WE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD

Monday, February 27 - We hit a little bump in the road today in Sedona, AZ. Truck problems! In preparation to depart, Paul filled the fuel tank yesterday. When he went to start the truck, it wouldn't start. Thinking maybe it wasn't in park, Paul applied the brakes and shifted gears several times. It eventually started. Unfortunately, their was a wrench icon warning light flashing on the dash display center. Checking the owner's manual, we found it indicated the engine has defaulted to a “limp-mode” operation or a transmission problem has been detected. Darn!

This morning, we found a Ford Service Center in nearby Camp Verde, AZ. We checked with the service manager, and he recommended having it towed to the dealership. Understand, we are in a pretty secluded area and there aren't many choices for diesel truck repairs. They will undoubtedly plug the truck into their computer to diagnosis the problem and get back with us later today or early tomorrow.

A sickening feeling.

To add to our woos, the Elks Lodge campground here in Sedona does not have full hook-ups. We have 30 amp electric and water. No sewer. We've been careful not to overdue the use of water, but we expected to depart today and dump at a station about 15 miles away. If we need to sit here for more than a couple of days, we'll have to get a septic service to come pump out our holding tanks. Jeesh!

Paul's upset of course. He tries to take good care of our equipment to avoid problems like this but stuff happens! We'll relax in Sedona, AZ, for a day or so until we hear from the Ford garage. Unfortunately, it's raining and snowing in the higher elevations so we aren’t doing much sightseeing.

Beautiful before the snow.

Just as beautiful with the snow.

We'll update you on our truck problems when we get word for the repair facility. We want to have it in the blog for historical reasons. Guess we have to take the bad with the good in this lifestyle!

Just heard from the Ford Dealer Service Department. We need to replace the low pressure fuel pump. They also recommend replacing fuel filters. Good news! Repairs can hopefully be done on Tuesday, and we can head to Phoenix on Wednesday.

We thought we would need to rent a car to go pick-up our truck after repairs but the Ford Dealer said they would send a curiosity car.  They picked Paul up about noon on Monday, and he picked up the truck and was back to the Elks campground by 2 o’clock.

Marsha is a happy blogger again. After searching for a week, she came across a discussion group that had the solution. It seems Google Photos only allows 2,000 photos/album. Once it reaches the magic number, no more photos can be sent to Google Photos. She needed to go back into Google Photos, create a new album entitled “Open Live Writer.” It worked! She heard from many followers who said that they weren’t having any problems. Now she knows why. Once they reach the 2,000 and are using Open Live Writer, they will have to create a new folder to be able to continue using OLW and Blogger. After she found the solution, she a quickly emailed several people that she knew had the same problem. She hopes that they are able to use OLW again too.

We’ll pull-out in the morning and head to Phoenix. Usery Mountains here we come.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day.

FINAL DAY IN SEDONA

Saturday, February 25 - We took a ride to Cottonwood this morning. Before we arrived at our destination, we stopped for breakfast at Pepe's Cafe. What a great place to eat. The staff was great, and the food delicious. The price is right too. Much cheaper than eating in Sedona.

Driving along SR 89A, we came to a place called Simply Amazing, and boy was it. This place had so much stuff, it was difficulty to know where to begin. It was a combination Mexican, antiques and plain old junk. We didn't purchase anything, but enjoyed just walking around an seeing all the owner's treasures.

There was a section of free stuff. Nothing there we could use either.

Upon arriving at Old Town Cottonwood, we found out that we might be arriving too early. It was 10:00 a.m., but many of the stores were still not open. We walked the street up one side and down the other. We were able to visit a few shops. Marsha found some agates she has been looking for so all was not lost.

The highlight of our visit was the Hippie Emporium. This place was a blast from the past. Just about anything you can image from the 60's and 70's. Yes, they had bongs, beads, tie-dyed clothing, etc. We both remembered either having or using most the stuff in the place. Lots of laughs.

There is some money here in Sedona. As we drive around, we see the biggest houses. We know land is very expensive which makes these homes even more expensive.

Marsha wanted to take a few more photos of some rock formations. She was able to get pretty close to them and took some great photos.

Coffeepot rock.

Chimney rock.

And then the rain appeared. In the next photo, do you see Cathedral rock way out there. She was disappointed at missing this one.

Because we knew we would be doing some more sightseeing, Marsha taped the opening day of the Cleveland Indians Spring Training. We think we can say that Tribe fans are looking forward to another super season. The answer is....Yes, we won 8-2.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

ENJOYING THE BEAUTY OF SEDONA

Friday, February 24 - We woke-up to 25 degrees here in Sedona, AZ, this morning. We are over 4500' above sea level, and it is still winter here in the mountains. Our waterline was frozen this morning so we had to bring in our hose and let it thaw out. Even then we had to wait until the hydrant thawed out before water was flowing again. Guess the lady in the Elks Lodge was wrong yesterday when she said not to worry about freezing water lines. Luckily, we had water in our holding tank and we were able to get ready for our sightseeing day.

Paul has not done well at this altitude with his recent heart problems, so we decided to forego any hiking. Instead, we did a driving tour of the amazing mountain vistas. Everywhere we turned is another beautiful red mountain view. Unfortunately, most of the pulled-outs are packed with visitors. We aren't too thrilled with the congestion. Everything is very crowded.

We stopped at almost every pulled-out for pictures and to walk to the viewing areas. We visited Bell Rock, Castle Rock, Snoopy Rock, Camel Rock, Chimney Rock, and the overlook on Airport Road which is right behind our campground. These are all very beautiful sights but unfortunate the crowds disappointed us.

Bell rock.

Do you see Snoopy?

We really enjoyed the drive out State Route 89 through Oak Creek Canyon towards Flagstaff. This is known as one of the most beautiful drives in America. We drove to the top of the mountain at over 6400 feet. Yep, there was some snow up there but not much. 

Oak Creek Canyon.

The Native Americans For Community Action were selling there wares. The mission of Native Americans for Community Action Inc. is to provide preventive wellness strategies, empower, and advocate for Native peoples and others in need to create a healthy community based on Harmony, Respect, and Indigenous Values. We really enjoyed talking to them about their beautiful work. The temptation was too much for Marsha. She couldn't resist buying a couple gifts for some lucky people.

We then stopped for lunch at the Cowboy Bar. Delicious food. Marsha loved the boot as a beer tap. 

We will let you add the caption to this one.

After lunch we walked around downtown stopping in several of the little shops along with the hundreds of other tourists. Prices are a bit high for us. Paul did find a t-shirt he couldn't live without. 

 Paul was a bit confused about what this guy was saying.

The town is full of sculptures. They are in front of many of the stores. All are very nice.

Birdwoman.

Red Rocks and the Cowboy Artist.

The Dance.

After “shopping,” we returned to the campground to relax for the remainder of the day and to let Bella, our cat, out to enjoy the sun.

The issue with Live Writer and Blogger is still not resolved. Please be patient and ignore the blank lines. Thanks.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

RED ROCK BEAUTY…SEDONA, AZ.

Thursday, February 23 – We set off early this morning heading west on I-10 through Tucson and Phoenix. We then connected with I-17 to travel up the mountains to Sedona, AZ. The Ford F-350 got a nice workout today!

Our first taste of the red rock.

We are staying at the Sedona Elks Lodge. They have seven gravel sites with 30 amp electric and water. The sites are a little off level but are manageable. We have site #7, an end site. Temperatures are suppose to drop into the lower 30's tonight, but the lady in the lodge said not to worry about the water freezing because it is for such a short period of time. Highs for the next couple of days are in the low 50's.

Looking left.

Looking right.

Right across the street.

After we set-up our site, we headed to a nearby Visitor's Center for some maps and information. We then headed downtown to checkout the eclectic shops and restaurants at Tlaquepaque. Not much here for us....pretty ritzy. We did stop for a drink at a local craft brewery, and visited a couple nearby shops.

Sedona is a beautiful place, that's for sure. Red rock cliffs everywhere we look. So amazing, but we can't help feeling like its been spoiled. Way over built. Too bad someone, long ago, didn't have the foresight to make this area a National Park.

We made one stop at The Chapel of the Holy Cross, one of the premier stops and rightfully so. What an amazing Church. Parking is at a premium. Fortunately, they were running golf cart shuttles from the lower parking areas up to the Chapel. It is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the buttes of Sedona. The Chapel has a contemporary look and juts out of two red mounds on a spur of rock that is 200 feet above the ground.

The Chapel is intimate and very simple. Apart from two tapestries on the wall, the only color in the Chapel are the flickering candles.

The Chapel is surrounded by some of the most beautiful red rocks in the area.

We have quite a sightseeing plan for the next couple of days and hope to get in some short hikes so stop back and tour Sedona, AZ with us.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!