MichelleMy friend Anne met me at Prescott, AZ where we camped at the Yavapai Campground (I liked this place!). Unfortunately, I didn’t take many pictures except at Lake Watson where we went kayaking. I’ll add a few of those pictures at the beginning of the photo gallery below. Lake Watson is really unique because of the boulders that surround the perimeter. We did a few walks and went into town, but mostly we camped and got caught up with each other. A relaxing time!
From Prescott I made my way to Cottonwood AZ outside of Sedona. The Rio Verde RV Park was a gem of a place right on the Verde River. It was so clean and well kept, with bigger than normal sites for an RV Park. My cousin, Trish, flew in from Washington to camp with me for a week. We had a terrific time exploring the new-age shops and having lunch in town. The giant red rock mountains that are the backdrop of Sedona, never cease to amaze me as they tower so closely near town! When I was a kid, my family took a vacation in this area. Sedona was a pristine, unadulterated piece of heaven amongst the red rocks. Town was tiny and rustic, but the most obvious difference is the quantity of houses and buildings in the valley. There was very little development in the late 60s and now it is packed. Sedona has expanded to the West as well, creating a separate town of West Sedona. Today Sedona is very expensive and upscale… but absolutely beautiful, there’s no doubt about that! Although I felt that the spiritual sense of Sedona has lessened because of its immense growth. In sharp contrast is the town of Cottonwood where we were staying. Old town is small and super cute with affordable shops and restaurants. The Verde River runs through this area and there is a trail network to access the river. Like any historic town, there is a newer section with everything you might need. I really liked Cottonwood!
Our second day we ventured to Red Rock State Park. We took a cool and shady trail that meandered beside the Verde River. You aren’t allowed to get in the water but just looking at it flowing gently by made it feel cooler. After the river trail, we took another that led to House of Apache Fire. This adobe building was created by the Frye’s, who owned the property, in 1946. It was a beautiful structure sitting on top of a hill and the views were awesome! It’s a shame that the building is closed and appears to be getting run down. It could be a great event place if it were fixed up and used. Outside the visitor center was an area with bird feeders. We had a great time watching the antics of the hummingbirds vying for a drink. We saw a Lark Sparrow (my first time) which was exciting; and also a Northern Cardinal and Bunting. Another lovely place in Cottonwood, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, kept us busy for a day with 3 separate ponds encircled by trails around the outside. This was a great place for bird watching and people watching as well. There were quite a few fishermen trying for a bite, and many folks young and old strolling around the lakes (as we did). I found this place quite relaxing!
During that same family trip when I was young, we saw Montezuma’s Castle Natl Monument. This park contains some very well-preserved ruins of the Sinagua people who lived there 900 years ago. The main cliff dwelling was originally 5 stories tall and contained 45 rooms. The lower levels of dwellings were not as well preserved and seemed to have been carved out of the soft sandstone (or limestone?) layer. There was a lot more to this monument than I remembered from our family trip. I thoroughly enjoyed getting reacquainted with Montezuma’s Castle! The other part to this monument is up the road at Montezuma’s Well. Not actually a well, this limestone sinkhole is fed by an underwater spring. Because of this, the water level and temperature (70 degrees) stay constant all year. The color of the water was such a deep blue and green. We were able to walk part of the trail to the well, however the rest of the trail was closed because a swarm of hybrid africanized bees had taken up dwelling there. Apparently, the bees swarmed some tourists and stung them (and a ranger) multiple times. Luckily no one was allergic to bees. Very glad I wasn’t there when that happened!
Wow, at this point we’d had 4 very active days. I’d had a little too much heat and wasn’t feeling great. So on our last full day we opted to go on an open air trolley tour of Sedona and the environs. The highlights of the tour (for me anyway) were the panoramic view of Sedona’s red rocks from Airport Mesa and our time at Amitabha Stupa, a small Buddhist temple but open to all people who seek peace and quietness. This spot did have a spiritual sense about it, as Sedona does in general. All in all, we had a wonderful time, and I’m so glad Trish was able to share it with me!
