Alans Awesome Adventure 2002
The Wild West Revisited
Welcome to my Awesome Adventure 2002, The Wild West Revisited. This all came about rather quickly when I was invited to New Mexico to see a friend who was working out there for three months. Having previously visted some of these places in 1998 I had long yearned to return, and this was the perfect opportunity. Travelling this adventure with me was my trusty friend and erstwhile travel buddy, Bond. Bond had previously travelled the west during his epic awesome adventure of 38 states in 2000, and he also yearned to revisit some places. Together we put together a list of "must-go" and "would-like-to-go" places - as we both enjoy photography many of our stops were planned around landscapes and natural scenary. You'll see Bond make an appearance in a few of my pictures. he made a good refernce point for showing the scale of the scene! And so, on 30th November 2002 we boarded a 777 at London Heathrow to take off to Phonix Arizona. The only firm plans we had were a hotel for the Saturday night when we arrived, and to meet Trveor in Alburquerque the following Friday evening at about 9pm. And that was it, the rest would takes its own course.After the 11 hour flight, we picked up our rental car, a Dodge Intrepid from Dollar rental in Phoenix and headed about ten miles North on Interstae 17 to our hotel. It was late Saturday evenng.
Sunday dawned bright and sunny, which was a great change from the damp, grey and dismal London we had left behind. We continued to head north on I17 towards Cottonwood, Sedona and Red Rock country. First stop was to be Montezuma Castle near Cottonwood, about 90 miles north of Phoenix.
Montezuma is the remains of an Sinaguan settlement, built high on the side of a sheer cliff face. The sinaguan were a farming race living in the area about the 12th century BC, and this impressive dwelling, five storys high, contains 20 rooms. The valley floor was fertile ground, and the nearby river and Montezuma well provided water for their crops. By any standards it is a masterpiece of engineering, and as we were to discover over the next two weeks, many ancient people lived in this part of the country and built impressive settlements long before even the Native Americans moved here.
Only a few miles away, nowadays on the otherside of I17, is the remains of Tuzigoot another Sinaguan settlement, on top of a small hill, overlooking the valley. Oh yes, and that's Bond there in the above picture.
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| A close up of Montezuma Castle. | The river flowing by the foot of the cliff |
Still in the area, is the town of Jerome, and old mining town in the Black Hills mountains. It produced a healthy output of copper until after the Second World war when copper prices plummitted. The town was almost abandoned overnight and became a ghost town until the late 60's when the artistic and hippy movement fresh from San Francisco moved in. Rumour has it they enjoyed many years of isolation, and found the local conditions to be perfect for growing a healthy amount of herbal plants, until one day the state police paid a visit and almost the whole town was arrested! However Jerome was not in out plans today - we were heading 25 miles North West to Sedona, land of the Red Rocks.
Sedona lies on the Colorado Plateau, the same geological region which makes up the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and much of the rest of the south western United States. Photographs just do not do justice to these impressive Red Rocks, carved out by mother nature over millions of years. Sedona's main funtion in life seems to be tourism, and even now, at the beginning of December it was busy - goodness knows what it must be like in peak season. As we approached the town on Highway 179, it was great to see the local townspeople had decorated many of the pine trees along the roadside. It seemed slightly surreal to be driving round in beautiful warm sunshine and blue skies, seeing decorated Christmas trees at the side of the road! As you approach Sedona, you can take a trip up to the "Chapel of the Holy Cross" which gives a wondeful panoramic view around the whole area. But be prepared to view lots of tourists too!
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After grabbing a bite to eat and looking round the rather touristy main street, we made two momentous decisions.
1) To book ourselves on a jeep tour that afternoon.
2) To book ourselves on a Balloon flight for dawn, the next morning.
It was already well past noon, so the jeep tour did not start till 3 pm, by which time we were starting lose sunlight and the mopuntains and red rocks everywhere started to cast shadows. You are spoiled for choice in booking an off road tour, many comapnies offer this attraction, each with different lengths of tour and different routes. We decided on a "Pink Jeep" tour, of an hours duration into the area immediately around Sedona.
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The jeep tours around the country all stick to well worn tracks, which are actually designated as public roads and anyone is free to bring their own 4x4 along. According to our tour guide, thgis has led to one or two unfortunate incidents where less experienced off-road drivers have managed to get a bit stuck, or rolled onto their roofs. Although the trails are quite within the capabilities of the vehicles, some parts of the route, such as the near 45 degree climb on Devils Staircase can look daunting.
the Devils Staircase.
Some of the local wildlife is less than friendly.
Sedona town seen from Submarine Rock
After the jeep tour as darkness setled down, it was time to check into the hotel, a good meal and a good nights sleep ready for an pre-dawn start to the next day....
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The above pictures are quite light, but were shot on long exposures. It was still dark when the guys started to inflate the balloon, and dawn was just started to break as we climbed abord and lifted into the sky. | ||
Sedona, in the early morning light.
The road to Sedona.
The San Francisco mountains at Flagstaff, 30 miles to the north, rise from the morning mist.
For many years I have often longed to take a ride in a balloon, but the opportunity never arose. It was starnge to think I was finally floating, thousands of miles from home, above some magnificant sceneary. Even stranger to think it was Monday morning, and most folks were getting up to go for a day in the office. If only I could start every Monday morning like this!
The peace and tranquility of just hanging there, floating on invisible winds, looking down on the world is breathtaking. The silence and stillness of the air is indescribable. As the balloon travels with the prevailing air currents there is no wind or other sound apart from the occasional roar of the gas burner. It's an amazing experience which I recommend to anyone who has ever wanted to try.
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It's very difficult to cpature anything of the size of scale and depth of distance on film, especially in the dull and flat early morning light. The pictures here just do not do justice to the view from the basket - you'll just have to take my word for it, or try a flight for yourself.
We eventually touched down, about 90 minutes after taking off, about 20 miles out of town. After a hearty breakfast it was time to hit the road again. The next scheduled stop was the Petrified Forest, about 100 miles east near Holbrook, Arizona. Leaving Sedona and heading to Flagstaff you travel through Oak Creek Canyon. As you meander alonmg the river banks, through forests thick with oak and pine trees you are not prepared for the exit to the canyon. Suddenly, with little warning, the previously flat road takes shrap tuen and starts to climb the canyon walls. And climb it does, through a series of hairpin bends. At the very top is a scenic overlook, which offers superb views over where you have just come from. I felt a bit sorry for those who were travelling in the opposite direction who got a chance to see the drop before driving into it. Look carefully at the right hand picture below, and see if you can spot three bends in the road as it climbs up the canyon wall.
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