vacation Thur (6/13) & Friday (6/14)

For the first time since we landed in Las Vegas, the 45 minute drive to Sedona, AZ on Thursday morning (6/13) actually looked like almost normal scenery - meaning trees and hills like the east coast.  We were driving through Coconino National Forest.  Michael must have known about the drive, because he asked me if I would drive down...it was a skinny, 2 lane road with bunches of switchbacks going down, down, down, between red rock mountains.  Oh yeah, and bicycles all the way, in the opposite lane going up this huge hill (so cars kept swerving into our lane to get around the bikers!)  We got to Sedona around 9:30 and checked in for our Pink Jeep Tour. 

our guide and ride at the top!

We left at 10 and went 6 miles (and ascended an additional 2000 feet to 6000 feet above sea level) on Schnebly Road (the term road is VERY loose here as you can see from the sign and pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through Bear Wallow Canyon up to Mogollon Rim.  It was like riding a bucking bronco and by the time the tour was done, I was definitely "shaken, not stirred".  We saw some very important plants on the ride:

 

 

 

Yes, that is an agave plant….it is harvested for TEQUILA!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, our guide thought  he had me stumped when he showed us this:

 

but I know a ‘gin’ tree (aka juniper tree) when I see one!  I think I enjoyed this tour the best of all.  The scenery was spectacular, the ride was like something out of an amusement park and our guide was very knowledgeable and fun.  After the trip we had lunch outside, under the shade of a big umbrella...it was warm, but there was a constant breeze.

So, we come back from dinner and Michael decides to check his email.  I decide to look up our flight....can't find our flight!@!!!  Actually, I find the flight number, but it is now going from Vegas to Philadelphia, instead of Vegas to Charlotte!  I go to the room and call Triple A....no one on travel service is there....they give me 800 number for USAIR.  I call, go through automated process...yep...our flight now going to Philly!!!  I say I need to talk to an agent...am on hold for 45 minutes (Luckily figured out how to use speaker phone in room...but not before I already have a cauliflower ear!  Anyway....I figure I'm in a loop on the phone and go to the other phone and use line 2 to call USAIR again....finally after a mercifully brief 3 minutes I get to talk to an actual person....flight number had changed, and departure time has changed, but only by 10 minutes....PHEW!!!!

Friday morning (6/14) we were both up before 6, and after some last minute packing and a quick stop at DENNY’S, we were on the road before 7.  It was a very long day….a 5 hour drive back to Vegas…a couple of hours in the airport, a 4 hour flight and losing 3 hours due to flying east, we were finally back in Charlotte at 9:30 PM.  Susan picked us up and brought us home…and to make my honey happy, I forced myself to totally unpack my suitcase  J.  He let me off from unpacking my blue carry-on tote until Saturday.