Been through the desert on a horse with no name

Hello Everyone,

This is yesterday's email, brought to you today, thanks to the wonderful people at the Sedona Public Library.

The drive from Albuquerque to Sedona is something of a roller coaster of emotions. That’s maybe too strong a term, but one does swing widely from boredom to excitement.

Albuquerque sits in a boring desert bowl. There are hills to the south, but that’s about it. Then when you head west from the city, you get these amazing vistas with craggy rocks and ravines and so on. It’s very picturesque. But then it gets flat again and you are bored again. There were several hours of driving there, with almost nothing to see, the desert sun beating down mercilessly on your eyes, and I have very sensitive eyes. It was both boring and painful.

But then you get to Flagstaff and you might think you are in the Pacific West Coast. There’s mountains and alpine trees and snow on the ground. It was nice. And then when you head south to Sedona you go down one of the most beautiful stretches of road I’ve ever travelled.

I don’t say that lightly. I’ve driven on lots of roads. It’s easily top 3, worldwide. It's worth driving here, just to drive that stretch.

I paid a lot of money to camp at the “official” campsite of the mountain bike festival here in Sedona. I was leery of doing so, as I am on a fixed budget, but eventually relented. Biking is the organizing principle of this trip, and this at least guaranteed me a spot in a busy event.

So far, it’s been a good call. While the organization at the campground hasn’t been great, the gang of people staying in this small here are all like minded and very sociable. A nice change for someone who is travelling alone.

Arthur and I took in a short but scenic hike along the stream that runs beside the campground. It was a nice treat for him to be able to go swimming after being in the truck for 6 hours. Tomorrow we hit the trails. I’m looking forward to it. Not sure how Arthur feels. He keeps his expectations to himself.

wes