April 18, 2004 - Peoria, AZ (Sedona area)

Oh-oh.  Red Rock warning!!  We're off to see the Chapel Of The Holy Cross.  And there's plenty of red rocks between here and there.  See the chapel sort of blending in to the rocks in a contrasting brown (above right)?

Parking was at a premium, and we got a tad closer to the edge than I planned.  Another 6 inches, well maybe 3 inches and we'd have been in deep serious trouble.  Even in a four wheel drive, sticking the front end over the edge of a cliff isn't recommended.  Even the walk up to the chapel was pretty.

Nice view of the canyon from up here, and an example of a tenacious pine tree.  At least we think it was a pine--routed straight in the rock!  Saint somebody with some birds in the fountain on the walkway leading from the parking lot to the chapel.

Looks like somebody carved an eagle head way up there.  Can hardly see it without the telephoto lens being extended.  Still on the walkway to the chapel.

The entry itself wasn't particularly (to me) impressive, but once inside the feeling changed immediately to one of subdued awe.  Interesting alter, using stone and brass.

In the gift shop were icons and the usual things you'd expect.  Except for this little guy keeping an eye on the proceedings.  Interesting treatment of the cross, we thought.

People below the chapel are building something way too big to just live in, but we liked the cathedral type windows at least.  And across the canyon to some red rocks.  Imagine that.

No matter which direction you looked from the chapel, the view was great.  I like the use of the symbol of the chapel here and there around the place too.

Couple of Frenchmen with their berets?  Well, maybe.  And then a shot from where we'd parked the Jeep, showing pretty much all the grounds surrounding the chapel on this side.  We did manage to get the Jeep out without doing a drop test.

A couple of shots as we were leaving this impressive chapel.  The idea of the chapel was conceived by Marguerite Brunswig Staude in 1932, then the war broke out, the idea rekindled after the war, and was subsequently built/completed in 1955-1956.  It was built as a memorial to her parents

Ed and Sue had taken a Jeep tour in one of those pink Jeeps (yah, they're called Pink Jeep Tours).  A two-hour trip.  We elected to wander off on our own Jeep tour, and see what there was to be seen running around on dirt roads getting all dusty.  Well, we saw red rocks.  Lots of red rocks.  All different, all interesting for different reasons, some spectacular, and in all shades of red.

It would take a stronger telephoto lens than we currently have to get a good shot of those two fellows up under that rock on the left.  That little tiny Chinese coolie hat rock near the center of the picture on the right was sort of a landmark for us.  We knew where we were any time we could see it.  It was quite distinctive.

On the way out, we were surprised to see such a staunch old company as Standard Oil getting into the whimsy of the area.  And then the next day as we were taking our morning walk in the campground, we were surprised to see this balloon peeking above one of the hills.  We wondered if it was coming or going, or even if it knew.

It was landing.  Sort of ungracefully, but it was landing nonetheless.  Hopefully there was no cactus in the area.  Some casual observers who were on the road with us said it wasn't the first time a hot air balloon had landed someplace in the park.  Apparently the park is in the flight path some days, and for whatever reason--likely a wind shift or something like that, they occasionally land around here.

Who says the whole earth wasn't flooded when Noah did his thing?  Here we are several thousand feet above sea level picking up seashells.  And we do it lots of times when we're nowhere near the ocean.  Yeah, you can tell me that the earth has had upheavals and I believe that, but I also find pretty compelling evidence that the whole earth was flooded for a while, too.  AHA!  A Gila (heel-ah) woodpecker eyeing our hummingbird feeder.  Noisy little guys, too.

After a couple of attempts, it figured out how to get a drink of the sweet water.  We saw it (or another--they all look alike) do this on several different days.

And speaking of hummingbirds, Barb made this one in another craft class at the FMCA rally.  And then we caught another tree-perching quail, and this time it was sharing the tree with a hummingbird. 

Thursday mornings the cook and her husband make cinnamon rolls.  They aren't to be missed!  If you look carefully, you'll see me in my hat standing in line grinning at Barb.  Now, for some insights into how confusing being a full-timer can be.  See that couple on the right?  Well, for several days as we'd walk or ride our bikes around, we'd see one or both of them and smile and nod.  When we were looking at the balloon that had landed in the park, they came by with their little dog and we scratched its ears and made small talk.  All the while, we were trying to remember where we knew them from.  Was it a rally?  Were they neighbors at some previous park?  I was trying to make a SOWERS connection, but it failed.  Then we rode by their motorhome and saw the WA license plate, and their names on a name plaque they had.  AHA!  We knew them from before we left WA!  We were members of the same church!  We stopped them as they were leaving in their Jeep one day, and as I introduced myself, she piped up and said, "See!  I told you it was them."  So, Jerry and Susan, again, it was good to see you.  The couple on the left are friends of theirs from the same church, Bill and Arlene.  They joined the church after we'd left.  They all had spent most the winter in AZ, and were on their way back to WA for the summer.  What fun!  This is a great lifestyle, you should try it!  Friend John took our suggestion to heart, and so did Bill and Carol, and they are all enjoying it too.

As I lifted the tail to check the oil, it hit me that I'd never shown off our Ford van taillights before (on our coach, of course).  Sure is easy to check fluid levels when things open up like this.  Only two belts on that big redhead, too.  Alternator and air-conditioning.  Nothing that would leave us sitting at the edge of the road.  I still carry spares, however.  And just to prove that Gambels quail and Mourning doves get along, we offer evidence.

Barb sure likes her birds!  Good thing we're using a digital camera, or we'd never be able to afford to buy fuel!

Several people had these sacks of seeds for the finches hanging in trees around their space.  Our hummingbird feeder was not much of a success using the commercially prepared food.  Even though it was red.  They'd come taste it, and then go hog out on our neighbors feeder.  I asked them one day what they were using and, sure enough, it was the old standby sugar and water (one part sugar to four parts water).  We changed the next day, and got lots more action.

We may be wearing our shorts when we hike around, but you can bet we keep our eyes open.  Those thorns are enough to make the red come out of our legs.  Appropriately called the Crucifixion thorn.  And another shot of the Gila woodpecker stealing some sweet water.