the largest ghost town in America"-on Halloween:)

From Arizona

It was really just a cute (and of course touristy) little town and unfortunately there were no encounters with ghosts-although if we ever go back we should stay at the Jerome Grand Hotel that is obviously haunted and you can get the ghost hunting hotel package-awesome!!

Since Sunday is 'Punishing Hike Day' for our little clan, we were on our way up Wilson Mountain right after breakfast. It was a hot and beautiful day and the hike promised great views of Sedona and the surrounding areas and it did not disappoint!

From Arizona

From Arizona

From Arizona

It was such a pretty day, but the hike was pretty hard, so we had to take lots of breaks in the shade-which BJ did not mind at all!

From Arizona

BJ and I both need a nap!

If I fall asleep, will it be over?

When I started writing this blog I planned on full disclosure-and so far everything has been pretty awesome. I feel like Winslow is trying balance the universe-we just had too much fun, too many great experiences in Enterprise and Winslow is planning to bring us down a notch and it is succeeding.

From Arizona

Today Winslow looks more like a post-apocalyptic hellhole than usual. It is insanely windy and that has caused a raging dust storm. It is also getting really cold at night and we have been using the pellet stove in the dinning room to heat it-usually only turning it on the morning.

From Arizona

I had the stove on and was sitting at the dinning room table doing homework when all of the sudden smoke came pouring out of the back of the stove-now I have never used one of these stoves before and it seemed common sense to be to turn it off and unplug it and while it was probably the right thing to do if things were normal-but this is Winslow-so more horrible things have to happen. As soon as a shut it off sparks fly out of the back of it and it keeps smoking-and then the smoking gets worse and worse until the whole house is full of smoke. Keith finally gets home for lunch and figures out that the pellets at the hopper were on fire and causing all the smoke and that is was probably the force of the raging winds outside that caused that happen. Of course by the time Keith gets home, BJ and I are of the front porch so we don't breath in too much smoke-there's nothing like crying on the front porch with your lungs burning in the middle of a dust storm to ruin your day-thank you Winslow!

Now I am trying to get the overwhelming stench of smoke out of the house and clean up all the dust and dirt that blew in when we had the windows open. Oh and our landlord thinks there may be something wrong with the stove and has asked us not to use and it's supposed to snow tomorrow....

Exhausted, Sore, Stinky, Starving, Exhilarated!

After a delicious breakfast of Moroccan oatmeal, we got going on the North Kaibab Trail to hike 7 miles down to the Cottonwood Camp Ground. According to the Park Service: The North Kaibab Trail is the least visited but most difficult of the three maintained trails at Grand Canyon National Park. The trailhead is at 8241 ft and the campground is at 4080 ft-yup we have to go straight down over 4000 ft in 7 miles-ouch!

Here you can see some of the trail-all of the trail you see we hiked-then it turns right and you can't see it anymore.

From Grand Canyon

At least it was a pretty day!

From Grand Canyon

More of the trail:

From Grand Canyon

There were a few things on the trail I didn't expect, like pretty fall colors but the most annoying of them were all the trail runners-what is wrong with you people??? You are in the Grand Canyon and you're just running past it-not appreciating it all! I think these people are crazy!

From Grand Canyon

After an exhausting seven miles, we finally made it to camp (not before a super perky teenage trail runner jogged by me and had to say 'Yay! Keep up the good work!' She's lucky I didn't have the energy to throw my boot at her!)

From Grand Canyon

And even though my feet were killing me-my two best friends, Aleve and duct tape made everything a little better!

From Grand Canyon

After one of the most beautiful and warmest nights camping I've ever experienced, it was time to go. What goes down the Grand Canyon must go back up! This is the part I was scared of!

This is what we had to go back up-the little plateau in the center of the picture is where the trailhead is

From Grand Canyon

At least we had the most perfect morning to do the most demanding and painful hikes I have ever done!

From Grand Canyon

After climbing, climbing, climbing, and climbing we finally made it to the top-in only 4 1/2 hours! Keith thought it would take us me 6 hours! After we got up to the top I started eating and haven't really stopped-pizza, Snickers, Pepsi, ice cream-delicious!

I can't believe it! We hiked down into the Grand Canyon! Even though I can barely walk today, it was totally worth it!!

Love at first site!

This weekend we went to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and it was my first time ever going to the Grand Canyon! It was so amazing!

We left Friday morning-after stopping in Flagstaff to drop BJ off-and made our way to the more remote, less touristy side of the Grand Canyon. We made a stop at the Backcountry Permits office to see if it was possible to hike down and camp in the canyon-it was-but that's for Saturday.

On Friday, once we got to the camp ground and set up camp, I still hadn't seen the canyon yet-agh! I was jumping around like a spazzy five year old until we finally got back in the car to do a little touristy driving around to overlooks and of course we did a little hike.

From Grand Canyon

I was so excited to finally see the canyon! After going there and actually seeing I don't think any picture I have ever seen has done it justice-it just isn't possible!

From Grand Canyon

From Grand Canyon

Our first day at the Grand Canyon was beautiful and relaxing-but there would be no more relaxing for the rest of the trip starting Saturday!!

Getting out of town!

After being back to Winslow from Illinois for about 30 seconds, we are off this weekend for adventure at the Grand Canyon! This is going to become a recurring theme of our time in Winslow-getting out of town!

While we are in town, Keith is working at North Country Healthcare and has been for about a week now-he is generally super bored by just working in the clinic and as with everything in Winslow-it's just kind of lame. The people working there keep telling him that they are recruiting him-but you wouldn't know it if they didn't keep telling him! So far I still haven't met a single person he works with, we have not been invited to anything as simple as drinks-that is not how you recruit-or maybe that is how people recruit and we just got spoiled in Enterprise.....

Ugh, oh well, I'll stop ranting! Be prepared to be inundated with more pictures of the Grand Canyon than you ever wanted to see on Monday!

Champaign bound-for the last time!

Very, very early tomorrow morning we are going to get up and drive to Phoenix so I can fly out to my last weekend at school!

I'm really looking forward to this weekend-not only is it my last on-campus weekend for school before I graduate, I get to see tons of friends, spend what I know is going to be a super fun weekend with Colleen and Randy (the in-laws) and spend some time with Rich and Beth (other in-laws)-I also get to get the hell out of Winslow, AZ-which may be the best thing about this weekend-maybe I should have extended my stay....

Hello Champaign!!

Trying to find the bright side

Let's be straight, to put it lightly-Winslow is a dump. But we're here for the next two months and are going to make the best of it-hopefully.

Our double-wide looks exactly like it did on craigslist

From Arizona

From Arizona

From Arizona

There is one main thing that they didn't tell us-the trailer has non-potable water. Yup-we can't drink the water here! We have to buy big ole bottles of water-even BJ gets bottled water. Last time I stayed at a place with non-potable water was in Costa Rica-there is was kind of expected-here not so much.

Keith just informed me that while trying to find a radio station-there were 3 AM stations that simultaneously broadcasting Rush Limbaugh-great....

But good things-it is sunny, warm and pretty-as long as you don't go to town. I got some pretty good sunset shots last night. There is really nothing to do in the town so I have nothing to really distract me from all my school work-still wondering if that's a good thing.

From Arizona

Well-we're here!