Arizona -- Mesa to Sedona

 

Thursday was actually cloudy and occasionally drizzly. Chris, Jason and Cigi went to the Natural History Museum and the rest of us

just chilled at the house and in the pool.

Today, Friday, we went through the chaos of packing up the 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house which of course we had spread out in. On the road shortly after 10am, first through foothills covered with scrub and cactus and then up onto flat mesas (broad flat topped mountains) of grassland.

We stopped for our picnic lunch near Prescott at this man made lake

with strange rock formations.

The Granite Dells is a geological feature north of Prescott, Arizona. The Dells consist of exposed bedrock and large boulders of granite that have eroded into an unusual lumpy, rippled appearance. from Wikipedia.

We had been climbing since leaving Mesa and the sun was warm but the breeze had a hint of a chill. Leaves were changing colour. The kids played on some equipment, we ate,

Maya showed off her cartwheeling skills

and we headed down to the lake

where there were rocks to be climbed,

fish to be spotted,

along with ducks,

squirrels and

water snakes (I still say it looks like a feather, Chris)

Back to the car and the next section

was a steep, winding road through pine forest

with peeks at the topography to come.

Dark eyed Junko (They also have yellow eyed ones here)

We are at Sedona Pines Resort for the next 3 nights.

We have 3, 1 bedroom

cottages. Each

about the size of a large RV.

We checked in, walked around and then rushed to try and catch the sunset from the airport lookout

as I snapped pictures out the car windows as the formations glowed red in the setting sun.

We had just missed it but enjoyed some cloud colours,

views over Sedona

and some fiddle music.

Meanwhile, back in Port Dover, this is Ricks most recent photo. I am not sure if this is the Andromeda Galaxy or an emissions nebula. Either way, very cool.