Hi everyone!
I’m seriously trying to get caught up on my blog posts. I have spent my “computer time” trying, unsuccessfully, to figure out my storage issue and also transfer pictures from the computer to the external hard drive I purchased. All attempts have failed. I have officially given up trying to figure it out until we get back home and I’m going to get help. Cell phone pictures will have to do. Hey! I hear those snickers out there! I admit, computer storage and computers in general are not my strong suit! Somehow I manage to keep our banking and mail handled online, but this whole picture storage thing has me beat. Anyhow, onto much more interesting topics like my sister’s visit while we were in Sedona!!
After I got back from St. Paul, Steve and I did a quick, above the rim only (no hiking) trip to the Grand Canyon with Gerry. A few pictures are included in the below links. It was okay, but crowded and, I guess, we are not that “wowed” by the Grand Canyon. Did I just say that out loud? I guess I did! We kept waiting for that “wow” moment, when we went to the north rim, and again when we went to the south rim. Didn’t happen. And Steve said the same, even when he and Bill hiked the Bright Angel trail a bit. And when Laura, my sister, came to visit, she and I drove up to the south rim and hiked a bit of the Bright Angel trail (pictures below). Still no “wow” there. Glad we saw it, but I don’t expect we’ll ever go again. I guess it’s just not our thing.
We did, however, have a fantastic visit to Sedona. Love it there. We stayed for a total of 2 weeks, however only one week was actually in an RV park right in Sedona. For the week before Laura came, we were just outside Sedona in Camp Verde. It was a very nice campground, and only about 20 minutes to Sedona. BUT, the campground we stayed at in Sedona was fantastic. Rancho Sedona, right in the middle of town, right on Oak Creek. I had tried a few times to get a reservation there with no luck, so had given up. But our new friends Jeff and Lori, that we met back in Colorado and hiked with for a few days, insisted we keep trying, that a trip to Sedona without staying at Rancho Sedona was not the same. So I tried one last time and they had just had a cancellation! We got a prime spot right on the creek. Cool evenings and mornings, sound of the running creek in our windows, beautiful trees everywhere. A great home base for Laura’s visit. Thanks Jeff and Lori!
I had heard Sedona was beautiful (it is); I had heard it was new age-y (it is); I had heard there were energy vortexes (vortices? not sure how to spell plural… and there are). Even though we had heard these things, experiencing them was even better than I had expected. We did tons of hiking. It was hot, but beautiful. We found several vortex spots while hiking. We all (Steve, Laura and I) experienced the energy at the vortexes. Sometimes the energy was moving in counter-clockwise circles, sometimes in clockwise circles, sometimes it felt like it was moving both ways and pulling in both directions. A very cool experience each time.
One hike, at Boynton Canyon, was really great. At the beginning of the hike, there was an old guy with white hair, way up high on a rock point playing a flute. We sat with several other people and listened to the flute echoing off the rock walls. Amazing and moving. As we were leaving to continue our hike, he came down off the rock point he was on and stopped to talk to us. He gave us each a heart he had carved out of the red rocks, and gave us each a blessing. Amazing. We then did the hike and found several vortex spots that were very strong for us all. Quite an experience.
On Laura’s first day in Sedona, we hiked Bell Rock. More of a climb than a hike, you pretty much rock climb to the top. Beautiful, and we also found a vortex spot there. As we were climbing up, there was a young lady with beautiful blue hair, with her boyfriend and her mom in front of us most of the way. When we all got to the top, I noticed she was setting out stones and crystals on the ledge and doing some type of ceremony with them. We got to talking, and she had just the stone I was looking for – a Rose Quartz. I bought (very inexpensive) it from her on the spot! She sells stones and crystals online, and was infusing them with the good energy at Bell Rock before she sold them. Sedona Magic!
We also got to visit with some family we had not seen for years and years. Our cousin, Gina, lives in Phoenix and came up to Sedona for a day to visit. It was great to see her again and to reconnect. We also had dinner in Phoenix the night before Laura flew back home with Gina, a couple of aunts, and assorted cousins we had not seen for years. Some we had never met before! It was great to reconnect with family again. One of the benefits of this RV lifestyle is that we get to visit with friends and family we may not have had the chance to see otherwise.
It was fantastic having Laura visit. As much as we love our RV life, we do miss home and family and friends too. Having visitors means so much, and sharing our adventure is so much fun too! Pictures below, hope the links work. Enjoy!
Lots of pictures in this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nJXXzDxtrQfUS5WE7