GRT2014 Day 7 Maricopa, AZ to Sedona, AZ

Not much mileage again today. About 150, putting total mileage at about 2400. 

After 7 travel days, I am going to play in Sedona for the next few days.  I met Derrick in the Pink Jeep Cafe (Pink Jeep is a tour company here in Sedona); he gave me a good list of places to go, then took me outside & pointed out all the peaks, their names, and which ones to visit.  Then I walked a little more and met Autumn at another tour company; she gave me lots more good ideas, so I think my days won't be boring! And did I mention there's a great quilt shop here? Yea.  First stop. Even before the hotel. Fun stuff! Quilters are never alone when they walk into a quilt shop. I met a bunch of ladies there.

The drive from Maricopa was amazing! Scary at times, riding on the edges of big BIG mountains, but amazing. And there were THOUSANDS more saguaros along the way. Some had arms on arms on arms (4th generation arms?). Consider that the cacti don't grow their first arms until they are at least 50 years old: how old must these be to have so many layers of arms? I'm so glad they're protected. They are really magnificent.

But I digress. The drive was, as I said, scary at times, but the views far outweighed any fear. This area is known as the Colorado Plateau, and the cacti are in the Sonoran desert (I'm trying to learn as I visit. If I write it, I'll remember it.) It was so interesting to see all the cacti, then suddenly there were no more. I was out of their range. But then I started climbing up mountains to more thrilling views.  There are not many rest areas in Arizona, so no opportunity to take pictures. I'm sure the magic google machine will show you many views, but there's nothing like seeing it with your own eyes. Great stuff out here in this country!

I did see a sign I'd not seen before. It read "expect 30 minutes delays between 8pm and 6am while blasting." Really! Next thing I saw we're mounds and mounds and mounds of blown up rock. They are working on I-17 south (I'll get to experience that lovely construction on Saturday), and apparently dynamite plays a role. Or whatever is used for blasting these days.  Also I drove through 2 national forests, but .... No trees. Well alrighty, then. I think it was just that the road went through the desert part of the forest. I did a little research on the Coconino and the Prescott, and they do indeed have trees.

I finally made it to the hotel room, and this is part of my view.

The room has glass doors on the mountain side, so the panorama is fabulous. Also the weather is unseasonably warm, so I don't have to bundle up when going out during the day. High 60s, with cold nights. Perfect!

I did a cursory tour around this end of town, collected a bunch of info on sites to see,then came back to play with fabric for awhile.  These little cuties got completed this evening. 

I still have a bunch more of these to do, but I'm getting there!  They have their own big 'ol bin in the car, and they'll be given away when I'm in California. I'll have an empty bin! OMG! I'm betting that won't last long. :)

And that was my day! Thanks for stopping by.