Day 3 - Saturday 4/10/10 Old Town Center for the Arts

Saturday night we went to a variety show at the Old Town Center for the Arts. It started out with Jolly Roger a comedy/magician act, which was okay. Then Robert Ray a Magician came out and did some stunts. Kevin got called up on stage to help out with one of them. There were 4 animals traps on a table, one was weaker than the rest and would not hurt you if you put your hand into it, Robert Ray demostrated with a carrot that the other 3 would cut the carrot but the waker one would not. Two people held up a sheet so that Robert Ray, the girl and the audience could not see while Kevin mixed the up so that no one knew which one was the weakend one. Then Kevin took the place at holding the sheet while someoneelse mixed them up, this way no one knew where the weakened one was. Then Robert Ray had a girl which he had used his magic on to sense where the weakened one was to direct him to eliminate one by one two of them. Then when there were only two left he had her tell him which one he was to put his hand into. She did and she was correct. The next act held outside, it was Julie Ram Das the Fir Dancer, this was pretty amazing to see. After that we went back inside to see Steven Sandoval the Mentalist. He had two women and two men come up on stage along with another rather tall large man who sat in a chair. The four people were then instructed how to place there hands to try to lift the man in the chair. They were unable to. then they were instructed to place their hands above his head one on top of another and go round and round imagining that he was getting lighter and lighter and try again. They were able to lift him a little. So they placed their hands above his head again made circles and on the second try they were able to lift him a good 18 inches above his chair. lastly was Abandon Minds an Improve Troupe.

Day 2 - Friday, 4/9/10 Our Resort Unit

Our unit is a one bedroom about 500 square feet. It is like a small mobil home that has been stucco covered. We have a patio with a table and two chairs and a built in bench along the rail.There is also a BBQ for each unit. They are all set up in rows with man-made babbling brooks running behind the units, and with a rock waterfall at the end.

Day 4 - Sunday, 4/11/10 - Jerome

We were to meet our driver at the Verde Valley Senior Center at 6:30. So we left the resort for the short 15 minute drive at 6:00 pm to allow plenty of time. We followed the typed up directions given to us by Peggy the conciege. Well, let me tell you, those directions did not get us to the place we were to be. In fact we didn't even find the streets we needed. So we called Ron the owner of Tours of Jerome. He insisted we just stay put and he would send the driver to us, even though after speaking to him and using my phone GPS, Kevin figured out what it was we needed to do to get to the place we needed to be. He said the driver had my cell phone number to call us. He wanted our location which was Main and 10th Streets and we were at the Spirit gas station. Well 30 minutes latere were still waiting. So Kevin called him back, and he tried to tell us the only Spirit gas station was at the base of Jerome, well that obiviously wasn't true as we were at one and were not at the base of Jerome. The driver also didn't have our cell number come to find out, so we gave it to Ron who called the driver, Jerry. A few minutes later Jerry called us and we proceded to confirm that the way we thought was the way to where we were to meet was correct. five minutes later we were at the Verde Valley Senior Center where Jerry our driver was and we were on our way to Jerome.

Once there we met up with our tour guide and 6 other people for the tour. We drove around the city streets learning about the history of Jerome, and hearing the local legends. At one time there had been 15 house of prositution, 12 salons and 3 churchs and the people of the city thought this to be a good balance. This town had at one time been a booming cooper mining town.

After touring the city it was time to do some investigating. We were supplied with EMF readers and were taken to the old high school, and the Conner Hotel to investigate. At the Conner Hotel a cable installer once was offered the room for the evening and the next morning was found in his car, he told the hotel staff that he would never again stay in that room nor any room in that hotel. In Room number 3 people who have stayed in that room have reported that things they have left on a nightstand beside the bed before going to sleep, in the morning are across the room on another piece of furniture. Another room is said to have blue light suddening show from beneathe the door as you are standing in the hallway. A man, I can't remember for sure but I think his name was Harry Ott, was kill at the bar in the building that now houses gift shop on the first floor and the Tours of Jerome has their offices in the basement.

We then drove around a bit more, we saw the Haunted Hamburger, the Grand Hotel, the Surgeon's House, one of the hospital's, and the jail. Then it was time to head back to Sedona.

Day 4 - Sunday 4/4/10 Old Oak Creek & Meteor Crater

After Kevin cooked us a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, and I posted what we did on Saturday, we decided to take a drive towards Oak Creek Canyon as it has some beautiful scenery. I was able to get some beautiful pictures of the red rock scenery.

One stop along Old Oak Creek, there was a sign saying there was a Historic Landmark 1/4 mile ahead. So that was our next stop. It was Indian Gardens, home of the first settler in 1876 or 1877. We took some picture there. I had taken one of Kevin and he was getting ready to take one of me when a young woman that was there with her husband from Minnesota offered to take our picture. Kevin and I both noticed that she took both a horizontal and a vertical picture. So afterwards I asked her, are you a scrapbooker, she said yes. Kevin said you can always spot a scrapbooker by the way they take pictures...LOL. I then took their picture.

From there we decided to see if to go to either Meteor Crater or the Painted Desert depending on if we cound make it to the Painted Desert and back in time for our Haunted tour of Jerome. Unforunately we could not find the Painted Desert with the GPS system in the car to tell us how long it was going to take. We drove as far as Winslow not far past Meteror City and decided there just wasn't enough time for us to go to the Painted Desert and went back to Meteor Crater.

It really was something to see. It was designated a Natural Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1968. From 1964-1972, the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA provided extensive science training at Meteor Crater for the Apollo astronauts, under the guidance of Dr.'s Eugene Shoemaker and David Roddy, both with the Branch of Astrogeology of the U.S. Geologoical Survey. This training was particulary significant because scientists were extremely interested in what materials lay on the lunar surface as well as what was beneath the surface.

At the impact site, the cratering process ejects material that actually originates below the surface of the crater, therefore, when our astronauts went to the moon, they knew they should be able to collect material on ejecta blankets that orginated beneath the cratered region--a valuable sampling technique learned at Meteor Crater.

From where you stand, at the rim of the crater, the floor of the crater is 550 feet deep, equivalent to a 60 story building. If the Washington Monument were placed on the floor of the crater, its top would be at eye level. The crater is over 4,000 feet across and 2.4 miles in circumference. For a meterorite only 150 feet across to blast a hole three quarters of a mile wide and sixty stories deep, its high velocity is clearly one of the major factors required to create a crater this larger.

To give you a better idea as to the crater's size, imagine twenty football games being played simultaneously on its floor, while more than two million spectators observe from its sloping sides.

While we were view this awesome site there were areas in which the wind was so strong it must have been 40-50 miles per hour. Yet there was one spot where Kevin and I were about 10-15 feet apart, where Kevin was there was no wind, yet where I was the wind was blowing so strong that Kevin said "my hair looked like it was slicked back".

On the way back Kevin spotted a tree that looked like it was growing out of two trees. When he told me what he saw he said that would have made a good picture, wrong think to tell a scrapbooker....LOL. So needless to say, my next words were, well we can turn around and go back and take a picture. So on that little two lane road, that is what he did, found a spot wide enough to do so, luckily no cars were coming. Drove back less than 1/4 mile and we got the picture. Also on the way back to the interstate I wanted to get a picture of a ruin we had spotted on the way in, that we were not sure what the building was but it was interesting. I tried to get picture from the road we were on, and I could but it was still quite a ways away. So when we got up closer he noticed a gravel road going towards it so off we go. After just a bit we notice off to the side a no trepassing sign so we decide I better get a picture so we can turn around and go back...LOL. Isn't it wonderful what, that I have a hubby that can find these great photographic finds and be willing to back up, turn around, and go out of the way just to get the picture. Scrapbooking has not only improved my picture taking but his too, and helped both of us to look for those great picture sites.

Back at the resort we had just enough time for a quick dinner before heading off for our tour of Jerome.

Day 3 - Saturday, 4/10/10 Tours orientation & Arts & Crafts Show

We started the day with the Welcome Breakfast and the Tour Orientation. They had scrambled eggs, French Toast Casserole, fresh fruits, pastries, juices, coffee, and tea. There were several representatives there from different tour companies to tell about the tours they offer. There are several we are interested in doing, but instead of telling you about them now, I am going to wait and do so on the day we do them......let me just say that some of you may be surprised at what we or more specifically Me (Barbi) ends up doing.

At 10:00 we meet with Peggy the Concierge to book our tours, and set up a tour of the resort at 3 pm in which for doing so we get one of our tours for free. And NO for those of you that may be wondering we are not upgrading or buying more Time Shares....LOL!

So we have time before that so Kevin asks me what I want to do? That was a dangerous question...LOL! I told him, "On the way in yesterday, I saw a sign for a Native American Arts and Crafts Show" I would like to go to that today or tomorrow. So off we go.

Well let me say, they had some beautiful stuff. First stop, jewelry, most stops jewelry!! Back to the first stop, Kevin spotted some man's bracelets that he liked. We decided to get matching ones. They are made from Sterling Silver and 12 carat gold. The base of the bracelet is made of Sterling Silver and the accents are in the gold. The feathers that stand for long life, shells that stand for protection, the circles are for the circle of life, the rain drops are for abundance.

From that booth we spot a picture of some Indian Cliffs, I tell Kevin those look like the ones we saw in Colorado. He says "Yea they do look like they might be" I say "I got to go look at it". So over to the booth we go. It is a large photo put onto canvas. They are selling it at the reduce price of $99 it is tempting but it is so large. We find the same picture in a smaller size and one of Sedona and get them.

Next is a booth that has Blown Glass Jewelry that a guy from Durango, Colorado makes. We were in Durango on our Colorado trip in 2006. Kevin spots a beautiful white Carnation flower inside a black glass. I get it with matching earrings.

While I look a a booth where a woman makes her own scarfs, Kevin goes over to a booth where a man named Scott August has some CD's.

Saucy Pepper, the Velvet Lady makes her own scarfs, she has a man she tells what colors she wants and he makes the material for her. Then she makes the scarfs. They have a seem and can be worn 4 different ways. As a shawl, scarf straight down, scarf diagonal, and drape in front. They are all done on black velvet with colors added in, I get one that has blues and pinks.

Scott August's music is done with Native American flutes, soft guitars and quiet pianos, Aztec drums, African kalimbas, and an exotic array of instruments from around the world. Kevin got three of his CD's New Fire, Sacred Dreams, and Distant Spirits.

Our next stop was a booth that has things made from copper by Sabia. They say that copper takes on an almost unbelievable look with the unique heat treatment that they have developed. Extreme high heat interacting with water create stunning colors and designs. Each piece in their line of earrings, cuff bracelets, pendants, neck wires, bolos, bowls and more, is hand cut, heated, finished and sealed, allowing for years of enjoyment of something never before produced. The latest addition to the line is what they call "Raku" copper. A precut piece is superheated past the point of melting, creating depth of color that almost seems unnatural. The copper is left with a flat finish and texture, resembling Raku pottery. While I am at this booth Kevin goes back to the car to put our purchases away, get a drink of water and sit a bit, as his feet are hurting.

I make a quick stop at the booth where we looked at the painting on the agate stone just to see how much they are. They range from $140-$250. The woman there tells me and a couple that are there looking that her husbands does the painting and the price is dependant upon the stone and what is painted. The fur animals cost more. The $140 one was a Bald Eagle and $250 one was a Moose.

I next notice some beautiful earrings with Celtic knots and a stone I have never seen before. They are made with chain circles (the name of them is escaping me at the moment) and I learn that the stones are Dragon's Eye stones, which is heat treated Tiger's Eye stones. Tiger's Eye stones were one of my mom's favorite stones. I was trying to decide what to get when I learned she didn't take credit cards and had given her back the necklace I was trying on. Kevin comes up about this time and decides to buy me the necklace when he hears I can't get it by credit card. Then we were talking as she adjusted the necklace to fit me as it is a choker type about what catch my eye and brought me to the booth, and I explained about the Tiger's Eye stones, my mom, and the Celtic knot and he bought me the matching earrings that brought me to the booth in the first place, so he gets me those too. He is sooo sweet.

For our last stop, we go to the booth next door that has hats that we had noticed earlier in the day. It is a Western Hat made by Head 'n Home, they are waterproof and squash proof. So you can fold them and put them in your suitcase for travel. They also have a mesh around the top so air can flow through so your head stays cool, and they come with removeable sweatbands on the inside. Now it is time to go back to the resort and have lunch before going on our tour of the resort.

Day 2 - Friday, 4/4/10 Needles to Sedona

We ate breakfast at Juicy's, which was compliments of the hotel. Diced ham and scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuit and a beverage. Then checked out of the hotel and we were on the road again about 8:45 am.

We are taking the Historic Route 66 to Kingman. Route 66 became a national highway in 1926.

At 10:10 am we cross the borderand are now in Arizona. At 10:34 we arrive in Oatman Arizona, It is as if taking a step back in time a couple hundred years.Founded in 1881, it has some very interesting shops and we would have loved to have stop and visited some of them but it is a little too early I guess....lol... as most still have closed signs up and the couple of tourists we see are just walking about. Maybe on the return trip we can stop.

N.R. Dunton Built a gas station just east of Oatman, Arizona. It became known as "Cool Springs"This was our next stop we arrived here at 11:30 and it was 76 degrees. In 1936 James & Mary Walker Walker from Indiana bought the station, adding a restaurant and bar. "Cool Springs" became famous for it's pan fried chicken! James didn't take to the desert life, so he left Mary and the 4 kid, returned to Indiana and started a new life. Before long, Mary met and married Floyd Spidell, a soda pop delivery man. The marriage didn't last, Mary left and Floyd kept "Cool Springs". When the new section of Highway 40 opened in 1953 the hay days of "Cool Springs" were over. Floyd converted the Cabins into chicken coops. In 1964 Floyd left "Cool Springs" for good, retiring in Kingman, Arizona. Vandals, harsh climate and the filming of the movie "Universal Solider" left "Cool Springs" in ruins. However, in the year 2001, Ned Leuchtner from Chicago bought the property and has completely restoration of the Mobil gas station which is home to a cozy gift shop. Future plans include a museum.

Outside you will find a unique portable with a Route 66 flag, 6 feet tall wood fencing making walls around it and a mirror on the fencing. I will post a picture of it. In the gift shop we got some Rout Beer made for stores on Route 66, and it is made in two places, California and Illnois. Kevin got a Route 66 hat, and I got a necklace and earrings. We also picked up a Route 66 map and some post cards. After talking with the owner for a bit we were back on the road.

Along the road a few times we would pause for pictures and a couple of times stopped to pick some wild flowers for me to dry for the scrapbook. I had seen a real pretty orange one and then didn't see it anymore, finally Kevin spotted it. It seemed to be more rare than the other flowers in the area.

Around 2 pm we were just outside Willaims, Arizona and found a bit of snow on the gound. TBy this time we had climbed to 6762 feet and the temp had dropped to 61 degrees. As we continued on the road, it slowly rose in elevation. We made a gas stop at A-1 Mountain Rd where we were at 7,335 feet and it was 60 degrees at almost 3 pm. this was just before the exit to Flagstaff.
As we continued on to Sedona we desended to 5,000 feet and the landscape was beautiful. The dirt is red like it was in Kauaii. The green trees against the red is so pretty and the formations of the mountains is amazing.

At about 3 pm we checked into the resort and got the paperwork of what is happening on the resort during the week. We recieved two tickets for margaritas on Thursday. There is a Wecome Breakfast and Tour Orientation Saturday morning. After receiving all this on to our unit, it is number 500. It is like a little one bedroom mobil home, cover with stucco. They have little babbling brooks between each row of homes with a fountain at the end. After dropping our things off at the unti we went to the grocery store. What is nice about staying at these type of resorts on our vactions, is that we save money fixing our meals instead of eating out all the time.

Back to the unit for dinner, and some TV. We watched Ghost Whisperer and Medium. Then Kevin went to bed and I tried to do some stuff on the interent, but sometimes difficult as the reception is sporatic.

Day 1 - Thursday, 4/8/10 Fresno to Needles

After dropping Adrain and Tucker off to our daughter, Summer, at our store, we were finally on our way. Well not exactly, I had forgotten the laptop at home, so Kevin headed back to our house so we could get it. Then a quick stop at Snow-White's Drive In for some corndogs for Kevin, a salad for me, and Rootbeer freezes for both of us; then we hit the road at 12:03 pm.

We had no exact plan for where to spend the night, thought possibly Kingman. Just before Needles we saw signs and realized we were actually traveling the historic Route 66. Had we known and had a map for this we could have been on it from Barstow as it follows pretty close to the Interstate 40 that we were on. We decided to spend the night in Needles as it was about 5:45 pm. We checked into the Colorado River Best Western, then went to the restaurant next door call Juicy's for dinner.