After checking through the airport, acquiring a vehicle, and checking into our hotel, we spent a nice afternoon and a relaxing evening in the pool areas. The instant we stepped into our room (my brother and I shared one) my brother instantly turned the thermostat to the lowest air-conditioning setting, without telling me. Each night before I went to bed and every morning I woke up, I was always freezing and I could not figure it out.
My toes felt like icicles and my hands were blocks of ice; I kept craving heat and here it was averaging 110 degrees outside. We went on two trips outside of the city: one to Sedona National Park and the other to the Apache Trail. Our first trip took us into the beautiful mountains that cover the state.
In Sedona, the rocks appear to be red. Everywhere you look the scenery is literally red. In the area we visited we were told that they had filmed over forty westerns there.
In the same area, a river (the name escapes me) runs through, which is a popular place to swim. In part of the river a ledge of rock is continually washed by the current making it very slippery. My dad and brother started at the top of the ledge and slid down about 100 yards to the bottom where there was a deep pool.
After my dad was done, he was covered in a brown stain because of the dirt. The second trip was more driving than walking, but there were a few spots to stretch the legs. The Apache Trail is an old road system that was built in order to truck supplies to a nearby dam and is only partially paved.
Located in the Tonto National ‘Forest’, (‘forest’ because in Delaware the trees would be called shrubs) the Apache Trail is well known for its legendary lost gold mines, Indians, miners, settlers, and even a real ghost town. The town, which is called Goldfield, has fully restored buildings that are open to the public.
Because of the length of the trail (somewhere over 60 miles) we only traveled a portion, ending with a small three building town in Tortilla Flat.
The road leading there snakes around the tops of the Superstition Mountains and offers breath taking views of the deep valleys and dry river beds. The town actually has one eatery which is a restaurant/ bar, a post office, and a renovated one room school house all in one. It gets no electricity from an outside source, no telephone, no internet, and no cable.
The restaurant itself is very interesting, in that people who have visited from all over the world, sign and then staple dollar bills to the wall; an estimated $90,000 cover the walls and they are now just starting a second layer. So to keep to tradition, our family signed a bill and stapled it to the wall. So if you go, look for the Di Giacoma and Goodsell dollar behind the bar.
The final highlight of the trip was a night at the ball field. The Diamondbacks played the Padres in a wonderful game with the final score at 3-0.
After the game was over, the dome was opened so that fans could watch a fireworks show that was displayed with music. We definitely picked a good night to take in a ballgame.
Two days later we took off and headed back home. We returned relaxed and ready to take on the next challenges of life. It was a good experience that taught us a lot, for instance, dry heat is not that bad and humidity is a good thing every once in awhile.
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