Hiking Cathedral Rock

The vortex pulled us back to Cathedral Rock.  It was cold and there was still snow on the ground, but Dave was game, and as long as my knees will allow, I'm always ready to hike.  

The ladies were going to drop us off and go elsewhere.  They felt the pull of a shopping vortex, no doubt.

We passed by this on our way to the trailhead.
It was literally in the back yard of a house we drove by.
"Honey, I'm going to have my coffee in the shadow of the monolith."
Note the asteroid careening toward the residence.  Poor bastards.

What an amazing site for a house.
The one on the cliff, you ninny.
Appropriate color selections, don't you think?

We followed this extremely slow-moving vehicle
down the dirt road to the trailhead the shop keeper had let us know about.

Never listen to a non-hiking shop keeper.
It was a trailhead, but not the one we wanted.
It would have been a lovely trek, but time was limited, so we turned around.

On the road again...
Is that Georgia red clay?

Past the cliff house once again.

We drove past the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
Next time, I'll have to see if it is directed at
the high point of the sun on the winter solstice. 

Fortunately, the road to the correct trailhead was not flooded.
Iced over, perhaps.

There's a trail up there?

Yes, there is a trail, according to the map.

Dave is not intimidated by the snow.

A bit dicey, but the trail is identifiable by the rock cairns.
The biggest issue with the hike was that the trail ascended the north side.
Normally, being in the shadow of the hot sun would be a blessing.
However, shielded by the towers above, the persistent snow and ice 
made footing treacherous.

The view from the low plateau near the beginning of the trail.

I wonder what the houses on the ridge cost.
And the mansion atop the more distant ridge.
My guess is that they're all in the class of,
"If you have to ask, you can't afford it."

Tourists pose before the vista.

Intrepid Dave, posing on the sun-cleared plateau
against the western backdrop.

And the trail is...???

Right there!

Onward, upward, wayward.

The descending young woman is not enthralled with her choices.

Dave, on the other hand, is happy to ascend
with reckless abandon.

But not this way.

Really?
Or has someone played a trick and moved the sign?

Options being considered.

Yes, this icy notch is the trail.
Note the two young and foolish individuals, far above.

Not looking like fun.

We decided the degree of difficulty was high enough,
and that we had climbed far enough,
and the view downward was good enough,
so we turned around, having had enough.

Dave demonstrates proper butt-sliding-through-the-snow technique.
Mountain climbers must have a Swiss or French name for this.
De-ass-scendation?

We walked around out of the shadows to plant our backsides on dry ground.
Below, the Templeton trail winds around the high ground.
Where does it go?

A panoramic representation of the scenery
from our wet butt on dry ground viewpoint.

Defeated by the ice on the higher elevations,
we slid down the dry rocks to kinder, gentler terrain.
"Easybreezy Trail" sounded about right.

The twisted juniper bears testimony to the nearby vortex.

A hint of a stream flows over the red rock.

Dave picks his way along the stream.
The occasional patch of ice makes this part dangerous
for the inattentive.

"Know your personal limit and stop when it is reached."
Did we actually follow directions?
Has maturity reared its wrinkled head?

I think the termination of our climb had less to do with wisdom than the with the probability that the vortex has other plans for us.   Now we must return to reach the "saddle with spectacular views to the east and west."  Who knows what will happen then?

We'll have to wait 'til next time to find out.

People of the Vortex

We decided to have a nice respite from early winter by heading to Arizona, where Dave and Becky now reside.  The plan included a northward sojourn from Scottsdale to Sedona.  Sure is great to get out of the cold for awhile.  ERROR!  Even though the temperatures in the Grand Canyon State were not the coldest on record, they were not far off.  

Good thing there is more to do that lounge in the desert.

Our wagon train headed north out of Phoenix
and through the pretty country near Prescott.

We came down into the Valley of Promising Rocks.

Pretty awesome entry drive.
We were pulled toward the towering edifices by unknown forces.

So you thought the diamond-shaped yellow sign in the distance was to notify drivers of a rotary ahead?

On the contrary.  Here is the closeup of the little yellow sign below.

"Vortex?  What's that?" asked Dave.

"I dunno," I replied, insightfully.  "But I feel the need to stop and see."

So we stopped and drank in the sights.

Red Rocks all around.

Unbeknownst to us, we had been sucked into the parking area
by the nearby Psychic Vortex.

 I found out later that Sedona is just loaded with Psychic Energy, most concentrated at these Vortexes.  Or maybe Vortii. Or perhaps Vortecese.  And farther south and east, Vor-Texas.

We checked into our bed and breakfast and inquired about vittles someplace nearby that also served a view.

I was pretty pleased with the view at the Airport Cafe.
Neat glass shape.
More on that in a subsequent post.

I think this is the view more often sought out.
Awesome looking down over the town of Sedona
and beyond to the rocky ridges in the distance.

The Selfie Sisters were there.
Why? They had no choice.
They were drawn in by another vortex nearby.

The telephoto lens reveals more beyond the immediate set of ridges.
Looks like an interesting place for a hike.

This is all that's left of a mammoth flying saucer
that crashed here long ago.

But Sedona has more than just rocks.  And unfortunately, some of the "more" is shopping.

Ugh...shopping.
The name was the best thing about this place.
Tell-aqua-pocky.

Maybe there were some redeeming qualities 
in the shopping district.
At least this sign made me feel at home.

I didn't buy one because I already have those capabilities.
Everyone tells me I'm livin' in the past.

This guy knows something, but he's not tellin'.

Ugh...more shopping.  The northern part of town is also a shopping district.  Tell-aqua-pocky had upscale expensive junk.  This part of town had more honest-to-goodness junk.  But that's only my personal perception.  Perhaps you'll love the treasures found here!

Would you go that way if Sacagawea told you to?
Is she pointing toward more shopping?
What do the first nations folk think of her?

The others looked at shops while I snapped photos.
The setting of Sedona, even with the shopping, is priceless.

This shop deserves an award
for best use of old paint cans.

Late in the day, I convinced the others that we really needed to get a glimpse of Cathedral Rocks. After providing only a few misdirections ("Damn," said Dave, "Now the car is all muddy."), I got us to the park on the western side.

There was a mill here at one time.
Do you think the miller cared about the view?

Cathedral Rocks from the west.
Doesn't the formation just cry out for ascension?
More on that in another post.

Can you feel it?
Yes, there was another vortex here.

A better shot might have been captured
from the middle of the creek.
And me without my waders.
What was I thinking?

Without even trying, three vortexes in one day.  There is no question, we were drawn to them by our inner spirituality.  How do I know this?  There were no pubs anywhere near two of them.

The comfy room at the bed and breakfast.
If you were there, we would have pulled dow the Murphy bed,
just out of sight to the left.

As the sun set, the colors of the rocks came to life.

Not a bad view from the porch at our lodging.

Long shadows and the setting sun in Sedona.
Hard to beat.

Are you bored yet?

Obviously, I was not.
The view was striking until the sun went down.

The next day, more shopping, but this time to the Hillside shopping plaza, which received Mary's seal of approval.

But first, a nice relaxing cup of hot coffee.

The others perused the shopping center, finding interesting things.  Purchased some, even.  I, on the other hand, snuck out to the back to the employee's parking lot to have a look around

Does it look like this when you leave your car and go into work?

I also snuck back around to a terrace on the front side
and had this view over the top of Sedona.

A few more...I'm not even sure where I took these.  It's just beautiful all the time in every direction.

And the contrast provided by the snow
made the relief stand out even more.

But all good things must end.  If one is lucky, the thing ending is replaced with another good thing. We left town driving north through the Oak Creek valley.

The valley was full of additional wondrous sights.

We gained altitude steadily as we we distanced ourself from town.

The rock formations here would be renown if not for
all the even more striking ones a short distance to the south.

The road finally left the creekside and made multiple switchbacks
to rise out of the canyon.
We stopped at the park that sits at the top.

The wildlife is tame at the park,
and will often pose with tourists.

Down there somewhere past where you can see is Sedona.
We plan to return...many rocks to climb and canyons to explore.
And we missed one vortex.  Must be weak.  It didn't pull us right in.
What?  The shops will have changed?  No, I don't think so.

'Til next time...perhaps without the snow.