A twisted road story

An uneventful (though late) flight home... I was very glad I didn't need to check any baggage in Phoenix because the airport - at least the America West section - was an absolute zoo! I arrived in Boston, caught a bus to that funky overflow parking lot by the harbor, and headed home. No signs at the airport to tell me the ramp from the Sumner Tunnel to I93 north was closed... I exited the Sumner and headed into the new highway tunnel. What's that? There's a row of orange barrels with a police car behind them blocking the entrance to I93. Uh oh! The road I'm on now heads to Storrow Drive, definitely not where I wanted to go. I watched the cars in front of me, and just followed their probably illegal maneuver. Look - cars are coming out of the tunnel onto the ramp to Storrow Drive. It turns out that it was (just barely) possible to turn hard left across the ramp traffic leaving I93 north, and then turn hard right onto I93. I wasn't going to do it, but everyone else did, the ramp traffic was allowing it, and hey - why not! Home again (safely)...

One more hike - out in sunshine, back in serious snow!

After my stop at the library I took advantage of a change in the weather to head out to the Soldier Pass Trailhead. The sun was peeking out, and the red rocks still had quite a covering of white powder. It was a very pleasant walk out along the trail. There were a couple of other cars in the parking lot, but I didn't see any other hikers this afternoon. I heard some other people, then saw them up ahead. I thought I caught up with some other hikers, but it turned out that they were on a jeep tour. The jeep and foot trails intersected at a couple of points.

I walked, took pictures, walked, tried to miss the mucky mud, walked, took pictures, forded a stream, walked some more. I don't think I quite made it to the end of the trail, but the trail started looking like it was heading up a rocky streambed, and I decided that was enough for today. I turned and started heading back, and it immediately started snowing again. It was mild at first, but it became a more intense storm. I tried to capture the snowflakes with my camera, but I think the camera screened out all of those white blobs! Snowflakes? Not really, more like soft pellets.



A beautiful hike, a beautiful day, a beautiful place!

White frosting on red rocks

Every time I woke up last night I wandered to the window to check the weather. It's snowing. It's stopped. It's snowing. It's stopped.

There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground when I went down to breakfast this morning. It's chilly out, but not as cold as it looks, and the hotel staff are outside building what they tell me is the biggest snowman they've ever had. Of course I had to run back to my room for my camera and Rover. The silly little red dog wanted his picture taken with the snowman. He wouldn't come out of my pack yesterday, no rain for him. But snow, now that's something else altogether!

Ah, time for breakfast. A good day for oatmeal! And a good day for talking to some of the other guests and to the guest services manager. I was going to walk down the street to a little gas station to pick up an ice scraper, but it turned out that the hotel had one at the front desk. With the borrowed scraper, it took just a short time to clear off the car. I was afraid there was going to be ice underneath the snow, but it was just very wet snow. I hear the snow was pretty bad up in Flagstaff - they had to close Interstate 17 last night!

OK, where to go. I had marked a bunch of hikes in my Sedona Hikes book, but I needed to take another look to find hikes closer to town, and hikes that didn't do too much climbing. I needed to find something where the snow was at least starting to disappear so I could see the trail! I did the Airport Loop trail this morning. Very pretty since the clouds were starting to lift - in one direction at least. I took the first half of the trail at slower than my normal pace, picking my way across slippery rocks (not too many of them, but I didn't want to take a chance), and taking lots of pictures. The back side of the hike was faster, once I passed the end of the airport runway and made my way through some streams that were flowing across and along the trail. Then there was flatter footing, and it was easier to walk at my normal pace. The red mud that was stuck in my boot treads disappeared in the snow, but then I picked up more mud on my hike. Luckily the hike ended in snow again, so I'm not leaving red boot marks wherever I go!

As I finished my hike, I realized that while the sun was peeking out when I look toward Oak Creek, the clouds were hovering over the rocks in the direction of Sedona. I stopped back at the hotel for a quick warm-up cup of coffee, and it started snowing again! Good timing... I'm inside and not out on a trail!

I just checked the weather at home - it's 50 degrees there, and 33 here. Hmm... sometimes you just can't time things right. But, this is still a good trip for me despite the weather - it's a good change of scenery. Of course I'm finding that since I didn't come anywhere close to hiking all of the places that I'd planned, I'm going to have to come back again. That doesn't really surprise me - I don't seem to know how to go to a place (that I like) only once!

It's still flurrying a bit, but I'm going to head out again for another short hike.

Quiet... wait - what's that noise?

Quiet, relaxing, reading a book in my room... I started hearing a background noise outside, but what could it be?

It's snow!
No wait, snow doesn't make noise. But it was white, and cold looking. I went outside for a minute, and it was some kind of frozen precipitation, probably sleet or freezing rain. It was a bit surreal, looking at the steam rising from the hotel's heated swimming pool as white stuff rained down. I wonder what tomorrow will bring!

Red rocks? Red mud!

I pulled into the parking lot at the Boynton Canyon trailhead thinking that perhaps I was a little crazy to set out in the rain. But wait - there's another woman getting out of the only other car in the lot, popping up a wild-colored umbrella, and setting out down the trail. OK, I'm not the only crazy one! Camera in hand, hot pink umbrella providing a little bit of shelter, time to head out to commune with the red rocks.

The rain let up after a very short time, and I discovered that the red rocks make a very messy red mud. Still, it was a beautiful hike. The mist flirting with the tops of the rock formations reminded me of my very misty ride down the Antrim Coast in Ireland last September. Some of those pictures were fine, so I kept clicking away. The scenery was beautiful, and the mist made it even prettier.

The clouds seem to be lifting a bit, maybe a good sign, or maybe wishful thinking on my part! I was toasty warm on my hike - except for my hands, that is. I just checked the local weather, and it's only 39 degrees. I kept thinking I should dig into my pack for my gloves, but I just didn't do it. It would have been smart...

Time to head out again - as I passed the library I thought I'd take advantage of computer access to do a quick post, but it's only 3:15, and there is more hiking out there just waiting for my feet.

A quiet but soaking start to the day

I woke up this morning, and it's quiet. I slept with the window open - am I lucky, is it dry? I looked, and the ground is wet, but I couldn't tell if it was raining. Down to breakfast, nicely included with the room at the Hampton Inn, and yes, it is raining. I had a leisurely breakfast, and enjoyed talking with some of the other guests and with the woman at the front desk. Still raining...

Well, I know I won't be happy sitting around the hotel, so I guess I'm just going to have to get wet. First stop of the day was to pick up an umbrella. I won't be missed out there on the trail, and I'll clash with the red rocks since I selected a hot pink umbrella! I really wanted an umbrella hat, but no such luck, so I had to get a normal umbrella. I decided to stop by the library before I headed out to find my first hike of the day, hoping that they had Internet access. What a nice set-up - 10 computers with a 1 hour limit, and 2 with a 15 minute limit. Good - I can check email and post a couple of blog entries, a good way to start a rainy day.

It's still gray out there, but it's time to hit the trails!

Caesar news

I walked in to my hotel room in Sedona, dropped my bags, and the phone started ringing. Hmm... must be a wrong number! Nope, it was my mom with some good Caesar news. Surgery this morning, and it wasn't cancer. Caesar's doc - just like a people doc - says that he is "cautiously optimistic". Caesar, we're still sending good thoughts your way, and mine are colored with the wonder of red rocks.



Caesar says he plans to be back to lounge in the sun...

Climbing, 2000 feet, 3000 feet, 4000 feet, climbing...

On one hand, I wished I was riding my bike, and on the other, I was glad that I wasn't crawling up that hill! I left Phoenix on I17, passing through the sprawl of a city into the desert. Speed limit - 75. Desert around me, tall cactus with arms reaching to the sky. I wish I could stop and take pictures, but no, not a good idea on a fast-moving interstate. Climbing, the rental car can' make 75 mph on a 5% grade - but then again, there were a lot of other vehicles going a steady 65 along with me!

2000 foot elevation marker...
I started in Phoenix, at about 1100 feet of elevation.

3000 foot elevation marker...
That was fast, and I'm still climbing...

4000 foot elevation marker... and higher...
The tall cactus have disappeared, the vegetation is desert scrub, and the paddle "leaved" cactus with lots of spines are still here.

I stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument, one of those fascinating homes (castles?) built up high into a cliff. Stopped again at the turnoff to route 179 into Sedona. Instead of heading north, I headed a short way south to do a hike along the Bell trail. Very pleasant and easy going.

OK, that's enough, time to head north. Just a few miles north of I17, the red rocks started to appear. Beautiful. I took a few pictures, but probably not enough. The weather today was beautiful - blue skies with some clouds, probably (I'm really guessing here) in the low 50's, and very windy. The forecast is for rain for the rest of the weekend. I can always hope that the forecast is wrong, but somehow given the storms that are wandering around this area I kind of doubt it!

Tired now, time to check in to my home for the next 3 nights and just veg for a bit.

Flying away

It was a day for exploring Logan Airport - not deliberately of course. I made my way through the 93 tunnel for the first time and landed at the airport in record time only to find the parking lots full to overflowing. A bit of wandering later, and I found the gravel-covered overflow lot sitting next to the harbor... Long security line, a slightly late departure, but I'm off!

A long wander cross-country - but imagine how long it would have taken me by bike! 6 hours in the air, almost made longer by listening to my seat-mate. We were still 3 hours away from Phoenix when he turned to me and said, "just one hour to go". I looked at my watch - which I'd already set to Mountain Time - and thought that maybe I was in a dream world somewhere, because I thought we had another 3 hours. We did - he naively thought that the arrival time was given in the time zone of the departure city. An interesting way to look at travel...

The shoe rule...

I'm not breaking my shoe rule, but I'd hoped to only take the pair that are on my feet. Yes, I have a shoe rule for traveling - a maxium of two pairs of shoes go with me on my trips. The first pair is dictated by my planned activity. I'm planning to hike in Sedona, so hiking showes are on my feet. And my hiking shoes are so comfortable that I thought I could get away with a single pair of shoes for this quick escape.

Oh, but wait - look at that weather forecast. Mixed precipitation. It still says mixed precipitation... Well, if I'm going to be tromping around in the rain (or snow?), I guess I'd better take another pair of shoes so I can have dry feet in the evening. OK, 2 pairs, that's still within the constraints of the shoe rule!

Timing is everything, or not...

OK, didn't I say I was heading to Sedona to escape the winter weather? I always knew that the weather part of the escape was a long shot, and from the forecast it looks like I had it backward! As of this morning, the weekend forecast looks better for the northeast than it does for Sedona! Well, only time will tell. And hey, white snow on red rocks is very scenic! Seriously, the forecast for Sedona - pullled off of a local weather page rather than the National Weather Service site that points to Flagstaff - is for a possibility of scattered showers on Thursday, and the possibility of mixed precipitation on Friday. Mixed? The little picture shows rain and snow, but the temperature range is 42 to 48. Snow?

Well, whatever it is, it is. I'm going to enjoy myself, and I'm going to get some scenic hiking in. It's an escape after all!

Caesar, we're thinking of you and pulling for you...

Yes, this entry is about one of those special people (ahem, dogs) in my life. And no, I'm not crazy... My parents have two wonderful dogs, Brandy and Caesar. They are litter-mates, brothers, very funny miniature dachshunds. 13 years old, and they even celebrated their "bark-mitzvah" last September. Anyway, the poor guys haven't been feeling well, and it sounds like Caesar may have cancer. He's had it before, and beat it before, but who knows about this time. He's scheduled for surgery on Thursday, and Caesar, we're all pulling for you! Mom and Dad need you, and Brandy does too. And you made Suze cry too. I thought that was my job since I managed to make my sister cry a number of times as I was wandering cross-country on my bike back in 2002 - but now you did it!



Summertime, lounging on the deck that the "guys" believe was built just for them! Caesar is the guy in front, Brandy is in the back.

Vortexes? red rock hiking...

I'm reading up on Sedona before my winter escape there mid-week. Well, mainly I'm perusing the hiking book I bought - Sedona Hikes, by Richard & Sherry Mangum. Since I only have a small amount of time, I thought I'd better narrow down my hiking options from the 135 hikes listed in the book!

Anyway, back to the vortexes... Native Americans have viewed the Sedona area as sacred and to be used only for special ceremonies. And now Sedona is known for a convergence of energy vortexes, drawing in people attracted to spirituality and (supposedly) New Age religions. I take a much more pragmatic view of things - I'm going to Sedona for the beautiful red rocks. I do get a sense of wonder and energy from beautiful geologic formations, but vortexes? I just don't know...

The map is green...

I'm beginning to hate it when I go to the National Weather Service home page for the Boston area and see the map shown in bright colors. This morning it was green - a special weather statement containing a 4-letter word - snow - for tomorrow. Not a lot, but snow nonetheless. Ah, the green line is sliding to the south, and I live to the north. Do they really know? Am I too focused on the weather? See - I told you I have spring fever!

One more weather thought, and then I'll stop. When I'm planning a trip - especially a winter escape - I usually check the forecast. Hmm, heading to Sedona next Wednesday night, just a week away. What's the weather like? I don't know - go check the weather for Sedona yourself, and what will you find? The temperature and forecast for Flagstaff! It's only 30 miles away, but Flagstaff is at 7000 feet of elevation and Sedona is at 4500 feet. Somehow I think it will be quite a bit milder in Sedona. Guess I'll have to be surprised!

How cold? Hey Mom, the nuthatch sends thank you chirps your way!

It was pretty chilly here yesterday - with temperatures in the high teens - but central New York was really in the deep freeze. My mom told me that she noticed a nuthatch sitting on her deck. It hadn't moved in a while, so she went to pick it up - to try to help if need be, and to take it away from dog access height. Nope, she couldn't pick it up; the poor little bird had a foot that was frozen to the deck. Mom to the rescue! She was able to free the bird with a warm water bath and a little judicious digging in the snow. She put the bird on a towel, then went to get a box for it to sit in for a while. In the box, and on the wing... the bird took off, happy to be free. The birds always hang out at the Goldberg residence since they know there's plenty of bird food there, and now I'm sure they're all chatting about the nuthatch rescue. Thanks Mom!

And what a beautiful day it was today; blue sky, but still cold. Spring fever is here...

Dreaming of sunshine...

Winter? Why? It's time to escape, and I'm definitely in trip-planning mode. I'm heading off to what I hope is a sunny long weekend at the end of the month - a bit of hiking in Sedona. The weather? Well it might be warm, and it might be cool, but it should be an improvement over the cold Northeast. Red rocks are on my mind...

Three days in Arizona will be nice, but I need a bigger vacation in the not too distant future. I think I'm getting closer to a decision. Actually, I feel like the decision is just jumping out at me. Yes, I'm going! The long list of possibilities for this year's bike tour seems to be collapsing down to one. Vacation time is limited, but now that I've accepted that I need to take all (or almost all) of it at once, a trip to British Columbia and Alberta seems to be the winner. I've had a variation of this trip in my mind for many years now. It's morphed a bit, and now includes 3 modes of transportation - in addition to the plane that I'll need to take to get there and home again. Planes, trains and automobiles? Nope, not this time - bike, ferry, and train! Where? I'll fly to Vancouver, ferry over to Vancouver Island, and ride up the east coast. Next is the ferry up the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert, followed by a 2-day train trip on the Skeena to Jasper. In Jasper, I'll get back on my bike for the trip down Icefields Parkway (wait, I guess that is up and down given the hills...), to Banff, and then on to Calgary. Now I just need to decide if that's really where I want to wander this summer, and if it is, I need to figure out the logistics. The ferry runs on odd-numbered days in July and even-numbered days in August (or do I have that backward?), and the train runs only on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, so I'll have to pick the right dates to get them to line up. As I read this, it really sounds like my decision is made, but it's still tumbling in my brain... you'll need to check back for the real decision! It's still early, and I could still decide to go somewhere else entirely...

It felt good to get a short bike ride in yesterday - outside! The weather was cooperating as it was in the high 30's when I ventured out. The roads were a bit messy though with snow melt - my bike and I were a mess when we arrived home. Time for a good wash and re-lube!