No Detours?

Wednesday, 9/6/2023

We were up before 6 AM and made French press coffee and oatmeal before we packed up. Woody said, “No detours today!“ My comeback? “I already have one planned.“ We took scenic 89 down Oak Creek Canyon toward Sedona. We were almost immediately impressed by the red rock canyon walls, rocks, greenery, switchbacks, forests, and the smell of pine and mountain air. It was worth the detour, wasn’t it Woody?

Sedona looked very upscale and prosperous. The stores and hotels looked newer and very nice. After Sedona we gradually lost altitude. We went down from 7000 feet to 1300 and the temperatures changed from 52° to 109°!

As we were leaving the mountains, there was lots of truck traffic and varying speeds. We saw low, green pines and bushes. Further in it was primarily prickly pear, paddle cactus, and saguaro. There were occasional palm trees. Economic levels varied significantly. Closer to Green Valley the area was filled with a bit more greenery and low shrubs. It reminded us of northern Mexico, which was only 60 miles away.

We filled the car with gas in Green Valley, and then went to visit my Aunt Mim, which was a true joy! The two hours we spent with her flew by. I hope to stay in closer touch with her in the future.

We drove back north to the town of Casa Grande, Arizona, and stayed at a lovely Airbnb. The owners were so gracious and generous. They even offered to do a load of wash for us! There were six farm fresh eggs for us in the refrigerator plus chips, nuts, and Keurig coffee. We updated the blog there and ate fresh eggs with toast and bacon, broccoli and peppers. It was delicious! It satisfied our craving for fresh vegetables.