http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , United States , Arizona en-us Thu, 03 Dec 09 17:04:08 +0000 Thu, 03 Dec 09 17:04:08 +0000 So after rushing back from Phoenix it was time for another project. Back to Wupatki for 3 days of pueblo stabilisation supposedly.Day one and after the short trip we found out the park guys didnt know we were coming and so we had no work for the short project. What followed was 3 days of visiting the sites around Wupatki and sunset crater. This was interesting don't get me wrong but i was annoye http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Flagstaff/blog-457032.html Day 139 Sunday 060909 NJJ The loud noises from the trains on the nearby tracks wasn't too disturbing during the night. Had a short walk around Flagstaff then drove back to Grand Canyon N.P. Did some more of the viewpoints which we didn't get to see yesterday then left the park after an hour or so. It was very busy there due to being holiday weekend. The weather was glorious. On to Williams. H http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Williams/blog-455578.html The remnants of the Cliff Dwellers pepper the landscape as we move through Arizona. It is October and we experience a different kind of Fall. Canyon de Chelly Canyon de Sha' in the Navajo Reservation is a place Tom has wanted to see since he was a little boy. So we camped on the reservation for a couple of days. We were fortunate to hike through some of the ruins and encounter Navajo's who d http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Canyon-de-Chelly-National-Monument/blog-454269.html So if last project was in an oven this one was most certainly in a freezer. Very cold in Zion national park this week after an unseasonably warm week the week before which is just bad luck on my part if you ask me. We had snow icicles and water freezing at camp with lows of 5 degrees. Day one was mostly devoted to travel although the journey significantly shorter than last time to Parashant http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Flagstaff/blog-452272.html Aug 21 Sept 13 2009Aug 21 Sept 4 2009 and Sept 12 13 2009San JoseFoster City San MateoBurlingameMillbraeSan BrunoSo SFSFOaklandSonomaSept 5 8 11 2009Los Angeles CASept 9 11 2009Las Vegas NevadaSept 10 2009Grand Canyon Arizona http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-451091.html So here they are.....Mr Mrs Turner CONGRATULATIONSThere are more professional photographs but we wanted to get something online quickly. The Cowboys and Cowgirls who work on this ranch were fabulous they were warm and hospitable and did everything they could to make this a warm and special day....despite the snow and freezing temperatures.The ceremony was administered by a minister from Las http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-449282.html Monday we drove over to Bryce canyon. Itrsquos was a good 2 hrs from Cedar city mind you we took the scenic route. Found a little Indian shop on the way into the Park bought some cool ornaments. Once at the visitor centre we watched the movie bought some postcards and had lunch. As we have missed the peak season by a week the shuttle service has now stopped. So we got to do a self guided t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Tucson/blog-448481.html The winter in Mexico is in the final stages before departure. Right now we are in Tucson Arizona. The weather is perfect. Hot during the day and cools right off at night. We arrived home from Mexico last Spring April 9th. I almost immediately went back to work and Larry proceeded to get himself healthy. He arrived home from Mexico very short of breath. Left it for a while but finally went http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Tucson/blog-447989.html We originally didn't have anything planned for today but decided we didn't want to just hang out at the resort but also didn't want to drive around and look at more of the same Red Rocks. Beautiful as they are there are only so many pictures you can take of the same thing.....my mother may disagree with her drawer full of Florida sunset pictures collected over many yearsSo we looked in to what http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Sedona/blog-447373.html Today was a very low key day. No activities planned. After breakfast we headed out for more sightseeing.We started at Bell Rock in search of a vortex Sedona Arizona Energy Vortexes . After taking an unplanned hike on Bell Rock path we were unsuccessful in our vortex hunt. Not to say there were none there but neither of us experienced the 'energy'. We left Bell Rock and stopped at the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Sedona/blog-447138.html After a day of exploring the Painted Desert Meteor Crater and other areas of Arizona wilderness we woke up and headed to the Grand Canyon. We had both been looking forward to reaching this part of our trip as it was a major item on our list of todorsquos. This was a place both of us had always wanted to see and it was thrilling to finally have the opportunity. We planned on taking our backpa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-446825.html We did our day trip to the Grand Canyon today. We left around 745AM and returned around 445PM. We watched the weather before we left and saw that the temperature was predicted to be 2030 degrees colder than Sedona. We also saw that they were calling for rain in northern Arizona but I guess we thought hoped that wouldn't pertain to us or the Grand Canyon.....we were wrong. We drove out of http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-446817.html Set of at 600 for the 450 miles drive across the desert to Tucson in an attempt to get some of the journey completed in cool conditions. This also meant we got to see Marble Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs changing colour as the sun rose. Luckily by midday when the temperatures were up in the 40s we had made it into the mountains and pine forests where it was slightly cooler. After lunch in a l http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Tucson/blog-446785.html Its now so hot by lunch time that even I have to take a siesta. Its regularly reaches 40 by midafternoon so hot you have to drive along with the visor down or its like someone blowing a hot hairdrier in your face. Have another 300 mile day to get from Moab down to Mesa Verde. Are still travelling through red rocky canyons interspersed with flat green plains. We never take the direct route http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-446781.html October 19 2009ldquoThatrsquos a keeper Those are the words that John the button and switch man utters every time he takes a picture. This is what happenshellipDonna and I are literally wedged into the backseathellipthe condition of the van at this point is the subject of a future blog and when a photo op presents itself shersquoll often ask John to hop out and snap a picture wit http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Sedona/blog-446549.html Our plans got updated for today. Our helicopter tour was supposed to be at 2PM but the tour company called this morning and asked if we could come at 10AM instead because the winds were supposed to pick up this afternoon and they thought we would have more enjoyable flight in the morning.I am attaching another one of Adam's edited videos from our helicopter ride. It was a short flight 1520 min http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Sedona/blog-446544.html By now we were about a week into the trip and my ankles were finally feeling better. The sense of independence and freedom that being in the middle of the desert thousands of miles away from the world I was used to was exactly as I expected it would be. I loved how I could run into the desert climb a rock and scream at the top of my lungs and not worry about seeing another person. I would often http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/blog-446499.html Sunday was another day filled with spectacular views of Sedona. After attending the timeshare presentation on Sunday morning we headed back towards uptown Sedona with our Jeep tour voucher in hand. We had a late lunch at Ken's Creekside where we sat outside on the patio and had good food with breathtaking views. We then headed out for our Pink Jeep Broken Arrow Trail tour. Our driver Steve http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Sedona/blog-446378.html October 18 2009Today John dropped Bill off at The Canyonhellipthatrsquos what you call it if yoursquore visiting and yoursquore really coolhellipThe CanyonhelliprdquoMeet you at the CanyonrdquohelliprdquoWe were just over at the CanyonrdquohelliprdquoDonrsquot fall in The Canyonrdquohellip Bill spent the morning exploring while the rest of us slept in. John and I w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-446240.html It was a relatively short drive from Chinle to Monument Valley. As we entered the area the numerous buttes and mesas began to exert their influence on us. While we have seen these enormous and powerful shapes all through our lives in various John Ford films it is another matter to have them there in front of you. The various shapes loom and brood changing from minute to minute with the passage http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Monument-Valley/blog-446113.html