Day 5: Off The Beaten Path

I am at the half way point in my travels. 

 Five days down and five to go.  

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Today I decided to get up close and personal with the Red Rocks of Sedona.  

The Tour I did took me off road and along the south rim of the area.  We traversed the area known as Broken Arrow.  In 1950 there was a movie by this name which was a western/romance and it starred Jimmy Stewart.  Apparently it was filmed here too!  I now have another movie to add to my queue.  

Truly, every where you look around here could be a picture.  I know I should only post one or two pictures...but really how can I just pick a few to share?  

So, scroll down quickly if you aren't interested in landscape shots.  

With our guide, Paul.
Again, I totally enjoyed learning all the information shared!  

I called shotgun, as another family was with me for the tour.
Note the extreme terrain.  

Paul shared with us that the layer of grayish rock is actually 15 feet wide.
It is hard to understand just how big these formations really are.  

My self portrait of the day! 

Fault line that runs across Submarine Rock

Here you can see the shift that has happened along the fault line!
The white dot is actually a "soft" spot in the rock where all the iron minerals were pushed out.  

Looking out on Submarine Rock

Mushrooms on top of
An Alien Spaceship behind a
Humpbacked Whale

 When we paused to look at these rocks and Paul told us their names, he didn't mention we'd be driving up them!

View from up next to the Mushrooms

A view of Submarine Rock...we were on it when I took those pictures of the fault line!

Through the front...windshield down. 

Minutes before I took this picture...this was us!  

Agave plant

The road of no return which we MUST head down!

 I do have a video I took on my cell phone of us going down this road.  Our guide, Paul, said we would be in a controlled slide.  My photos are unable to truly capture the angles of this adventure.

Panoramic...just for fun.
If you click on it, you might be able to enlarge it.

Snoopy Rock

This photo made me think of my brother.  He loved Snoopy as we were growing up!  

 *****

 After my Jeep excision, I decided to do a little window shopping at a beautiful area of shops called Tlaquepaque.  The courtyards in this shopping area are filled with bronze sculptures and artwork.  I enjoyed spending a few peaceful hours here and was inspired to go find the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

'Changing Woman'

 This sculpture is called Changing Woman and it represents a Navajo legend about how the sky and earth were created.

*****

The Chapel of the Holy Cross

Click on this picture to enlarge...it's worth it!  

 The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built in 1965.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
I was able to say a few prayers and light a candle in this beautiful place.  I may need to stop here again in the next day or so...praying is very powerful.

Saint Francis

A tribute to Guardian Angels

 cacti and a birds nest

One of the views from the Chapel

My attempt to be artsy

 *****

Finally, where I have been traveling in Arizona it is an open range area. I was wondering how they keep the cows, although free to roam wherever they want, from walking into danger.  You might all ready know this, but I didn't....

Here's the answer:

Apparently Cows won't cross these!  They were used at Bearizona for the Sheep, Mules and Bison.

*****

What have I learned today?  My emotions are being my enemy.

I went to have my nails done tonight and was asked again about my being alone.  When I started to answer, the manicurist asked if I ran away.  I guess I sort of feel like I have.

My immediate family won't call me or really respond to texts that I am sending.  And I'm not really sure how to feel about that.  I guess on one hand they are respecting my decision to go and 'find myself'. But on the other hand, I do feel unwanted.  I know my children should be independent and need to go and live their own lives.  I get that, I really do.  It's that other person in my life that I cannot understand.  It's not just my having been gone for five days that I am referring to either.  Major things have happened in my life to cause me to take such a huge adventure alone.  Or maybe this adventure isn't really as big as I think it is.

I'm trying to be at peace with my being alone.  Tomorrow I will hike.  Alone.