Author: robmin57

After an hour long wait in line to enter the Grand Canyon National Park, we arrived at our camp site in Trailer Village. We ate a quick lunch and then practically ran to the rim trail. Ed kept saying “slow down” but I could not stand the wait any longer. My first look was everything I had imagined and more. The grandeur was breathtaking and moved me to tears. This response has happened to me a few other times, when first viewing Monet’s water lilies, and when being caught by surprise of the magnificence of Klempt’s ”The Kiss”. This time though, it was God’s work, and he out did himself. We walked a four mile loop from the campsite along the rim trail and each view was as impressive as the next. It had snowed the night before and the temperatures remained chilly enough that the snow in the woods at our campsite did not melt. The Outland Firepit came in handy as wood fires are not allowed here. It was the perfect setting for a celebratory drink!

After a windy and chilly night, the skies began to clear for our last day in Sedona. We attempted to do the Bell Rock hike but the parking lot was a zoo scene. Lucky us though, we instead did the Little Horse trail, which was beautiful and much less crowded. The rock formations around Sedona are astonishing. Unfortunately, so is the traffic. It seems we aren’t the only ones seeking it’s wonder. We ended our stay in Sedona with a delicious meal at the very popular Elote. The first course was Elote, which is an off the cobb version of Street Corn. For our main course I had Lamb Shank in Adobo sauce and Ed had Buffalo Short ribs braised in poblano mole sauce. There might have been a Prickly Pear Margarita or two on the bill too! We are off to the Grand Canyon where it was 19* this morning!

We’ve had a busy couple days getting to know the Sedona area. We drove the spectacular Oak Creek Scenic Road which had beautiful scenery and some great National Forest Campgrounds. Next up we fit in a 2 mile hike on the Adobe Jack Trail before we met our guide for a sunset jeep tour. The scenery is breathtaking. We started on an off road trail called the Bear Wallow, but it became to much for this old spine of mine. Scott, our guide, picked up on our intrigue with vortexes and took us to a most amazing spot. It is Columbus Day weekend and the crowds in Sedona show it, but he took us to Rachel’s Knob. It is know for its spiritual energy. Thankfully, we had the place to ourselves. We used devinig rods to locate the zones of highest energy. Ed and I both felt it! I said a quiet prayer of thanksgiving for this amazing earth we inhabit. The trip back to the tour’s home base was stunning with the red rock formations illuminated by the setting sun.

Today we arose early to try to score one of 13 parking spaces to access the Soldiers Pass hiking trail. The lot opened at 8:00 AM sharp and there was actually a policeman to monitor the situation. We were successful! The hike was about 4.5 miles of stunning scenery. We visited the Seven Sacred Pools. They were low on water but you got the sense of how important this water source was to the Native American tribes who inhabited this region long ago. It was a fantastic hike. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with a nice long nap after a couple of very busy days.

It was such fun meeting up with friends from Bellingham that have now settled in the Phoenix area for the winter. We went ATVing in the BLM land north of Phoenix. The land was vast, the trails a bit technical, and Travis succeeded in finding one of the few mud puddles in the whole region! What a blast!

On the way from Santa Fe to Sedona we just had to stop for the night at Homolovi State Park, outside of Winslow. Along the way we drove the The Petrified Forest National Park. It was interesting but there was hardly any RV parking and what was there was being used by cars. So, off we went to set up the RV in what turned out to be a well equiped and user friendly campsite. Then it was off to stand on the for-mentioned corner, which for some reason, was important to me. It was a happy place. We had a delicious dinner at The Turquoise Room, turned in early, then awoke to this gorgeous sunrise. Life is good and I am thankful.

Yesterday was one if those days when you really feel like you are living right. Monday the ground winds were too high to fly safely. Today we woke up to rain and a 4:30 AM text from Lisa saying they weren’t flying due possible rain and a wet field. Yesterday, the day we were on scheduled to fly in Pix, there was perfect flying conditions. Light lower level winds and upper level North winds taking us over less developed land for landing purposes. Jim and Lisa, owners of Pix, have been good friends since we met them at our wine tasting group in Texas. Ed had crewed for them a number of times when they flew locally. He had also gotten to fly a number of times but I was too worried about my fear of heights to join them. This time, when the amazing opportunity presented itself, I forced myself to overcome this fear. If not now, when, right? It was incredible, like floating over humanity in a world filled with wonder and beauty; so very peaceful! I didn’t even get the hiney-num-nums! The other thing that was so remarkable was the volunteers who come from around the country to help. They were all as happy as we were. It is a day I will never forget❤️!

It was a beautiful day to start our Balloon Feista experience. The bright blue skies were only outmatched by the riot color of provided by the balloons. Jim Williams, our pilot, was concerned about the speed of the wind at ground level and chose not to fly. Good choice, the news reported 3 balloons hit electrical wires while attempting to land. We are scheduled to fly in Pix today, winds permitting! Fingers crossed… stay tuned!

Today we took the ”High Road” to Taos, NM. It was a quaint, small city nestled amongst the snow capped mountains. On the way we stopped at the Santuario de Chimayo. This lovely old Catholic Church is the destination of a yearly, 90 mile pilgrimage during lent for those who believe in the healing powers of the dirt within the grounds of the church. I wish I could have taken a picture of the altar. It was made of carved wood and painted in a primitive style. It moved me more than any of the ornate altars I’ve seen across Europe. The city of Taos was filled with fun shops to browse through. We took a different route home that took us over the Rio Grande River Gorge bridge that spans the over 600 foot gorge. It was impressive, as were all the BLM Campgrounds along the river. We had leftovers for dinner tonight and then off to bed early, as we have a 3:30 AM wake up time in order to crew for our friends at the ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FEISTA!

We had another full day yesterday, starting with Farmers Market. It was a feast for the eyes. The roasted chili peppers, pictured above, are a staple of the local cuisine. Next, we moved on to a 3 mile hike on the Dorothy Stewart Trailhead. It took us up to 8,100 feet in elevation and provided spectacular views of the layered mountains to the west. We ended the day with a delish dinner prepared by Jim’s brother-in-law of enchilada casserole, pork tamales, and Benito beans, with the added bonus of a yummy cake make by Jim’s sister. We went to bed happy and well satisfied!

We will be crewing for ”Time Flies” at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival this Monday and Wednesday. We are scheduled to fly in her on Tuesday morning! We are very excited about this opportunity. Stay tuned!