Arizona - Phoenix, solo tourist

 I have picked up Cigi's cough so had a very poor nights sleep. I spent the morning on the internet finding out where the art galleries are in Phoenix and how to get to them. It turned out that the main one wasn't open on Tuesday but the Heard Museum (Native American Art) was. I was even less successful figuring out the transit system so asked at the front desk. The suggestion was to buy  a day pass either from the variety store one block east or the light rail station 3 blocks west. 

As the rail station was in the direction I wanted to go, I took that option.

When I got there one of the ticket booths only took cash (I had none) and the other indicated it took credit cards but didn't work. Frustration for me and the people who followed me who couldn't get it to work either. They lost some ridership that day!

I knew I wasn't up to the walk so instead wandered back towards the hotel on side streets

Grabbed a sandwich for lunch (turned out it was big enough for supper too)

Garfield was developed from 1883 to 1955. The neighborhood was one of the first additions to the original Phoenix townsite. It is also an excellent example of a “streetcar subdivision,” where residential development was directly related to the establishment of a streetcar line through the neighborhood. from phoenix.org

I ended up getting back to the hotel and blogging then napping (something I rarely do but may have been cough related or just 10 days of over stimulation).

I felt a bit better today so headed for the Phoenix Art Museum that was open today. This time went to the Circle K and bought a Day Pass for transit. The clerk there tried to tell me which bus to catch but even he couldn't figure out the website on his phone so I just waited at a bus stop planning on "winging it". 

While waiting for the bus I finally was able to take a picture of a driverless car. We had seen a lot of them but I never got my camera out in time, until today.

 Waymo One currently operates 24/7 across 225 square miles of Metro Phoenix. Let the Waymo Driver take the wheel from Downtown Phoenix, to Scottsdale, to the East Valley. from the waymo website.

After the bus I took the light rail and with the help of another passenger got off at the right stop. Using the website was not easy, using the transit itself was very easy, however at no point was there anything to read my pass and no-one asked to see it!

Think this is the place.

No food or drink allowed inside so I had to leave my water bottle and cough candies in a locker, made for a lot of coughing in the exhibits!

 They did allow photography though (no flash) so, as usual when I visit art galleries, I have hundreds of photos to go through and decide what to post....next blog.

Arizona - Montezuma Castle Monument

Packing up from Sedona Pines took far less time than packing up from the Mesa house. 3 separate units meant that, mostly, each families stuff was in one small area. Mike, Aimee and the kids went to Slide Rock (an activity that I attributed to them in the previous post) and then we all met for brunch before driving to Montezuma Castle Monument.

Passing through some impressive scenery.

This was another national park so Avery and Maya each got their activity books to earn another Junior Ranger badge. This also forced us to read a lot of info boards to help them. To quote Mike "I'm learning something too".

Not a large site and paved path all the way. Chris carried River in the "backpack" and Cigi pushed the empty stroller.

The limestone cliffs are pocked with caves

Its not much to look at from outside but inside it is built into caves and its 5 stories have 20 rooms.

The Sinagua—peaceful, pre-Colombian Native Americans—were hunter gatherers and farmers who grew mainly corn, squash and beans. Their exact origin is unclear.

Recovered Sinagua artifacts have shown they were simple people yet gifted craftsmen who used their natural resources to create practical tools and ornamental items. They were also master spinners and weavers who fashioned intricate designs made of cotton they grew themselves.

Many artifacts recovered at Montezuma Castle weren’t native to the area. In fact, the Sinagua were master traders and bartered for items hundreds of miles away. Montezuma Castle was a thriving commercial center and traded a variety of goods and ideas. from history.com

It’s estimated that the Sinagua built Montezuma Castle somewhere between 1100 and 1350 A.D. They erected the structure about one-third the way up a 150-foot limestone cliff high above Beaver Creek.

The dwelling’s walls were made from limestone and mud mortar. Large beams covered by smaller beams were used to frame the roof, which was then covered with thatch and mud. from history.com

There was a Ranger there to answer questions and he told us that there was a video of the inside on Youtube. I looked at it and its black and white and poor quality.

He also said that the caves below the building were used for storage as they are quite cool at the back.

Further along the cliff face was the remains of a more recent, though still ancient, pueblo.

A fellow tourist found a lizard on a tree stump. She called it a Fence Lizard and said that they all have blue on the throat or belly.

Back to the park shop and Cigi got a Junior Ranger hat (they had been looking for a sun hat for her, the whole trip, and managed to find one on the last day)

and Avery and Maya had earned their second badges, and a second stamp in their National Parks passport.

One last selfee after a great Sweeton Family Christmas

 Mike and Aimee dropped me at my hotel in Phoenix and then went to the airport to fly home. Chris and Jason had one more night and flew home the next day. I have a couple of days to myself in Phoenix before flying home.

Arizona - Sedona, Boynton trail vista/vortex

I started my morning at the adults only hot tub. The resort has 3 of these "spas", one at the pool, this one and one at the laundry facility. Throw your wash in a machine and sit yourself in warm, swirling water until its done - brilliant!

  Each year Sedona is more and more known for "The Vortexes." What are they, where are they, and is there any science that explains them? The Vortexes are geographical/topographical sites on the Coconino National Forest that can enhance prayer, meditation, mind/body vitalization, stress reduction, healing hurts from your past, and outside-the-box creative thinking and problem solving. from verdevalleynatgeo.com

Chris was curious about the vortexes, one website said that all of Sedona was a vortex, and one of the things she wanted to do while here was go to one. After her usual internet research she decided that the Boynton vista vortex was the easiest to get to and should also have good views.

It was a Sunday and the parking lot was full so we joined the many cars parked on the side of the road and walked in to the trail area. It was a busy section with lots of jeep tours, atv tours, license plates from all over and other walkers on the road.

Even from the road, beautiful views.

I think there were way to many people for any self respecting bear to stick around.

The first section was through a valley and busy with people setting out on the other trails as well.

Then we took a right hand fork

and started to climb.

That was our goal

but plenty of views along the way.

This is the vista and most people scrambled up to that rock, got their selfee and then moved on. Some tried to climb it and others sat and enjoyed the views

up Boynton Canyon in one direction

and off towards Cathedral Rock in the other.

 

 Chris, Jason and Cigi headed back down as those dark clouds produced some hail, but it didn't last for long and I sat enjoying the expanse of country laid out before me (trying to feel the effects of the "vortex").

Sedona, Arizona has been called “America’s New-Age Capital.” People often talk about Sedona’s energy, healing powers and vortexes, but are these energetic centers legit? 

Some of the Sedona vortexes, as well as other places known by spiritual teachers around the world to hold energetic power, were or still are sacred sites of native populations. Although not specifically referred to as vortexes, these sites were sacred to Native Americans in the area and were used to perform rituals and ceremonies.  

In 1980, a psychic named Page Bryant said a spiritual being named Albion told her about the vortexes in an audio recording called “The Earth Changes Survival Handbook.” Seven years later, 10,000 people came together in Sedona for a spiritual gathering, welcoming a time of transition noted on the Mayan Calendar. After that event, the Verde Valley would never be the same. 

From those original claims by Bryant, the myths have grown. From the theory that aliens have installed a giant crystal under the Sedona red rocks to the idea that the formations are spaceships and transdimensional portals, the stories are colorful and push past cultural norms. 

As these meditative sites grew in popularity, so did the spiritual community of Sedona, with people moving from across the nation to be near these energy centers. Sedona is now a destination for spiritual tourism, with various retreats, tours and meditation experiences to provide a pathway to spiritual enlightenment for thousands annually.

Are the Sedona Vortexes legitimate scientific phenomena? Scientists say no. There is no evidence that Sedona or any sites pinpointed as vortexes of swirling energy entering or exiting the Earth are real. No measurable magnetic or electric energetic field is found in these areas. Does that stop people from visiting these sites and having transformative experiences? Not at all. 

MIT Honors Graduate and Sedona vortex expert Pete A. Sanders identifies these vortexes more as meditative sites. The beautiful red rock sites with higher elevations help individuals in meditation to embrace a viewpoint that is wider and encompasses more of the universe. In contrast, lower-elevation places like canyons and caves encourage introspection. Being in beautiful natural spaces may be the true secret to the power of these vortex sites. from thesanctuaryatsacredmesa.com

This higher elevation site certainly invited taking a wide view and it was easy to sit and enjoy.

I read also that the vortexes are said to cause the juniper trees to twist.

A shout for below and the other half of the family had caught up, led by Maya.

Even River enjoyed the view.

Looking back up at Maya and Mike as more weather started to roll in.

 Before coming on the hike they had been to Slide Rock State Park to do something that is usually done in the summer months, swim in Oak Creek. Chris corrected me...they were late to the hike as River was napping. The Slide Rock swimming occurred the next day.

Maya did end up taking a quick dip but so fast that Aimee couldn't get a video. Mike stayed in a bit longer and said it would have been fun to do if the weather was warmer.

That night Chris and Jason had a date night....dinner out and star gazing at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. I was on babysitting duty and after the 5 bedtime books, took Cigi outside to look at the sky her Mum and Dad would be looking at via telescopes. She was sad for the moon as it looked "broken", used to the round moon depicted in her "Goodnight Moon" book.

An Emission Nebula, from Rick. He is getting the hang of the astrophotography.

Arizona - Grand Canyon, Visitor Centre lookout.

 While on the hike I had noticed a couple of kids filling out activity books and on asking their parents found out that you could get them at the Visitor Centre, so we headed there next. Got their activity books and they started filling them out as we waited for Chris, Jason and Cigi. We then watched a movie that covered the history, geology, wildlife, leisure and role of fires. Even Cigi sat mesmerized through it.

It rained as we were driving to the Canyon in the morning. It rained later, as we drove home in the dark. It didn't rain the whole time we were there but Chris, Jason and Cigi saw this rainbow over the canyon while they were eating lunch. Photo by Chris or Jason.

 

We then walked over to the rim

and saw that the canyon was far more in shadow

as it was now after 4pm.

When they got their activity books I told the Ranger that we were at the end of the visit so she gave me 2 Junior Ranger badges and told me that they could have them if they completed the the activities and took the pledge (on the last page). We did this and they both got their badges pinned on.

A tiny little glimpse of the river far, far below, on very high zoom.

There were a lot of people at the lookout point in this photo but we headed over there as it was fenced and we could let the two little ones roam.

We made a quick trip to the Park Store for some small souvenirs and left as it was getting dark.

Stopped at a pizza place in Flagstaff where we could watch the pizza being made. They handed Maya and Cigi a piece of dough to try tossing it themselves. They just ate it.

Exhausting, stimulating, fascinating day.