Well, we do love rainy nights, and they do make you sleep better…

Unfortunately, we did not wake up to sunshine like the lyrics of the song suggest lol

Good thing Roger and Norm cleaned my water proof running shoes yesterday… Yes, I am responsable for having suggested Roger and I walk in a path with wet sand… It just became encrusted like cement…patient guys 🙂

 

So what do you do on a rainy day?

Try to get a haircut… but the hair salons in Camp Verde are booked till next month!

Find a movie theatre, but they are miles away, in Sedona or in Phoenix…

Go for a walk in the rain? We did!

Catch up on bills to be paid and answer important e-mails? We did!

Try to drop off our hitchhikers from Mississippi… Yes, we still see them once in a while coming out of the woodwork!

Read inspirational quotes :

‘Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.

Today I am wise, so I am changing myself!’     Rumi

So what a better time to attend a Qi-gong class…

Luckily, we spotted this advertisement. ‘These classes will cover slow Qi-Gong energy movements and meditation. Participants will experience a simple and effective system that can be done anywhere’

Thanks Norm and Roger for preparing supper while we ‘energize’!

 

 

While we wait for Yolande and Norm to return, we prepare tonight’s dinner in the slow cooker and go for a walk lol. We wonder if cacti flower every year…

But it is not long before we get to hear all about the ‘Grand Canyon Adventure’.
Of course, they, like everyone else, were in awe of the Grand Canyon.

Yolande is excited to show us a usb stick (in the shape of a guitar) that she bought on the train, from John the entertainer. He now calls her his Canadian friend ha!

 He is the author of today’s song 🙂  Type Ride this train, John Carpino video in google for more amazing pictures of the Grand Canyon, even in winter…

In Williams, what a treat! It is Christmas time and they see thousands of lights.

Well, biggest tree still needs to be decorated…

Every year, the Polar Bear Express brings children (and parents) to the ‘North Pole’ to meet Santa. All are dressed in pyjamas for the occasion…

But you better book ahead…

Bits and pieces of information…
-If you decide to hike the Grand Canyon, be sure to stay hydrated…a rescue helicopter will cost you 6,000$ (and there are no plastic bottles allowed or available for purchase…
-There are no dogs allowed (except service dogs) in the park…Leave your pet at home…

As for the cacti??
Cacti are flowering plants, so every kind of cactus is capable of blooming when it is mature and if there is some rain.

Most cactus bloom in the spring, opening during the day. Some species flower at night and are pollinated by bats or moths 🙂

Listening to this song brought back a lot of memories for both Roger and I…

 

Same year, visiting Hoover Dam.

Now, Norm and Yolande will cherish their memories after seeing one of the seven natural wonders of the world! Do you know how long the Grand Canyon is??

Terrific Weather. Tomorrow, they are forecasting snow at the Grand Canyon…

Oh Oh! We forgot to tell Yolande that the train robbery was not for real…No need to be scared lol

So everything about the train ride to the Grand Canyon from Williams and back was exciting according to Yolande 🙂

The cowboy jokes were, well…you decide…

1. What do you call cows lying down? (Ground beef)
2. What do you call three-legged cows. (Lean beef)
3. What do you call cows running across the land? (Fast food)

Today, Norm and Yolande set out on their long awaited adventure…

Tomorrow they will board the train to the Grand Canyon.
But first they drive to Williams.

Just a few hours after they arrive, Yolande sends me this picture of her new friend…

Roger and I plan to do laundry (me), knit (me),

clean (me), fix things (Roger),

pick the next card game (Roger), prepare meals (both), read (both),

go biking (both), go walking to appreciate the campsite,

(potentially both)

and meet with our neighbours again…

blog (me), take care of business (Roger), always people looking to buy a classic.

Maybe we will visit the casino (both) lol but for sure, we will enjoy the sunset (both) 😊

There are no words to describe Sedona… Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Sam Elliott, Joe Pisci all would agree with the visitor’s guide that identifies it as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’ as they all own homes here.

 

Lunch at Canyon Breeze. What a treat!

No house  in Sedona can exceed 28 feet in height and all have to be in earth tones.

But who was Sedona?

In Sedona, this juniper has a blueberry type of berry (yes they are blue). With the berries, you make wine. But the bark of the tree is a cure all for… hangovers lol

The International Dark-Sky Association has named Sedona to a short prestigious list of cities where you can actually see the stars at night…

So here we are, gazing at the stars…

Just wishful thinking lol.

You will not regret typing Can’t stop the feeling Michell Grimm in google to see the video to our song today 😊

Very worth it!

 

 

First things first, we visit the Camp Verde tourist information bureau. It is located in a 100 year old grammar school. We tour the collection of local ephemera and artifacts. But most of all, we ask: where are the easy hiking trails in the Verde Valley and Sedona…

We visit the 1933 jail, restored in 2010 with 2,000 volunteer hours!

Roger is still waiting for fuel filters for the car so we have no choice but to continue our walking tour of the historic village. Quite unexpectedly, we come upon…the Red Star Saloon. It housed the town’s first pay phone which had slots for nickels, dimes and quarters. Luckily for us, it is now a great Italian restaurant lol We must return!

We then visit Montezuma Castle National Monument. At the entrance, we stop to see the Exodus Monument. In 1875, the Yavapai and Apache people who had resided in Arizona for centuries were forced to walk 180 miles to a reservation. During this sad and silent procession, one old man placed his wife in a basket so she could survive…

The monument honors the strength of the human spirit!

When you visit Montezuma Castle, you have to imagine life in the 700’s. The Sinagua farmers farmed the land but their dwellings at 1300 ft elevation, overlooked their crop fields in the bottomlands.

Then I try to take another panoramic view lol

The paths offer information on many native plants like the sycamore tree with its white bark. Its seasoned logs can last for centuries…

Back at our campsite, we take another walk…

Yolande has an interesting conversation with our neighbours lol

Then, we sit and watch the sun go down… Well Norm is still looking for the UFO…😊

From the Buffalo range on 40, we can see Humphreys Peak. At more than 12,000 ft, it is 17 km north of Flagstaff but at times it looks like we are driving right into it…

Roger does not want to take route 66 to stop at a Walnut Canyon National Monument. Wonder why? He is only driving a 45 ft rig, pulling a car lol

The drive to Camp Verde on 17 is one of the most different as we see evergreen forests  with Sedona rocks in the background.

Now is the time to sing The Happy Song lol Beautiful sunshine, warm weather, time to relax. We will be staying in Camp Verde for 10 days 😊

Beautiful sunset!

Can you believe? Our neighbors in this park only are from :

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=324212

Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Arizona, Washington, South Dakota, California, New Hampshire, British Columbia, Florida, Alberta, Michigan, New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Québec!

Can you match the state or province with its flag?

 

Off to Meteor Crater. Fifty thousand years ago, a meteor ripped through the skies over the land of Arizona. Travelling at 40,000 miles an hour, it smashed into the surface of the plateau and the resulting explosion opened this crater, almost a mile wide, 3 miles in circumference and 350 ft deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is one of the most extraordinary places on earth, the first proven and best preserved impact site on Earth.

Did you know that in 1970, the Sudbury basin was determined to be formed by a meteorite?

Apparently, we could have gotten a free cookie at the Blasted Bistro but, not after our long awaited special bacon and egg breakfast…ha!

The highlight of the day is of course our trip to downtown Winslow. And yes, here are Norm and Roger “Standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” beside the statues of Jackson Brown and Glenn Frey.

They found the flatbed Ford, but no girl slowed down to look at them… (YouTube the song lol)

Then by chance, we discover a hidden gem, The Posada hotel. At first we thought it was just a restored hotel, historic building. Well, it is all that but also a vibrant business : a museum, a great restaurant and beautiful grounds. A must if you ever visit Winslow!

We must say we were quite surprised to see that this beautiful Christmas ornament in the gift shop was…

made in CANADA 😊

You guessed it…Frost on the inside of the windshield this morning…

But the sun is shining. Ready to gallop to Gallup New Mexico lol…

(Why not, we dare you to listen to Roy Roger’s song on You tube lol)

 

The skiing mountain near Ruidoso has an elevation of 12 000ft. We follow the scenic route to Hwy 380 to I 25.

Who’s crossing?

 

Not a horse, not a biker, not a pedestrian but a …

This little guy does not know which direction to take…

State Hwy 380 traverses the Carrizozo Malpais, one of the youngest volcanic features in the state of New Mexico. They are basaltic lava flows, such as are being erupted today in Hawaii.

 

Once in Albuquerque, we jump on I 40. The Interstate follows… Route 66. We try to imagine travelling these miles in a covered wagon, decades ago…

Can you see? Train tracks, Route 66, Interstate 40…

 

Drove by the Continental Divide

Then, plans change…

We gallop right past Gallup New Mexico lol

We cross the Arizona border at 2:10 p.m.

Roger and Norm decide to drive ahead to The Meteor Crater campsite. Yolande and I tour the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.

Amazing landscapes…

Petrified wood

 

On our way back, we see a dozen white tail deer. We drive to Holbrook and spot the Wigwam Motel with dozens of classic cars… But it is getting dark and we decide not to stop for pictures…

Back at the motorhome, Roger and Norm have done dishes and prepared dinner. What more can we ask for at the end of the day 😊

 

 

After paying for a car wash, Roger is told the car wash is closed…will open some time today but that his receipt is good for 15 days ha! Not great for travellers!Well, luckily, it did open today 🙂

Squeaky clean 🙂

New Mexico is a very colourful state. There are apparently 10 different colours of licence plates available…

Then, there is this box on the corner of a street.

At  first, it appears to be a garbage pale, then possibly a mailbox but in the end, it is just a colourful box lol

Our last night in Ruidoso is quite cool, -7 C. No wonder they close this hilly part of the campsite for the winter. Still no snow however and great scenic area to try to get our 10 000 steps in.

But at the end of the day, whether you are home or travelling, laundry has to be done. Of course, after reading this sign in the laundry room, you do not mind so much…