Tripometer – 12,190 mi
Gas Gauge – 923.963 gal
Location – Distant Drums RV Resort, Camp Verde, AZ
Lodging – $28
Cans of OFF – 4
One of the things that we like to do when in the Southwest is rock hounding. We haven’t had a chance to do much digging so far in this trip, but we hope to change that over the next few weeks. In Washington we stopped at a rock shop and bought two books on rock hounding the Arizona and New Mexico areas. This area is known for its gem and mineral deposits. We’ve identified a couple of areas within an hour or so of a drive that we want to check out before we leave. The first place we’re going to go to is more about its proximity to our RV park than for the type of mineral we are going to find. The Camp Verde Salt Mines are located about 10 miles from our campsite.
Taking Ranger, we investigated the salt mines with intent to find some of the minerals that our book suggests we might find here. The prettiest specimens we found today were of Glauberite or Sodium Calcium Sulfate. The two pictures above are of one perfect glauberite crystal and several amalgams of crystals that we found in the hills surrounding the salt mine. We both enjoy looking for rocks mostly because it gives us something to do while we hike amongst these beautiful hills. It’s like a distraction from a distraction.
Leaving with our crystal specimens we decided to find a hike in the Red Rock Canyon area just south of Sedona. Red Rock State Park was highly recommended to us by several people and we know the area to be pet friendly. Arriving at Red Rock Canyon State Park before dusk we were upset to learn that the park was NOT pet friendly AND they were charging a $10 fee per person even though we were less than an hour before close. Disgusted we travelled on to another nearby State Park recommended by the ranger at Red Rocks, only to find that they too wanted an entrance fee mere moments before closing. Apparently the park is a favorite with photographers looking to get night shots of the landscape under a full moon. The park doesn’t kick anyone out at closing, they just don’t admit anyone after closing. Not wanting to spend $20 for a 30min hike, we decided to go back into Sedona to stop by a couple of shops in the area and get dinner at a local Sushi restaurant. We did leave with a few photos of the canyons in the area.
Sedona is an interesting place. There is a huge new age movement in Sedona centered around what are called the Sedona Vortices. Neither of us know much in specific about the vortices, but we did notice a huge number of new age focused businesses in town. From salt rooms, essential oils, and incense to meditation, yoga, and spiritual enlightenment, this area is filled with people looking for more meaning in life. We were especially thrilled today when standing taking pictures at an overlook we heard a tour guide explaining to her two tourists how the tree they were standing next to had ‘male energies moving in a clockwise direction and female energies moving in a counterclockwise direction around the tree trunk’. Needless to say both tourists hugged the tree for a long while. We would have grabbed a picture but we couldn’t find a clandestine way, and we may have been inwardly laughing too hardily to take a photo anyhow.
Special Note: We have been hearing very odd animal calls at night around the RV park. Not sure what we were listening to, we asked the front desk and they confirmed that we were hearing wild pigs. That would explain the ‘Javelina Cantina’ restaurant in downtown Sedona.