Friday, November 19
Sedona

On the road again - hoorah! How I have missed getting out and about this year, a long stretch to be home and in town, such as it is. Last year at this time, we were returning from a 4.5-month RV adventure across the country, having been lately at North Carolina’s Outer Banks and visiting Mom & Dad and Darren.

This year, however, we deemed it necessary to remain homebound in order to get done some of the things we didn’t tend to whilst we were gallivanting. Lots was accomplished and is still being so, but now we’re off for one week of a scenery change, and who knows, perhaps this week that just-right person will visit our house, fall in love and buy it and we can begin the exciting task of moving into Prescott.

Because we are away, I shall attempt a short blog to chronicle this sojourn. Coming down from some sustained and intense activities, I am not entirely sure that this tiny journal will be worth the “paper” it’s written on, but I shall make the attempt.

We are here and not at home because I had his crazy notion of a nontraditional Thanksgiving somewhere in warmer environs, one that included lots of outside time. For many years, with one notable exception, I have been the “mom”, hosting lots and lots of lovely folks for a feast, but now the yen for a change has prompted this trip.

Our destination criteria were: a place not far away, a place that afforded many options for hiking and fishing, a place for which we could trade our time share and a place that would allow Rowdy to accompany us. In the end, only one option fit the bill - Bell Rock Inn in Sedona, a mere 1.5 hours drive from home, and that seemed an entirely acceptable situation, although I had hoped for something a bit lower in elevation and thus warmer. Alas (back of hand to forehead in resignation), this will just have to do.

Rowdy . . .
Speaking of Rowdy, the boy has been more and more under the weather, so we were off to the vet this week, coming away with the news that he has hyperthyroidism, a condition we are told will necessitate ingestion of a tiny white pill twice daily for the remainder of his life. Now there’s some news that could have been better. Still, we are relieved that it is something alleviatable. He had gotten progressively weaker and less active until it became obvious that something was seriously amiss.

Of course he believes he is being punished by having pills forced down his throat, a mindset undoubtedly made worse by the indignity of packing him into the car for a ride over the mountain. Ah well, I expect he will be feeling better very soon and may forgive me some day.

Burning . . .
Interesting on the drive over here that we saw three different prescribed burns: various National Forest personnel clearing underbrush in a controlled way. One burn was close enough that we saw the flames as they worked the area north of Cherry at the south end of Mingus Mountain.
Then another appeared to be somewhere south of San Francisco Peaks, and a third was up on the Mogollon Rim.

I told Chris I was disappointed about the burn we passed near Cherry because I would like to explore that area. Of course I would, he replied; adding that there is no place I don’t want to explore. That really is true; after all, one never knows just what one might find over the next rise and around the next bend. Life is indeed exciting!

Red rock country . . .
On to the stupendous red rock country and Sedona. A stop at the Coconino ranger station for a new forest map to replace our decades-old one and a quick photograph of Bell Rock. $10 later (whatever happened to free maps from the Forest Service???) and we arrive at our Bell Rock Inn right about the 2 p.m. check-in time.

Truthfully, it took us most of the morning to pack for this trip. Knowing that some folks throw a few articles of clothing into a suitcase and jump into the car after stowing their one or two pieces of luggage, we are not a bit abashed that we have filled Ruby, our trusty Forerunner, to nearly max capacity. After all, Chris must bring his keyboard (along with bench, small amp and other paraphernalia) and then there are Rowdy’s needs - food, bowls, princey pillow, litter box, scooper, medicine, stuffed bunny and toys. I, of course, require my computer, binoculars, spotting scope, bird book, camera, flashlight and backpack in addition to five pairs of shoes (but never the ones I want). Fishing equipment is a necessity and heaven forbid that we would venture out without bringing a passel of genealogy stuff to work on. And because we will be eating in, there is the food and preparation needs, which really is a big part of the load.

A partial list to be sure, but it gives an indication of our predilection to travel heavy. No wonder a four-month trip in the travel trailer is a chore to plan and pack.

By the time we check in, unpack and wander over to the farmer’s market where we find more-than-passable sweet corn and excellent asparagus, we are ready for a hot tub soak. Aaahhh, soaking our grateful bodies while soaking up the red rock formations at every angle is as fine a way to end a day as I can imagine.