Sedona and Grand Canyon Trip Journal 2016

Day 1 - Thursday, May 5

My daughter, Catherine, picked me up at 6:30am.  She dropped me at Portland International Airport (PDX).  I saw the new airport carpeting for the first time.  PDX has been voted one of America's best airports.  I had checked in for my Alaska Airlines flight #644M using my IPhone so I was quickly through bag check-in and security.  My flight left at 9:25.  I saw the St. Johns Bridge and The Radiance of the Seas as we flew south over the Willamette River.  I had a Fruit and Cheese platter for brunch. 

I landed in Phoenix about 12:15pm just in time to miss the shuttle to Sedona.  I collected my suitcase from baggage pickup and purchased a bottle of water.  I rode "shotgun" on the 1:45 shuttle to Super 8 in Sedona.  I was told that I had a room on second floor when I checked in however I made it clear that I have a room on the third floor.  I was given Room #316 with a view of the hills - not the parking lot and businesses.  I went to the nearby Golden Goose for dinner where I had a glass of Riesling wine and five Tomato Bruschetta Appetizers for dinner.  Very high prices for dinners.  The cold is taking over my body! 

Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of Arizona.  As of the 2010 census, its population was about 10,000.   Sedona's main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. 

Day 2 - Friday, May 6

Following breakfast at the motel, I rode the Verde Lynx into old town Sedona.  I purchased tickets for Tour A and Tour B on the Sedona Trolley.  Tour A visited the south side of town along Oak Creek, highlighted by a 20-minute stop at the famous Chapel of the Holy Cross.  Back at Uptown Sedona I found a cache at "Home on the Porch".  I had crackers snack.  Tour B left town entirely and headed out west through West Sedona and into the Dry Creek Valley highlighted by the breathtaking scenery of Boynton Canyon.  Back at Uptown Sedona I found the "Missing Lynx" cache.  I caught the Verde Lynx back to Super 8.  I had the rest of the Appetizers for dinner. I looked for a cache near the Super 8 but did not find it. 

Day 3 - Saturday, May 7

After breakfast at Super 8 I was picked up by Enterprise Driver.  I rented a Dark Gray Jeep Renegade.  I should have plugged the coordinates into my Garmin nuvi GPS so I could find my way back easily Sunday morning.  I headed for Cottonwood.  I found a cache at a former jail - now a Tearoom.  I went to Clear Creek Cemetery where my father, aunt and sister are buried and the Clear Creek Church.  I found a Traditional cache near the church.  I stopped at Food Mart to buy water and Mothers Cookies.  I visited Montezuma Castle National Monument where I did a Virtual.  I tried to find the cache at Lake Montezuma but DNF.  I headed for Sedona and my Geocaching Event "Meet Rose Red" at Olde Sedona Bar and Grill.  I had a diet coke and a bowl of chili.  There was a good turnout.  I gave every Geocaching name a Goodie bag including one I sent to cachers in Flagstaff, and gave away three small prizes for three Geocaching Categories.  Back at Super 8 I watched "Amazing Race".

Day 4 - Sunday, May 8

Following breakfast at Super 8, I stopped at Walgreens for Halls Cough Drops and Sparkling Ice Lemonade Water.  I drove to several locations to find caches: Police Station, Sedona Overlook and below the Chapel of the Holy Cross.  I could not find a signboard at the Sedona Overlook so I asked a man the names of the rock formations. It was only as I was leaving that I looked at the back of the brochure board where all the sights were shown.  I saw Chimney Rock, Coffeepot Rock, and Steamboat Rock.  I drove back to West Sedona about 9:30am, bought gas and returned the Jeep to Enterprise Rent-a-Car.  I had a cup of cocoa in the Super 8 breakfast room.  

I caught the Verde Lynx to The Jazz Bouquet located at Coffee Pot Drive in West Sedona.  I met Chef Cole Ray.  I had a lovely Mother's Day Afternoon Tea of Tea Sandwiches, Canape, Scone with Clotted Cream and Fruit Preserves, Pastries and Earl Grey Tea.  It was quite expensive but worth it.  I caught the Verde Lynx back to Super 8.  The Verde Lynx driver missed my stop so I had to ride all the way 20 miles or so to Cottonwood, wait 12 minutes while the driver took a stroll, and ride all the way back 20 miles or so to the Super 8 stop.  Argh.  I joined the Road Scholar group in the meeting room.  No cheese, crackers and fruit trays.  No sparkling drinks.  Not even water.  That should had been a foreshadowing of things to come.   We had dinner in the Golden Goose at 5:45pm.  There was Orientation by Michael Young, the Road Scholar Coordinator, and Introductions at 7:00 in the Super 8 Meeting Room.

Day 5 - Monday, May 9

Following 7:00am breakfast at Golden Goose, we met in the Conference Room at 8:15 for Program Introduction and a lecture by Stan Beus on "A Geologic Journey through Red Rock Country and The Grand Canyon".  I slept through most of the very boring lecture.  Lunch was at the Golden Goose at 12:00pm.  We took a "Welcome to Sedona" Tour on a bus in the afternoon from 1:30-3:30.  We only saw a fraction of what I saw on the two Trolley Tours.  We had dinner at the Golden Goose at 5:45.  While the group listened to Western Ballads & Tales I walked several blocks east to find a geocache.  I was disappointed.  I expected something more creative - a birdhouse perhaps. 

Day 6 - Tuesday, May 10

Following breakfast at the Golden Goose, we departed the Super 8 at 8:15am.  We went on a Field trip to Montezuma Castle National Monument.  If I had known that we were visiting Montezuma Castle I would have visited Tuzigoot instead of M.C on the previous Saturday.  I did have a good time even so.  Southern Sinagua farmers built this five-story, 20-room dwelling sometime between 1100 and 1300.  A short distance west is the larger Castle A.  It was once an imposing five-stories with about 45 rooms and 100 people.  The Sinagua found reliable water in the creek and fertile land on the nearby terrace.  They supplemented their staple crops by hunting and gathering.  I purchased a purple water bottle at the Gift shop.

 

We had a deeply disappointing lunch at RR BBQ (Rimrock).  People thought they were getting BBQ and didn't.  We rode the Verde Valley Railroad which whisked us 20 miles into wilderness country.  The four-hour, round-trip started in historic Clarkdale, traveled to the ghost town of Perkinsville and back.  We traveled though a 680-foot manmade tunnel carved through solid rock over a century ago.  We had a tasteless Chinese dinner at Ming House in Camp Verde.  Back at Super 8 we had an interesting talk by Garrett Roberts about movies filmed in Sedona and surrounding area: Angel and the Badman (1947), Broken Arrow (1950), Copper Canyon (1950), Flaming Feather (1952), Apache (1954), and many others.

Day 7 - Wednesday, May 11

We put our large luggage in the Meeting Room's storage room at Super 8 at 6:00am, and boarded the bus.  The breakfast at Cafe Jose was unacceptable so I went next door to McDonalds where I had bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and cup of orange juice at 6:30.  I got a sack lunch at Café Jose but it was so dreadful I should have left it there!  We left Sedona at 7:15.  When we arrived in Williams I walked down the tracks to the Wild West Gun Fight at 9:00.  I sat in the front row of the bleachers.  Afterwards I walked back to the train depot, got my ticket from group leader and walked down the tracks to Coach C.  The train departed at 9:30, arriving at the Grand Canyon about 11:45. 

We met at the flagpole at the El Tovar.  We had a couple hours to explore the Village.  I purchased a Grand Canyon bag to carry my water bottle and stuff.  I saw a book that I plan to get later at Powells Books in Portland, OR - "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon".  I got a raspberry sorbet.  I explored the El Tovar Hotel, Lookout Studio and Kolb Studio.  We met in front of Bright Angel Lodge to ride the bus to Yavapal Lodge.  We collected our hand luggage from the bus.  I settled into my room 7014 and then walked over to the Bar/Lounge.  I sat at a long table with other women from the group and had a Corona Beer.  I had Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side of Baked Beans, diet Pepsi, and Brownie for dinner.  I was so ill with the cold that I did not eat the brownie.

Day 8 - Thursday, May 12

I thought about getting up for the sunrise over the Grand Canyon but I was much too exhausted from coughing and not enough sleep.  We loaded our hand luggage at 8:00am.  After breakfast at the Yavapai Cafe of pancake, crisp bacon and orange juice I caught the Blue bus to the junction with the Red Bus.  I met a Geocacher at Powell Point (a Virtual) - Kit Lane (yogacrone).  I took her photo with her camera.  Two young girls had gone beyond the large rock barrier to the ledge over the canyon where one of the girls did a cartwheel just missing the edge. I yelled at them to get back behind the rock barrier. They did but as soon as I left the girls went over the large rock barrier back to the ledge to play.  Definitely up for the Darwin Award.  Kit continued up the trail.  I walked back to the bus stop and caught the Red bus to the next stop, Hopi Point (a Virtual).  I did not look at the hint but should have done so.  I would have saved me some time.  We had a bit of trouble deciphering the name.  The two young girls once again flirted with death at Hopi Point by sitting on the outside of the metal railing, along the edge of the canyon, singing songs.  I think one of the songs was "Nearer My God to thee".  How appropriate.  I had planned to do two more Virtuals but simply ran out of time.  

I took the Red bus and Blue Bus back to Grand Canyon Village.  I had BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, Potato Chips, Diet Pepsi and Blueberry Pie for lunch.  We departed at 1:15pm to return to Sedona via San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff.   We stopped at Cameron Trading Post Gift Shop where I got an ice cream bar.  We had a disappointing dinner at Golden Goose.  The speaker for the evening was ill.  There was no effort to put anything in its place.  A rumor was going around that all of the TSA Agents at Phoenix Airport had quit and chaos reigned.  I checked the Internet.  The story was not true but chaos did reign.  Thousands of bags were stranded at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport due to TSA computer issue.  I called the Shuttle Service and changed my pickup to an earlier time.  I missed the first ten minutes of "Amazing Race" trying to figure out the channels. 

Day 9 - Friday, May 13

I took my luggage down to the Super 8 Lobby where I had muffins, yogurt and orange juice for breakfast.  I caught the 7:10am shuttle to Phoenix Skyharbor Airport.  I rode Shotgun once again.  I arrived about 9:30 or so.  I got a bacon, egg and cheese grilled sandwich and a carton of orange juice at Paradise Bakery.  I sat at the end of the Alaska Airlines Terminal watching the planes landing or taking off.  I caught the Alaska flight at 1:00pm, arriving Portland about 3:45.  Catherine picked me up.  It was good to be home!

 

Altogether I found four Virtuals, one EarthCache and seven Traditional Caches.  There were many things that I regret not doing: finding more caches, visiting Tuzigoot, exploring more of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, driving by my parents former house in Lake Montezuma, visiting Jerome and the mansion, having lunch at Haunted Hamburger in Jerome, buying a huge cinnamon roll at Crickets Restaurant in Lake Montezuma, and riding the Steam Train to Grand Canyon (not the Diesel!). 

When I was waiting in the Super 8 lobby for the Airport Shuttle to Phoenix, a woman from the Road Scholar group came into the lobby.  I mentioned that it was a great trip and she reacted negatively.  I thought about it later.  I realized it was a great trip for me as I came in three days early to explore the area by walking, Sedona Trolleys, Valley Lynx and Jeep.  I had really good accommodations at the Super 8 with a great view.  And good food most of the time especially the Mothers Day Afternoon Tea.  She was right.  It was probably not a great trip for others.  I would give the Scenic Railroads of Arizona: Sedona and Grand Canyon Program #1083 May 8 - 13, 2016 overall a three out of ten.  

Trip to Seattle April 2016

April 12 - I boarded Amtrak Train 500 a little after 9:00AM at the Vancouver, WA Amtrak Station.  The train was late and it will get later.  I had two seats all to myself so I sat sideways, legs stretched out most of the trip to Seattle.  Trains were down to one track in Tukwilla.  We arrived in Seattle about 45 minutes late.  I walked across the street to catch the city bus to 3rd & Virginia.  I checked into the Warwick Hotel to find that my assigned roommate had already checked in.  I unpacked my clothes, etc. in a room overlooking the hotel parking.  My roommate was a Japanese woman named Grace.  I went downstairs to 2nd floor to pick up my packet and name tag about 4:00PM and met other Road Scholar participants, stayed for Welcome Reception, delicious Salmon dinner and Introductions.  Small group of only 14 people. 

April 13 - I had a hearty breakfast.  We had a lecture on Theater Criticism by Nancy Worssam at 9:00AM.  I really enjoyed the lecture and could have heard more.  We rode the Monorail to Seattle Center where we met Doug Fullington at Pacific NW Ballet McCaw Hall.  He took us on a backstage tour where we saw the sets for the three acts and then to the costumes on the lower level.  We had lunch in the Amory.  I bought a Protein Bistro Box and Shortbread Cookie at Starbucks, and then found tables to not only have lunch but a great location for "Meet Rose Red" on Sunday afternoon.

We rode the Metro to the Seattle Art Museum.  Not enough time to really see all of the museum.  We rode the Metro back to the Warwick Hotel.  We had dinner at Lola, rode the Monorail to Seattle Center and saw "Brownsville Song" at Seattle Rep.  Some of the Road Scholars complained about the profanity.  Evidently they do not get out much.  The play had a strong beginning and a strong ending but stumbled for an hour and half between those two moments.  Disappointing Post-Performance talk.  I decided to take the Monorail back but it was closed so I rode the bus. 

April 14 - Early breakfast.  We had a Pike Place Market Talk in a room on the 18th floor.  We rode the Metro to the Seattle Library for a library tour.  I chose instead to find a multi cache.  I got a bit of help from the librarian.  We saw the First Folio (1623) exhibit on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library - the book that gave us Shakespeare.  In addition to the First Folio, a rare copy of Shakespeare's Third Folio is also on display on loan from The Pigott Collection.  We walked to Pike Place Market where our leader took us on a short tour.  I  had lunch at Country Dough at 1:15PM with our leader, Carol Barton, and another RS woman.  Later I had a Seattle Shortbread and two tasting cups of tea at Perennial Tea Room in Post Alley.  I did a multi cache which ended on a bench.  There was a young woman sitting there when I walked up.  I found out she was from Sitka, Alaska and a crew member for the third year on an all woman Alaskan fishing boat.  She was quite surprised to hear that there was a cache.  I stopped at Starbucks for a blueberry scone and cuppa Earl Grey tea.  I met the group at Benaroya Hall for the Pre-Concert Talk which I dozed through.  I did not like the contemporary music in the first part of the program but thoroughly enjoyed the Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B 191 and the Cello encore by Narek Hakhnazaryan. 

April 15 - Early breakfast.  I  found a cache a few blocks west.  We met in the hotel lobby at 10:00AM to ride the South Lake Union Trolley (SLUT) to MOHAI,  After touring several exhibits we had a family style lunch.  I stayed until 3:00PM to look at more exhibits.  I found a cache near Lake Union waterfront.  I caught the SLUT back to downtown.  I found another cache  - Flower Power.  I was sprinkled on by the watering bucket!   I had a Shortbread Cookie and cuppa Earl Grey tea at Starbucks.  I purchased "Brooks" - a teddy bear - at Brooks Brothers.  We had dinner at Benihana/Hamanasu.  We saw "Assassins" at the ACT Theater.  I enjoyed the musical but I wish that I could have understood all of the words.  Where is Closed Caption when you need it?

April 16 - Early breakfast.  We met in the hotel lobby.  We took the Metro close to Pier 52.  We rode the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island.  We toured the History Museum.  The guide for our group had been interred during World War II.  She showed us her family in a photo being forced to board a bus.  I had huge slice of spinach quiche from Blackbird Bakery for lunch and sorbet for dessert from Mora Iced Creamery.  I found a cache nearby.  We caught the 2:02 ferry back to Seattle and took the Metro back to the hotel.  At 4:10 we met in the lobby to catch a bus to Racha near Seattle Center.  After dinner we walked to the Seattle Opera Hall to see Pacific NW Ballet "Coppelia".  The principal dancer was Noelani Pantastico as Swanilda/Coppelia.  We took Uber cars back to the hotel.

April 17 - Early breakfast.  We  watched a film - "The Space Needle Story" filmed in 1962.  We took the monorail to Seattle Center.  I had a ticket for the Chihuly Glass Exhibit but I wanted to also we the view from the Space Needle.  I was sold a discounted ticket.  After spending quite some time on the Observation Platform I took the elevator down.  I purchased lunch at Starbucks in the Armory Food Court and found the tables for the "Meet Rose Red" Event.  I had a good turnout from 1:00-2:00PM.  Afterwards I toured the Chihuly Glass Exhibit.  I rode the Monorail back, walked to the hotel and retrieved my luggage.  I caught a Metro bus to the King Street Station.  I took Amtrak 509 at 6:05PM, arriving in Vancouver at 9:05PM.  I was so exhausted it has taken me three days to recover!

A day of Caching in the sunshine, Saturday, April 2nd

I drove my son, Christopher, to north on I-5 to Chehalis early this morning, April 2, 2016.  He is the pianist for the Scandia Singers in Portland, Oregon.  The Portland Scandia Singer were meeting with the Seattle Singers for a full day of rehearsal.  Christopher and I stopped for breakfast at McDonalds in Kelso, Washington.  I dropped him off at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis at 8:45 and headed out for a full day of caching.  And a beautiful day it was after months of rain. 

I found SC0210 benchmark at the 1935 Lewis County Courthouse.  I walked across the street to find Rock Around the Clock.  I drove to the Terminal for the Excursion Train to do The Terminal (A Walk Into the Past).  I could not find one of the coordinate numbers as I think they switched the yellow cabooses.  I had help finding the cache.  I met Echo ohcE.  I drove to the next cache - No Train Here - where I met verbumsap, a charter member of Geocaching.  I drove to the far corner of Walmart where I found the next cache - Just adding to the FUN.   The cache was a cute birdhouse with black bison tube.  I drove to a place that had a lot of brightly painted cows.  I was just about to give up finding the cache when a cacher - elbowgrease -  walked up.  We had help shortly from a salesman as they had moved the cache so Geomuggles would not disturb it.  I found Wallee Whirled.  Cache didn't make a lot of sense.  I turned off incorrectly twice on a turnaround - I hate those things - and finally settled on cutting across the parking area.  I wanted to go to Subway but ended up eating late lunch at Starbucks.  Leaving Starbucks I admired the Cocker Spaniel of a family setting at a patio table.  Turned out their name was also Wilson and the son was named Chris.  I talked awhile about Geocaching and my travels. 

I picked up Christopher at 4:30.  We drove to Centralia so he could find Goblindust's incredible cache - Johnny Islands Throne Room.  I had already found it a couple years ago.  I took a couple photos of nearby animals that I later posted.  We drove south on I-5 to Kelso so we could cross the Longview Bridge to Hwy 30.  We stopped in Rainier, Washington to find a large cache - The Gingerbread House.  We stopped for delicious pizza and drinks at Fultanos.  We got home about 9:15PM.  Very relaxing, fun day!

"four beautiful kids and a wife in New Hampshire."

Trump is now saying that Lewandowski has "four beautiful kids and a wife in New Hampshire."  

"I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat."

Trump also said he would not be firing his top campaign lieutenant, calling him 'a good guy.'

'The easiest thing' to do, he said, would be to say: ''Corey, you're fired.' I can't do that. Can't do it.'

'He's got a beautiful wife and children,' Trump said of Lewandowski, 'and I'm not gonna destroy a man for that.'

As soon as I heard Trump say that I was reminded of Watergate.

Ken Clawson [Deputy Director of Communications, the White House]: Please, listen, now, if you're going to refer to that alleged conversation with Sally Aiken, you can't print that it took place in her apartment. I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat.

Ben Bradlee [Executive Editor, The Washington Post]: A wife and a family and a dog and a cat. Right, Ken, right, yeah. Uh, Ken, I don't want to print that you were in Sally's apartment...

Ken Clawson: Thank God.

Ben Bradlee: I just want to know what you said, in Sally's apartment.

Just when you thought it could not get any weirder...

Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who has been charged with misdemeanor battery today will be defended by a lawyer who resigned as US attorney after biting a stripper.

Irregardless of the numerous videos, audio tape recording and Washington Post eye witness, Donald Trump states that his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is innocent.  What is it going to take for Trump to see the truth?

I cannot believe that years ago I thought Donald Trump would make a good President of the United States. What was I thinking?

The Mohawk High School Alumni Reunion

The Mohawk High School Alumni Reunion was held yesterday, Sunday, September 20 at the High School in Marcola, Oregon.  I traveled southbound on I-5 to Albany as the sun rose over the horizon and headed west to Corvallis.  A doe and her two fawns crossed the road in front of my stopped car shortly after leaving Albany.  I did two Webcam caches in Corvallis - one at the OSU Library and the bell tower (I heard the bells chime at 9:00AM) and the other at the OSU Quad.  I took the photos using my I-Phone.  I was short on time so I did not explore the art/art collections in the buildings.

I traveled south on Hwy 99 through sleepy little farm towns.  I drove to the Owen Rose Garden in Eugene where I did the third and last Webcam cache.  I was short on time so did not have time unfortunately to explore the lovely rose garden. 

My family lived on the former Jim Johnson farm in Marcola from 1946 to 1949.  I hardly recognize Marcola anymore.  So much has vanished over the years.  As an author once said, you can't go home again.  So true.  I visited with friends at the classes union potluck until 2:10PM and then said my goodbyes.  I traveled to Lebanon via Sweet Home.  I attended the end of a Geocaching Welcome to Fall Event.  Time to head west and then north on a very congested I-5 to Portland/Vancouver.  All in all a lovely Fall day.