Sedona Trip, Day 5, Sugarloaf with Tom Kelly

---

PHOTOS FROM THIS DAY ON SUGARLOAF WITH TOM KELLY

Our first time in Sedona was quickly coming to an end. This was our last official day. Tomorrow we were off to Flagstaff for the day, then flying out at 5:30am Tuesday. But this was Sunday, Tom Kelly's day off, and my day to take advantage of his generous offer --just how generous I would soon find out. Most of our morning was spent drying my boots, which is not an easy task considering that the Arizona air doesn't admit much moisture.

Tom Kelly is the cheery photographer you'll find in the back space (with the expensive stuff) at Rollie's Camera on Main Street. He is a knowledgeable craftsman animated by a very giving spirit. Couple all of that with his love of hiking and you have the perfect photography guide. He said he'd pick me up at our hotel at 3 and of course I was ready by 8, finally getting used Sedona Time.

Finally 3 o'clock rolled in and so did Tom. Our first stop was an old parking lot just up the road. He mentioned what the building used to be and what was the plan to develop the space, but all I could see was the surrounding beauty. Isn't it telling how we all want to give names to the rocks, water and mountains that demand our attention? As I've mentioned many times, most often the names I use are not the official designations (usually because I don't know it), but sometimes they are too well known to accept silly pseudonyms. Snoopy Rock is one such icon. Tom noticed my searching eyes when he said, "There is Snoopy," and explained that he often has to take people by the shoulders to literally point it out. Once I realized "Snoopy" was lying on his back, the little pooch was easier to detect. He was captured in photos 4 & 5. In #5 I've also named the formation standing over the dog pile of rocks; the photo is named Three Totem Kings Visit The Resting Red Baron. This jump-started my human inclination for naming and, not knowing what that big hill of red rock in photo 1 is called, decided to name it Whiley Mountain. See photo 2 for an explanation. Tom recounted other popular names, some rarely spoken although rather obvious. He pointed out The Mitten. I've seen photos of The Mitten Ridge and wondered why it was called that, but seeing it from here was revealing. Although we were on the wrong side of the light I brought home a poor representation in photo 13.

Later in our walk I mentioned the dust bunnies that were finding resting places on my camera's sensor, and my fear of cleaning them off. Tom said, "No problem. We can stop at the store and I'll clean it for you." What?!? Yep, my new best friend cleared those bunnies away as quick as St. Patty chased the snakes out of Ireland. He also taught me to do it myself. My load will forever be lighter, my Sedona smile brighter.

We then headed up to Sugarloaf Trail. At one point I was disappointed I didn't drag my Gig-A-Pan through the airports --or let Barb, who offered, lug it. Sedona has a thousand spots where it can be set it up to capture some of the amazing surroundings. Here is a substitute 21-stitch panotaken when I got tired of the climb and didn't want to show the signs of my age to Tom, who is either 6-months older or younger --I forget which. With the Gig-A-Pan I would have been able to include all of the houses and roads below the mountains.

After that respite we continued up, but lost the path once when we got carried away with our conversation. Again the sunset waited. When we reached the summit it smiled upon the view in every direction. At one point Tom said, "Here. Do you want to try this filter?" His generous hand held his enhancement filter. I was thinking, "Wow, I wonder if I could get Tom and his wonderful wife Sema to adopt me & Barb. How cool to be always right there with something --even when I don't know I need it. And wouldn't it be cool to have dad work at the camera store?" I forget when I screwed the filter onto my lens and the EXIF doesn't acquire that info, but it was used on some of those shots from the top.

In photos 20, 27 & 37 you can find The Coffee Pot. That's the official name for it. We could see it from our hotel balcony but Barb had a hard time recognizing it until I said, "Think of cowboy coffee."

The light was quickly changing and the photo ops were plenty and fleeting, yet within the hurried pace there was a thrilling relaxation. When I pushed the remote release for photo 26 I thought I saw a meteor burn up in the Sedona sky. A quick circle around the summit to see the sunlight from all angles, and I packed up with a salute with my cap. I folded up the tripod legs and turned toward my camera bag when I saw another streak in the dark sky. Clutching the tripod legs with my camera still mounted I quickly spun the wheel to reduce the speed and manually snapped the final photo for the gallery. It's a bit shaky but I caught the final 1/8th second of that rocks solid existence. The cowboy-boot silhouette was a fitting farewell from this place to this happy photog from PA.

As we descended I seemed to rise on a cloud of contentment and beamed with the spirit of this remarkable piece of the planet indelibly etched into my soul. Just before we climb back into the car my generous guide did it again. "Ginger beer?" he rhetorically asked handing me a chilled bottle from his cooler. Thanks, Tom.

---