Up and at ’em at 6:30am… Pancake breakfast and time to get camp packed up and head off to Sedona.
With the Jeep packed we stopped at the camp showers and got freshened up for the drive to Sedona. The showers were about as basic as you can get. $2 gets you 8 minutes and the camp services attendant makes sure you are not taking too long and ushers you out when your time is up! Anyway the warm water was nice and we felt fresher.
After a quick stop at the General Store we were off… Or so we thought. Google navigation is great most of the time. The key words… Most of the time. It had us on this infinite loop trying to exit the park. Sometimes you just gotta go back to old school ways and say the heck with Google!
We headed south on AZ64 and wound up at a Loves in Williams, AZ to fuel up asking about shops where we might find a Route 66 t-shirt. The lady there said… Oh, ya… Just go down 3 stop signs from here and you’ll find shops with Route 66 shot glasses and such.
So down we went… 3 stop signs… And entered an episode from The Twilight Zone… Doo Doo Doo Doo. Back in time we went… What, maybe early 1960’s or earlier 1950’s? Whoa! Dude! Is this for real?
Cool All American little gift shops with memorabilia that threw me way back to a different era… An era from my childhood… You know… The one where you are on this long road trip across the country in your parents station wagon. Back when the station attendants came out and checked your oil and washed your windows.
It was great fun and we enjoyed a lunch at the Cruisers Cafe 66 Bar Grill.
We transported ourselves out of the time warp in Williams, AZ and found ourselves in Sedona amongst the red rock sandstone formations headed up Oak Creek in search of our home for the next 3 days… Manzanita Campground.
The campground is quaint and nestled alongside Oak Creek. The sites are packed close together but has many trees and good shade.
After setting up camp we grilled up bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with wild rice and sides of green beans and mashed potatoes.
After a quick cleanup we were off to catch the sunset from the Vortex on Airport Mesa.
Sedona has several Vortex’s, believed to have spiritual energy that emanates from them and surrounded by ancient Yavapai Indian supernatural stories.
The view overlooking Sedona and surrounding red rock mountains was amazing!
Back to camp to rest up for tomorrows hikes…
