Our Excellent Adventure brought the four of us to Arizona for the Easter weekend. We ended up having a great trip, with flexibility, resourcefulness and good humor carrying us through some glitches in the plan. The O's traveled from NY to NM by train for the second time. They enjoyed the trip, although Amtrak delivered them to us 6 hours later than expected. Several delays occurred, one of which allowed them to walk around the station in Dodge City, KS.
We had a leisurely breakfast the day after their late arrival, and took our time packing before leaving Albuquerque in the truck to head to Sedona. Stephen had booked an air BnB house through a travel app, so I packed all the food we needed for breakfasts and a picnic lunch, and Mom and I brought our ukuleles and music.
We had a picturesque drive with a few stops, including this one for fuel:
Arriving at the air BnB house in good time to unpack before dinner, we were surprised to find that the code we were given for the front door didn't work. We looked for the promised lock box, which was empty of the expected key. I even walked around the house and tried the back door. While we were trying to get in, an SUV pulled up and two young women asked if we needed help. We explained that we were staying at this house but couldn't get in. They said that THEY were staying at the house and had it booked for 2 more days! And we discovered that another, older woman (perhaps their mom?) who spoke mostly Japanese, had been inside the house the whole time we were attempting to "break in!" She must have been terrified. At that point, Stephen and the women tried to contact the host, and a lot of confusion ensued. Eventually, we got a refund, Stephen was able to secure 2 perfectly adequate motel rooms in nearby Oak Creek, and the incident was reported to the homeowner. We never did find out what happened to cause the mixup, but the ladies at the house were more than gracious, we got a refund, and Stephen found us a place to stay. However, our plans for making breakfasts and playing ukuleles had to be put aside. Also, we spent so much time dealing with the house situation that we were hungry, no longer in Sedona, and the restaurants we had been considering were booked until at least 8 PM. But while the men were checking into the motel (a much longer process than you would think, thanks to a problem with their credit card reader), Mom saw a sign across the street, "Now Open," which turned out to be a brand new, all-vegan, Asian-fusion restaurant! We had a blast ordering a variety of things and sharing everything - something I don't usually get to experience.
Breakfast was the next challenge, because of course we had expected to make our own breakfasts at the house. Stephen found a perfect restaurant for Saturday, but we asked about Sunday (being Easter) and they were closed. I ended up finding the one place in Oak Creek that was open on Easter Sunday. It only offered coffee and pastries and it was SUPER crowded, but we stood in line while Dad held a table for us, they had a vegan option, and it gave me an excuse to have cake for breakfast. So it all worked out.
We started with a hike to experience the red rocks of Sedona on Saturday morning. The weather was beautiful and the trail was not crowded.
After the hike we went to Jerome, a historic copper mining town perched precariously on the side of Cleopatra Hill near Flagstaff. The mine closed in 1953 and Jerome became a ghost town, only to be revived as an artists' community with a population of 450 and a thriving tourist economy. It was difficult to get a photo that captured the way the town clings to the steep mountainside. We had a delicious lunch at the Clinkscale Hotel, then explored the museum at the local Historical Society.
Having explored Jerome, we headed down the mountain a short distance to visit the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town. What a fascinating place! With over 180 vintage trucks, cars, and other pieces of mechanical equipment, it was Stephen's happy place. He could have stayed for days.
That night, we met friends of Dad and Mom for dinner, and had a Hoosic Valley reunion of sorts.
On Sunday morning Mom and I walked the neighborhood near our motel before we all went to breakfast.
We drove home by a different scenic route, taking the blue highways, so to speak. Since it was Easter Sunday, our plan for lunch was to find a spot for a picnic. Instead of tailgating, we found tree stumps or spread our jackets on the ground. Mom and Stephen and I walked a trail after lunch. There was no one around and it was a beautiful warm day.
Our trip to Sedona included very little of Sedona, as it turned out, except for the famous red rocks. But that's OK. We discovered that Sedona is very commercial and crowded, and a little woo-woo for us. If we had wanted to, we could have had our auras photographed, or had our chakras read! And crystals... so many crystals. It is a fascinating place.
We had one full day at home after our trip. Mom and I played ukuleles and we went for a walk in the open space.
On Tuesday I had to go back to school, and Stephen took the O's to the train station for their 2 day ride back to Schenectady. Fortunately, the trains ran on time for the return trip. What a lot we packed into a short visit!
