Red Rocks of Sedona
We left the farm a week ago saying goodbye to Oregon and our friends and family. It was great to see everyone! Linda and Rick, my sister and brother in law came down to Springfield to the farm and we had a great dinner at Excelsior Inn in Eugene. I got to see my dad three times while we were there too. The last time my step sister Patty joined us and we had a nice time catching up. I had lunch in Sisters with an old friend Brooke Harmon who I hadn't seen in way too long and spent we two nights up in Long Beach with Francina Grant, Judy Schlect and Francina's two daughters Ashtyn and Tenley. We had a nice dinner with Del and Susie Gianella and saw a lot of friends at the show in Salem.
Now we are in Scottsdale with the Arcuris. They have horses here at the fall show. My life long friend Nancy lives here in Scottsdale with her two dogs Brazil and Lucy so we are having a great time catching up. Yesterday Jean and Nancy and I went to lunch at a great place called the Painted Pony Cafe. We sat out on the patio in perfect weather and sipped a tall cold designer margarita and gabbed for three hours! It was really fun. While we were indulging ourselves in a well deserved girls lunch the guys were out visiting a local stable.
Covered bridge on Highway 58 in Oregon
Last Friday we pulled out of Springfield and headed over the Cascade range on Highway 58. It was a gorgeous day and the drive was great. We went to Reno and stopped for the night. From there we headed down Highway 395 and over the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway again. This time I remembered to let the air out of the beds! When we arrived in Barstow they were full to capacity but fine. It was a beautiful drive again, different from our trip in April due to the change of the season but just beautiful in the fall too.
We went from Barstow to Flagstaff and stopped at a KOA that backed up to the national forest. It was a great spot in the pine trees and we were able to do short hikes on each of the two mornings that we were there. We had a choice of hiking up to a lookout or taking Fat Man's Loop. We decided on the latter route. We took the dogs with us and hiked until we were panting each morning. The weather was perfect so we decided to make a trip down Interstate 17 on the second day and visit Sedona. I've heard a lot about the area and seen photos but it was another one of our stops that had a WOW factor of 100. It is a stunning sight to drive into the red rocks. We drove through the town of Oak Creek and then Sedona which is brimming with tourist shops; galleries, restaurants, gift shops, hotels and resorts. It is just beautiful. We were in the Camry with the Breezy and Ransom and it was warm so we weren't able to stop this time but we will go back when we can spend some time.
Weather along Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway
John took the dogs out to the national forest for a quick walk early Monday evening while I was getting ready to fix some dinner. He was gone for awhile and when he came back he said, "Boy, I thought I really screwed up." I asked why and he told me that he got to feeling sorry for Ransom being on the leash while Breezy was loose so he decided that it was safe enough to turn him loose. We have been working on Ransom's "Come" command since he took off after the sea gull on the beach in Newport. So apparently John was walking with them and in a tender hearted moment he unsnapped Ransom from his leash. "What happened?" I asked. "He just took off like a brown streak! Down the trail! Just gone!" he told me. "He just dashed up the trail ahead of Breezy and me and disappeared! I called and called and finally looked at Breezy and told her 'Go get your little brother Breezy' but before I could get her to go look for him he streaked back down the trail as fast as he left!" At this point Ransom is dancing around the coach like an inmate that had escaped the prison (an apt analogy considering his time spent in the death row dogs program). "Well at least he came when you called him," I said. We both think that Ransom is feeling pretty secure in his new home and probably wouldn't go far enough to get lost. I just prefer that he not be eaten by a wild animal so freedom in the woods is off of the list for now.
On Tuesday we headed south to Scottsdale, pulled into West World and got Mary set up in Lot F near the polo field. It was a good spot, close for the dogs to get to the grassy area and a nice bike ride to the arena area where Tim's horses were stabled and the horse show was going to be. We had a fun week with the Arcuris and Nancy and are looking forward to coming back in the spring for the Carousel show again. The weather was so perfect that we spent a lot of time out by the coach under the awning in our patio chairs reading and relaxing in the afternoons. We ate daily (sometimes twice daily) at our favorite haunt "Earl's" which is about a mile from West World. It has an eclectic menu and John and Tim love their appetizers. They were reciting the menu from memory to Jean before she got to have the "Earl's" experience. I have to say that "Earl's" has one of the best apple cobblers on the planet. We had it twice while we were there and I have the added dimples on my bod to prove it. Dieting begings when we get home (big sigh). We all went to see "W." (the movie) while we were there. All of us were surprised by the movie. It wasn't the hatchet job that most people expect it will be. The advertisements make it look like it has many comedic moments but it doesn't. It is sobering though. I recommend it (unless you love George W. in which case you will probably want to skip it) and Josh Brolin and Richard Dryfus were astounding as George W. and Dick Cheney.
So after a very successful horse show for the Arcuris (five wins and a third place) we had our final "Earl's" dinner on Sunday night and we all went our separate directions. Jean flew home to Springfield, Ryan and Brita took Tim's car and headed to Sedona, The Grand Canyon and on home to Springfield. We woke up early pulled Mary together, secured her contents and headed east leaving Tim to look after his horses for two weeks or so before he heads off to the American Royal. Two weeks in the desert southwest in October should be pretty darn nice! Nancy goes back to the grind at work at the Science Center. She said to me in an email, "I feel like my people came and visited and now they are gone." It's great to see old friends and so hard to say good bye.
Just before we left Mary was beginning to act a little contrary...nothing serious just a little cranky, little things that wouldn't work but miraculously fixed themselves...like magic. I think she is sick of us and wants a rest. She is about to get her wish. We are headed home and should be there on Thursday. I referred to her as a giant breadbox just before we arrived in Scottsdale so she may have gotten a litte out of sorts about it. I wasn't being derogatory at all. It's just that when we are driving in the wind she gets blown around a lot...like a giant bread box. I guess I need to be more careful about what I say!
Our route home will take us through New Mexico, the panhandle of Texas (by the world's largest cross again), into Oklahoma and....and....(I can barely force myself to write this) up 44 through Missouri. Missouri is a pretty state but Interstate 44 is littered with one adult bookstore/video store after another. YUCK. I made the trip once about five years ago in my car and by the time I got to Tulsa I felt like I needed to run for the shower. If it weren't for the fact that we both want to get home via the fastest route this would not be the route of choice. In fact it is only 50 miles more to go through Memphis to Kentucky. But I'll just keep my head down and keep myself busy on my computer or read as we pass down Interstate 44. Ick.
Okay, that's it for this post. I'll write again along the way!
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