2019 SouthWest: The Red Rocks

The drive into Sedona is fabulous. We crossed the Verde Valley and soon descended into Sedona and the Oak Creek Canyon. The red rocks appeared, and only got more spectacular as we drove into town. They are an impressive red, the massive rock cliffs and formations making a bold statement against the blue sky.

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2019 SouthWest: a few classic towns

Headed to Cottonwood along the I17, and it is quite the scenic drive. It is also the first of probably many extensively long uphill/downhill travels. Throw in a bunch of switchbacks, and it only goes to confirm that I am truly not a fan of the experience. Not only is the drive a little white knuckle, because of that, I rarely get a real good look of what is passing me by. Oh well, such is travel.

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2019 SouthWest: cacti and burros...

On our way to Sedona, we stopped at Lake Pleasant Regional Park, north of Phoenix, just to break up the drive a bit. Like it’s sister park, Usery Mountain, it is a well run park with lots of excellent facilities. Maricopa County sure knows how to run its parks!

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2019 SouthWest: Jumbo Rocks...and they sure do!

We entered the Park from the south entrance off I-10, and headed to the Cottonwood Visitor Centre. We immediately noticed there were a lot of cars and people in the park, and the Visitor Centre was packed. Scooted in just long enough to talk to a Ranger and find out where the dump station and water was located. There is no water in the Jumbo Rocks Campground, so the first order of business was to get the Alto squared away for the time we are here.

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2019 SouthWest: The Q.

Quartzite was a mining town until the mining stopped, and was the verge of becoming a ghost town, when it became a meet up and trading location for rock swappers and gem collectors.

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2019 SouthWest: Tucson adobe...gotta love them

Wandering around Tucson, we were immediately drawn to the colourful adobe houses. Both the older houses and new builds still maintain the style and liberal use of colourful walls and trim. The older sections of Tucson are a mix of original and revitalized houses, with a number of them being businesses.

We kind of went a little crazy with the photos, but wanted to capture as much of the exuberance these wonderful adobe houses have to offer.

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2019 SouthWest: Tucson & new friends

We headed towards Tucson and the Gilbert Ray Campground with a bit of anxiousness, as the campground is non-reservable and filled on a ‘first come/first served’ basis. Knowing this, we made the plan to arrive on a Sunday, and around check-out time of 11:00am.

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2019 SouthWest: Scottsdale...lots on the go

Monday morning we headed into Scottsdale to visit our good friends Jamie & Johanne. We have known them a very long time, and a few years back they purchased a condo here, an escape from the crazy winters in Ottawa.

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