From there we raced up to Sedona to meet up with Mom and Dad and get started on our day of sightseeing. Since Mom and Dad had never been to Sedona before we thought it would be a good idea to show them around a bit.
We started off by going to Bell Rock which is very near the house they are renting. When we got out of the car to start our hike, I noticed I'd forgotten my camera out on the deck back at the house. Darn! Fortunately I had my little point and shoot camera with me so not all was lost. But it was still a disappointment.
The trail around Bell Rock is very flat. It's a very popular trail so the dogs had to stay on leash the entire time. And while I'm sure they wished they were off leash, they were very good and seemed to have a fine time. Behind us, you can see Bell Rock.
As we got closer to Bell Rock, there were some pretty and interesting views.
We were all marveling at the formations - not only of the rock as a whole but the lines and crevices within the rock.
As we got closer, we found it interesting that the rock didn't look like a bell at all.
Hey, look what grew on this rock. If you look very closely I think you'll see the entire Mason family.
It was interesting to see all the different plants that can grow out of the rock. Here you can see green trees, blue bushes, and cactus.
From this angle you can just see the top of Court House Butte in the background.
It was at about this point that we turned around and went back.
As we were heading back to the trailhead, a whole line of horses went by. Slugger and Boogie thought this was very interesting. The girls just said, "oh it's only a bunch of horses" and continued on their walk. We still have some work to do to get the boys to behave in the same manner.
From there we went to downtown Sedona to our favorite lunch spot - Wildflower Bread Company. In addition to great sandwiches and soups, they have outdoor seating where dogs are allowed. So, of course, this was the place for us!
The portions are really big (in my opinion) so Mom and I split a sandwich. The dogs got plenty of bites from all four of us - so needless to say they were all very well behaved. Even though we were all stuffed, we couldn't pass up Cold Stone Creamery which was just a few doors down in the same little complex.
Darn, I don't know why I didn't think to take pictures of the art work in this little plaza. There were probably 10 - 12 different animals all made from various old items (garbage) like rusty wrenches, hub caps, saws, shovels, rakes, etc. They were all very interesting and cleverly done.
Mom and I waited outside with the dogs while Mike and Dad went in to get the ice cream. It turns out there was only one worker in there and the line was getting longer and longer. All the dogs were very calm for quite some time. But then Sparkie decided she just couldn't wait any longer...she must have suddenly smelled the ice cream. She started jumping straight up into the air to the end of her leash. Everyone in line for ice cream was very impressed and entertained. So then many different people came out to pet her and all the dogs. It was amazing how many of them said that seeing our dogs made them miss their dogs so they wanted to pet our dogs. We got to hear many cute little stories of other peoples dogs. The thing that touched me was that everyone that came up to us during this time had rescue dogs. How cool is that!
By the time we finished our ice cream, Mom and I were so full we were pretty sure we never wanted to eat again! But it all sure was good.
After getting back to our cars, we continued our drive through downtown Sedona and headed off toward the Oak Creek Canyon drive. This is a very scenic drive and probably something that all tourists do at some point during their visit.
The weather was turning on us as the day went on. We were plenty warm on our morning hike but during lunch we all had to put our coats on. But that didn't deter us from our plans.
After driving for a while we stopped at West Fork Oak Creek for another hike. This one is also flat so it isn't difficult in that respect at all. Since there is a special fee to come here, it isn't very crowded at all so the dogs got to be off leash - how fun is that! Best of all, the views here are spectacular. Once again, it's hard to show you the great expanse that we could see, as the human eye has much better peripheral vision than a camera. But hopefully you can use your imagination a little bit as you look at these pictures.
The dark lines you see on the rocks is where water has gone down over many years - probably a gazillion years....however long that is!
One of the pretty things about this hike is that it criss crosses the river numerous times.
That's also one of the problems with this hike. To cross the river you must balance on a very narrow passage of rocks and logs...many of which aren't all that sturdy.
We all managed to get across the first one without incident although we had to take it slow and easy. The second crossing was much too difficult - even Boogie was stymied on how Mike and the three big dogs made it.
When he just couldn't figure out a way across from there, he came back and decided to try a different route. But he got stuck there too.
When we all got back to the same side of the river, we let Slugger off leash as well. The dogs had a huge playtime chasing each other around and around as fast as they could. It was so fun to see Wazzu racing around doing crazy dog with Boogie chasing her as best he could. I really love it when Wazzu lets down her guard and just has fun.
At one point, we told the dogs they weren't to dig. Boogie looked up at me and said, "I didn't dig, Mom." Do you think I should believe him?
Just as we were about back, it started to sprinkle. Our timing was sure lucky! We did stop for a minute to get a picture of Mom and Dad in front of what used to be the entrance to someone's garden. Just behind them is the river. Between me and them is where the garden used to be. And just behind me is the foundation of an old house.
As quickly as the sprinkles started, they stopped. But it still was a bit chilly. A perfect time for a drive. So we continued our drive up the canyon. It is more spectacular on a clear day but we could still see a little bit.
Here you can see the view from the top. As you can see, it's a long way down. We had quite the time trying to get Mom this close to the edge so we could take this picture. The white dots that you can see in the background are snow patches. And while there's not a lot of snow left, that tells you how cold it is up this high.
I think Mom felt much safer near this sign!
Now it was time to head back home. If you look closely you can see the road winding down the hill. That's the road we took to make our way back down to Sedona.
When we finally got back home we found that it had rained harder there. This meant that my camera was all wet. I sure hope it will be okay.
Unfortunately, our visit with Mom and Dad came to an end this evening. I was really sorry to see our time together draw to a close. My hope is that we get to something like this much more often.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, we didn't have dinner - we were still stuffed.
Debbie
4/3/08
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