Best swimmig hole ever

The first view of the red rocks of Sedona
old tractors I found at the swimming hole

juuuuuust me and myyyyy shadow, doing 55 in the sun!

now jumping right to left: Josh, Chris and Matt

five miles north of Sedona

It was a very leisurely day today. If you remember, last night we spent a night not in the dirt (hotel room) in a fairly large sized city (Flagstaff) so everything that civilization had to offer was within reach. Which to me meant that a new air mattress and camping chair were soon to be mine! And possibly without having to compromise my scruples and make a visit to the evil empire of Wal-Mart.

I also has serious business today, a dear friend had asked me to take care of a couple of small errands in Sedona. Darn, what a fine place for errands.
Thank you Big 5 for sparing me a visit to Wal-Mart. I don’t care that I have to give you my zip code each and every tie I shop with you, Thanks for providing an alternative place to shop.

I would like to add the Oak Creek Canyon Road between Flagstaff and Sedona (Highway 89 again!) to the best motorcycle ride roads, but it’s waaaaaay to crowded with tourists incapable of taking a 25 mph corner at any speed above 16 mph. It’s not like their driving on the wrong side of the road or anything, they just can’t drive. Here I was all dressed up and ready to go and I had to go slooow.

First stop the Sedona Chamber ‘o Commerce to pick up a book and find directions to an amazing church that just springs up out of the rocks. Tanks MJ, it was a treat and I had a good time buzzing about in Sedona!

Then back up the canyon to Slide Rock State Park! This is the best all time swimming hole in existence, ever! Kids everywhere, nice flow of water, cliffs to jump off, chutes to float through, and some serious people watching!
Today was a transition day. No stops planned besides Sedona and Slide Rock. The drive between Sedona and PineTop-Lakeside was very diverse with Red Rock, desert sagebrush, thick lush forests (who knew in Arizona) high plains, scrub brush, pinion pine forests and a little bit ‘o blah thrown in to make you appreciate the good stuff. Big storms afore, abaft and abeam, but I hardly even got sprinkled upon!

Take a pair of grey shorts, a khaki baseball hat, a green Route 66 polo shirt with an official looking crest and logo which states “to protect and preserve” and what do you have? An ersatz Park Ranger, which just so happens to look exactly like my brother. Too funny, people kept coming up to him to ask him about lifeguards, what time the park closed, etc, etc..Matt, you have your Halloween costume all ready to go!

Mileage today 242/cumulative 4714
Best thing today – It was all good!
Challenge – it was all good
Tomorrow – go find old Route 666 and take it for a ride!