Back at Home...

Corona de Tucson

November 1, 2022

Sunset Sunday evening

Time is such a blur these days.  I know we were gone for two weeks.  We have the memories and the photos and the blog posts to look back on.  But it just doesn't seem possible we have been home for a week, October is history, and 2022 only has two more months.  

Puppies are so adaptable.  When we loaded them in the MH to go to Payson, they immediately settled in to ride as if it had been only a week (and not almost 9 months) since they had traveled in the MH.  Dover, Sally and Jack are terrific traveling buddies !  Of the three, Sally was the most excited to be home.  She was quite funny as she ran down the hall, back up the hall circling thru the family room and kitchen then back again several times before settling in her favorite indoor spot.  I am pretty sure they just love to be wherever we are.  Dover on the other hand studies everything.  She made sure I knew just where her doggie food needed to be stored before curling up in her bed in the family room. And Jack definitely made sure his ball was safe in its usual spot in the drawer before working very hard to get the throw blanket on the sofa just the way he wanted it so he could curl up and nap.  

Other than a couple of appointments and a grocery store run, we stayed close to home this week.  It was quiet...we love it ! Joe did remove the old base moulding around the kitchen island and replaced it with a wider, prettier moulding.  Out with the old...

...in with the new !  I am always happy when some little thing makes such a big difference.  

The birds didn't get mad and leave while we were gone.  I don't think it's the food they miss.  I think it's the fresh water.  There isn't any water around our neighborhood except for other neighbors who, like us, provide it.  The Cactus Wrens were the first birds I saw in the yard when we returned although we did hear the noisy Gila Woodpecker a few times from inside.    

Fresh water

Quite busy winterizing his home under the fronds

I planted a pot of violas this week.  I have another pot the begonias were in that is empty now and might just plant a second pot. Violas are my favorite flower...dainty,  cheerful, colorful and hardy.

I saw the Goldfinch at the birdbath first and knew it was only a matter of time before they discovered the thistle feeder had been filled.

The temps have changed.  I love this weather with its cool mornings and warm afternoons.  It has, however, thrown a kink in our very early morning walks...it's dark and chilly when we get up now. No worries...coffee by the fire works.  I'll be grabbing a blanket before I know !

Sunrise this morning

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS!

The Call of the Canyon...West Fork Trail

Distant Drums RV Resort

Camp Verde, AZ

October 21, 2022 

Call of the Canyon was a silent western movie filmed in 1923 based on a Zane Grey novel of the same name.  The setting for the film was in Oak Creek Canyon and it is credited with being the first movie filmed in Sedona.  We have hiked the canyon twice...first in April 2014 and second in May of 2015. Spring is definitely a great time to visit, but I always wanted to return in the fall.  Our two week get away was quickly planned when I mentioned to Joe that I would love to return to Oak Creek Canyon for a fall hike. This was the year !

Sunrise as we drove north on I 17 towards Sedona.

We headed out just before 7:00 am.  West Fork Trail is about 10 miles north of Sedona on Hwy 89A so it was a bit of a drive from Camp Verde.  No worries...well, at least not for me as my responsibility was to take photos along the way.  First few miles were on AZ State Route 179 or Red Rock Scenic Byway.

Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock on Hwy 179 going into Sedona.

A right turn in the center of Sedona onto Highway 89A goes all the way to Flagstaff.  Oak Creek Canyon is about 10 miles north of Sedona.  Rand McNally named Highway 89's panoramic path through Oak Creek one of the most beautiful drives in America...designating it Arizona's first scenic route.   

It is hard to take in all the sights as you wind and twist around hairpin curves. 

Parking for the hike is $11.  It is best to go early to get a parking space and beat the crowds. I am already excited when we get there...and have to remind myself to breath.   

From the parking lot, there is a paved trail that meanders thru an apple orchard, over Oak Creek, and among the crumbling remains of old buildings built sometime in the 1870s.  

Carl Mayhew, a photographer on the set of Call of the Canyon (1923) was so captivated by the cabin and the surrounding beauty that he purchased the property in 1923.  

The cabin was renovated and expanded and in 1926, he opened a bed and breakfast.  Over the next decades, notable guests included President Herbert Hoover, Walt Disney, Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart.  The lodge closed in 1968 and the Mayhew family sold the property to be added to the Coconino National Forest.

West Fork Trail begins shortly after the crumbled remains.  The trail is just over 6 miles round trip.  We did the 6+ miles back in 2015.  Friday's plan was to walk and enjoy with no goal or pressure to finish.  

No matter what the season, the canyon is noted for its narrow walls, dramatic rock formations, and the changing colors of the cliffs.  

The trail is well maintained and mostly easy to traverse.

The creek crossings (there are 13 of them if you go to the end) are a little more tricky.  Some are harder than others...

hard...

easy...

And sometimes, climbing out of the creek was tricky.

We stopped a lot to look up.

We stopped a lot to look down.

And we stopped a lot to just take in what was right in front of us.

Oak Creek, time and weather created this narrow, enchanting gorge. 

It was a wonderful morning.  Chilly from the get go and warmed up nicely.  We beat the crowds.  I took a kazillion photos.  We both managed to finish the hike with dry feet. And the fall colors were better than I had ever hoped for.  

Until next time,

 

HAPPY TRAILS !

P.S. For some reason the photos loose quality when downloading them to the blog.  If you click on the photo, the clarity is way better.