Alternative Itinerary

October 1^st to October 3r^d,  Las Vegas and Sedona

We were Vegas bound on Tuesday morning and had a place to land for at least one night with the option for two.  It took no time to get to Vegas and the next airbnb place.  It was a house located in a nice subdivision but unlike the other airbnb places, this one lacked warmth and a homey feeling.  Neither Joyce nor I could put our finger on it but the energy of the place just seemed off.  It felt more like a revolving door of a college dorm than a home.  The hosts were IT consultants who worked out of the home and we found out later had only been here for 8 weeks.  They had rented the house and set up their telecommuting office along with opening it up to airbnb for more income.  Definitely a smart move financially but interesting how it totally changed the vibe in the house.  We were inclined to make our decision more quickly and just go with one night there. 

Our host, Jillian did do us a nice service in her recommendations on restaurants for dinner that night.  She directed us to Bootlegger Bistro not far from the house.  Joyce and I aren’t really big on Vegas with the gambling and busyness of the Strip.  Thankfully, we were not really that close to all that.  The Bistro was just the right pick for us.  We liked the somewhat ‘Good Fellas’ atmosphere of décor and personality but were truly happy with the excellent Italian food…really yummy and our waiter was great.  We also were sitting in full view of a showing of the first Godfather movie with Al Pacino.  Even though we’ve both seen it a number of times, it was fun to watch it again in that setting and comment on the cultural differences that were portrayed in the movie.  We hadn’t been watching any tv at all and now it felt like a novelty! 

We did get a good night’s sleep in our room and while it lacked warmth, it offered everything we could need and the bed was comfortable.  Wednesday morning we settled downstairs for some coffee and breakfast while I researched online for our options in Sedona.  Joyce was all for that change in direction and since she had never been to Sedona, was looking forward to a new adventure.   We got over the loss of the Grand Canyon quickly and just decided that a future Southwest tour with Walt would have to be in order. 

While we were making our plans on Wednesday morning, we met a British couple who had also been staying in the house. We met the rest of the airbnb travelers whom we hadn’t even known were there….five other people in all.  The British couple had been in the US about 3 months and traveling all over.  They were fun to talk to and we swapped some good information and travel tips with them.  The one thing that really stuck in our minds was a great deal they had discovered wherein an RV rental company will pay you to get an RV to another destination.   We might have to look into that for future trips.

I found a state park not far from Sedona that had just a few spots left for the time we would be there and we decided to grab it while we could.  We reserved 3 nights at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, AZ which had hot water and showers.  Since we knew reaching our campsite before dark wasn’t going to happen, we found a last minute hotel room for our first night.

With some plans set for the next four days, we set off on our 5+ hour drive to the red rock country. The landscape began changing yet again.  We drove over the

Hoover Dam and caught some views of Lake Mead at the beginning of the drive. After a beautiful drive down Oak Creek Canyon Road, we got into Sedona and once again looked for the local saloon.  We found a couple bar stools to settle into at the Cowboy Club Saloon and rewarded ourselves for the beginnings of another adventure with a couple of prickly pear margaritas

along with a good meal of rattlesnake and bison bites, cactus fries and Native Indian fry bread.  Believe it or not, the rattlesnake is pretty good. 

We were ready to hit the sack after such a full day and settled into The Views Inn of the Village of Oak Creek for one night.  Very nice hotel for a relatively good price considering it’s a tourist mecca.  The next day we would be camping again so I was especially happy for a comfortable bed and a bathroom only steps away. 

Thursday morning we were greeted again by a blue-sky day of warm temps and cool breezes.  It was Joyce’s first glimpse of the surroundings of this unique red rock country.  I could see her calculating the endless photographs she would be taking.  We meandered around town a bit but by afternoon we were setting up our campsite at Dead Horse Ranch and making plans for our next couple days.  One of the highlights to come would be a Pink Jeep tour on Friday afternoon.  We were slated to leave on Sunday morning, October 6^th.  The government shutdown did affect us but not nearly so badly as so many other people.  I couldn’t really complain much in the grand scheme of things with a few days checking out this beautiful, mysterious and enigmatic land. 

I have to mention with gratitude so many of our friends who texted us alternative ideas due to the shutdown.  Our friend, Sue, was on top of it that morning with links to state park campgrounds in Sedona that offered good facilities like showers.  Many different ideas filtered in from friends who were keeping an eye out for us, with great ideas outside the national park spectrum.  It really struck me what a wonderful support network of family and friends we have.  Thank you so much everyone!