We woke up this morning after our big Grand Canyon hike with aches and pains all over, blistered toes, but in good spirits. We were able to do a little "recovery walking" down to the Yavapai cafeteria for a big breakfast, then to the gift shop nearby, where we bought the requisite Grand Canyon magnet. We then decided to walk up to the Visitor Information Center to check lost and found for Barry's glasses.
Unfortunately, his glasses had not been turned in, but we were able to fill out a form so that if they are found, we can be contacted, and they will mail them to us. [Update: two months later and no call, so it looks like the glasses are gone forever. Fortunately Barry has his new glasses now!] We decided we should walk the part of the South Rim Trail where he had lost his glasses one last time, so we hopped on the shuttle to the village and got off at the El Tovar hotel. I wanted to see the lobby, so we went inside and checked it out, plus a gift shop. I found a cute Grand Canyon hiking t-shirt so bought that as my remembrance of our hike, and we started our South Rim walk. No glasses. Who knows if they will ever turn up, but at least we got to see a lot of new birds. One of the most exciting ones we've seen on this trip is the gorgeous male Western Bluebird. So beautiful!
We got back to our room, finished our last-minute packing, and loaded up the car. After checking out at 10:45 am, we were on the road to Sedona. It was another gorgeous drive, during which we ascended to 8000' feet and saw mountains over 12,000' feet high, a first for this east-coast gal. Majestic!
Sedona, Arizona
We stopped at the Wal-Mart in Flagstaff (an attractive town but with quite a bit of traffic) for some new reading glasses for Barry before heading to Sedona, on a gorgeous, curvy mountain road, surrounded by cliffs and evergreens on both sides. All of a sudden, the red rocks appeared, and that was another "wow" moment on this trip for me. Barry had been to Sedona before, many years ago, but he was excited for me to see its glory, and glorious it was!
Our Best Western was right in the heart of uptown Sedona and allowed us easy walking to many shops, galleries, and restaurants. We had views of huge red rocks right out our balcony and across the road as well. What a stunning place this was; I can see why so many are attracted to this town. There was indeed something magical about it.
After a quick bite of lunch, we spent the afternoon doing a little sight-seeing. We first went to Tlaquepaque arts and crafts center. From our research, this shopping village of adobe and cobblestones, adorned with fountains and artwork, is internationally renowned and the most distinctive shopping in the southwest. It is patterned after an authentic Mexican village, and is quite impressive. I had been needing a new belt so found a nice one at a leather shop there, and we enjoyed walking around, looking at the graceful fountains and many sculptures of animals. One gallery had a fun outdoor area with stone chairs made by an artist (amazingly comfortable), along with beautiful ironwork windcatchers.
Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village
After a quick bite of lunch, we spent the afternoon doing a little sight-seeing. We first went to Tlaquepaque arts and crafts center. From our research, this shopping village of adobe and cobblestones, adorned with fountains and artwork, is internationally renowned and the most distinctive shopping in the southwest. It is patterned after an authentic Mexican village, and is quite impressive. I had been needing a new belt so found a nice one at a leather shop there, and we enjoyed walking around, looking at the graceful fountains and many sculptures of animals. One gallery had a fun outdoor area with stone chairs made by an artist (amazingly comfortable), along with beautiful ironwork windcatchers.
Next, we headed over to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a famous modern church set high in the red rocks, designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired female architect. It was stunning and attracting quite a large group of tourists.
For dinner we ate at the Oaxaca Restaurant (Mexican) across the road from our hotel. It had been recommended to us by a friend and was wonderful, with fresh, healthy food and huge portions. We also enjoyed their delicious margaritas and shared a huge, decadent dessert (Chocolate Binge!) I think we've more than made up for yesterday's hike now, so hopefully we can hold our eating down to a dull roar from here on out!