Thursday, July 8, 2010

July 8--Cottonwood and Sedona, AZ


















Well, the sun came up this morning really early AGAIN so when I opened my eyes at 5:30, I couldn't get back to sleep. So, instead of being lazy, I decided to do something and went for a short run up towards Mount Mingus which is right up the hill from the Rutschow's house. It sure was nice out at that time of day! I heard a rooster and a cow all in the span of .8 mile! I also decided that this part of Arizona would not be a good place to own a lawn care business seeing as most people don't have grass....they have rocks! Think of all the time they save having to mow the lawn...


The kids played really well this morning and by around 10:30 we were all up and ready to go on an adventure! So the boys piled into one van and the girls into another. We first headed to a hiking spot near Sedona called Bell Rock. So beautiful but OH so HOT! The kids did amazing though! Jacob was clamoring up the rocks and jumping over small chasms. After being at the Grand Canyon with the severe drop offs, it was a lot more relaxed hiking. Plus he was following his new buddies, David and Mark, who had done this hike many times before. At one point, Pastor Paul asked Jacob if he needed help and Jake's reply was, "No, I'm five." Nuff said! :-)

We were all pretty beat after that short little hike but a trip to the Circle K down the road lifted our spirits and turned the day around for us. A round of frozen slushies for all was enough to cool us all off and enable us to continue on!



The next place we headed for was the bridge on 89A north of Sedona that crosses the Oak Creek Canyon. It was beautiful too!







Then we took a drive up Airport Road to view Sedona from above. Another breathtaking view! On the ride back down David asked Jacob, "So how do you like Sedona?" Jacob answered, "I don't know, I haven't tried it yet." The quotes keep coming!







Then it was on to Red Rock Crossing for a swim in the Oak Creek. We didn't plan well enough to wear swimsuits but that didn't stop the kids from jumping right in to cool off. It was a perfect way to end our day of treacherous heat and no lunch! So, we headed home to make pizzas to finish off the day. Another perfect meal that hit the spot!







We took a tour of Peace Lutheran where Paul is the pastor and admired his great facilities there. Wonderful church library and huge fellowship hall and kitchen. Just a stoney path away from their house. I think tomorrow will entail some exploring the "wash" behind the church property.















For all those Florida people, they have a Beall's Outlet in Sedona! I thought Beall's was strictly a Florida thing! Go figure!







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