Monday, May 5, 2014

Monday 5 May - Sedona to Phoenix

Sedona is totally car dependent. The hotel is great but situated within ribbon development. Our first stop was the Airport Mesa from where there were excellent views over downtown Sedona. It was an opportunity to get pictures of Marilyn, Susan and Montana who have worked hard as a team to make this trip so enjoyable.
 
We then went into uptown Sedona for looking around, otherwise known as shopping. I bought some alligator jerky - I last ate alligator, also piranha soup, in Bolivia. We had planned to eat take out on the bus but there was time to eat on the balcony with a good mountain view. I also had some rattlesnake bites - tastes like rattlesnake and not like chicken. 
Rattlesnake doesn't taste like chicken - it tastes like rattlesnake
Our meal would have been a little more enjoyable had it not been for a pair of sparrows building a nest in the eaves and fighting about the materials they should use. The result was that we were being continually bombarded with discarded leaves and twigs.
This mess was showered upon us while we ate a sandwich
This afternoon we made our way, with a couple of stops, to Phoenix. On the outskirts we came across a forest of cactus. These are the tall ones with arms that are commonly used in many cowboy films. It turns out that these only grow in this area even though the films cover many other parts. Many had yellow flowers and one we saw in Phoenix which had a dove nesting in it. The tour of the old legislative building was interesting, particularly the battleship Arizona which was sunk at Pearl Harbor and the French merci train.Today is Veterans Day and we toured several monuments. I had enough of war stuff when I was growing up so I will say no more.
Sedona -Snoopy is on the far right
Phoenix/Scottsdale is pretty much what I expected. Urban sprawl , urban expressways etc. The automobile being dominant.This evening we went out to Montis. The food was excellent but the service was abominable. The deserts, in particular were very well received.
 

Click below to see the pictures in slide show format