Verde Valley - Beautiful desert scenery

Tuesday, 23 October.  Left Palm Springs at 9:00am sharp, pulled out of the TT campground onto the service road along I-10 --- and promptly sideswiped a road sign as I inadvertently swung too far to the right on the service road.  The big side mirror on the passenger side of the Winnebago took most of the all-too-brief smash-up, but survived with only a nasty 3-inch smudge. When I checked later, there were also a couple minor scratches down the side of the motorhome as that diamond-shaped roadsign flexed its muscles on the RV until I swerved back to the centerlane.  It took only a mere glance away from the road on my part to do the damage, which although minor, will still need attending to down the road.  Sigh...the joys of full-time RV-ing.  On the plus side, there was nary a peep from my navigator.  Kudos to Lynette!

Other than the above incident, the drive east on I-10 was downright boring with desert, desert and more desert as far as the eye could see.  Straight as a arrow for the most part, with some long uphill grades.  But we made good time and arrived in the Phoenix area a little after 1:00pm.  The bypass around the west side of Phoneix made the drive easy as we scooted by Glendale and Surprise, and continued our trip north to TT Verde Valley campground via I-17 North.  We turned off I-17 at Camp Verde where we picked up AZ Hiway 260.  Ten miles later we were turning into the TT Verde Valley campground.  We've found a very nice campsite (meaning we have satellite TV reception) about 100-yds from the Verde River.  Believe we'll be quite comfortable here for the next week or so (see photo below).

 

 

Lynette - and her cute new hat she bought in Palm Springs -

during a short hike down to the Verde River.

 

We didn't do much on our first full day here in Verde Valley (24 October), but did drive into nearby Cottonwood where we stopped at The Vineyard Wine Bar in Old Town Cottonwood for dinner.  We ordered a specialty pizza that turned out to be one terrific pizza.  Thin crust, light, with only a smattering of tomato sauce.  We opted for toppings of Italian sausage, pepperoni, and diced meatball.  Very, very yummy.  We washed the whole thing down with a nice Central California Coast Fat Monk Riesling. Light, not too dry or sweet.  Seemed to go well with the pizza.  Restaurant, pizza and wine all turned out to be good choices for our first night in Verde Valley.  Before closing, here's a tidbit of history on this area.

When Spanish explorers first rode into this part of central Arizona in the 16th century, they were immediately struck by the tall, green (verde) grasses and mighty cottonwoods that flanked the banks of its small river. The conquistadors named the area Verde Valley, a testament to its contrast against the brown Sonoran desert. Today, Cottonwood, is the place to go if you’re looking for something different. Located in Yavapai County, between Prescott and Sedona, Cottonwood (population about 12,000) is surrounded by jagged mountains on the south, east and west, and to the north by mesas and buttes. Named for the beautiful cottonwood trees that grow along the Verde River, the town has grown from a small farming community to the Verde Valley's population center.

Plans for tomorrow involve the very spiritual area around Sedona, about 20 miles to the north, renowned for its stunning red buttes and monoliths, as well as its surrounding lush forests. In recent years Sedona has become a center for traditional and contemporary arts and offers a variety of galleries, boutiques and specialty shops. It is an upscale retirement and tourism community, because it is the jumping off place for touring the Red Rocks region. Fact tidbit: How the Red Rocks got their name. Over millions of years, layers of sandstone and limestone were left in this area by a receeding ocean. Iron oxide eventually covered the grains of sandstone and, in a natural process, rust formed. The stunningly beautiful red rocks of Sedona are the result of this process. Sedona is also home to a unique geology of rocks with quartz, iron and volcanic formed basalt that are typically found in sacred sites all over the world.  Both of us are really looking forward to our first visit to this very special -- and for centuries, most sacred -- place.

Red Rocks near Sedona





For our blog readers not familar with Sedona's reknown spirituality, this region is famous for its energy centers, or vortexes, where spiritual and psychic powers are enhanced.  Vortexes are not created by wind or water, but rather from spiraling spiritual energy.  Sedona'a vortexes are named because they are believed to be spiritual locations where the energy is right to facilitate prayer, mediation and healing (in a previous blog I mentioned the area around Mt Shasta in California as another well-known spiritual area). Vortex sites are believed to be locations having energy flow that exists on multiple dimensions. The energy of the vortexes interacts with a person’s inner self.  It is not easily explained --- obviously it must be experienced. 

 

One final word or maybe just some "food for thought:"  Some of you may be asking yourself, "What is a vortex?  Where do I find one? What am I supposed to feel?"   Based upon what I know, there is probably no single, right answer when it comes to exploring vortexes.

Today's modern world is dominated by the concepts of science and logic where, if we can measure, taste, see or quantify something, then it must be true. Science would have us believe there is nothing special going on at sacred places like Sedona or Mt Shasta because they can't measure anything quantifiable with their instruments.  But here's something to ponder: Many people have deep, profound spiritual experiences while in Sedona. Spiritual experiences that are personal and unique. Spiritual experiences that defy the limits of our minds.  I would judge that most of us have at one time or another experienced moments of peace, clarity or oneness at least once in our lives. Perhaps this is what "vortex" is about.  And it could happen just about anywhere, at just about anytime --- in nature, in church, or in your own backyard.