Bill and I went to another losing Mariners game on Sunday, and I visited my aunt, Vera. Bill and Sue are gracious hosts. Roger (whom they’d never met) stayed until Saturday, and they put up with me until Monday.

Bill substituted as my driving companion, and we left for Flagstaff Monday, so he has to put up with me for another week. Bill and I are very close to the same age and he is kind of like a 5^th brother in our family, so it will be fun. Also, he has traveled this area extensively, and he will be a good guide.

[For those of you who knew my Uncle Bob, you understand why this trip should be dedicated to his memory. He loved geology and he loved road trips. I know that he saw some parts of Arizona and maybe Utah during his life, but this trip would have left him speechless! (No it wouldn’t!) Every time we go around a bend, it seems that we see a new and different geologic formation. Since it is his nephews, Bill and I, on this part of the trip, it is fitting that we are remembering him as we go.]

Bill and I took off and headed for Sedona, but took an indirect route through the town of Prescott Valley and over Mingus Mountain to the little former mining town of Jerome. The scenery was fantastic before we ever got to Sedona.

Then we got to Sedona. No, when you have seen one red rock, you have not seen them all! They are really red! Around every turn is another vista. While in Sedona, we detoured to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into the red rocks. It was beautiful and unique. And more spectacular views!  These photos were taken in and around the Chapel.

To give you an idea of the scale of the landscape, note the small dot to the right of this cliff.  It’s a helicopter. It is closer to the camera than the cliff. (I have another photo with the helicopter in front of the cliff.) So it isn’t a dot because it’s farther away than the cliff–the clif is that big.

Bill thought that the figure in the rock shown by the arrow looked like an eagle.  I think it looks like a labrador. Given Bill’s fondness for labradors, I’m surprised he didn’t see it that way.

Here is a closeup of the same formation. Now it kind of looks like a monkey!

From Sedona, we headed through the Oak Creek Canyon up several thousand feet to the Mogollon Rim and Flagstaff. It was cooling down and the road was winding and slow so we opened the sun roof and windows and enjoyed the forest air,the scent of campfires at the campgrounds and enjoyed the breeze.

We stayed the night in Flagstaff. We thought we were just going to a good steak place for dinner, Black Bart’s, but it turned out that the wait staff are all singers and they put on show while serving!

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