Recently my friend Cameon invited me to join her for a preview of the Museum of Wonder and Delight in Folsom, California. UC Davis Design Professor Dolph Gotelli, an internationally renowned collector of 19th and 20th century toys, folk art and games. The Museum will showcase his collections and opens this fall in old town Folsom (at 905 Leidesdorff Street across from Karen’s Bakery facing the plaza).
A fundraiser sponsored by the UC Davis Design Department followed in a 2 acre garden in Granite Bay to benefit the museum. The garden was fun and beautiful and full of whimsey.
It was a high of 92 degrees with light cloud cover. Perfect for rafting, cycling, and golfing.
I stopped my bike along the American River Parkway to watch the hundreds of river rafters floating downstream. It brings back so many good memories of rafting as a teenager. My son and his friends also have spent many a day on the river. It is a lot of fun and best when hot but not too hot. You can rent a raft around the Sunrise Boulevard bridge or launch your own craft from one of the parks on either side of the river. It takes a couple of hours to float down to Ancil Hoffman park or to Arden Park. A small part of me worried that none of the boaters has their life jacket on and I know they are drinking alcohol. (Boating and alcohol should not mix!) I did not wear a life jacket as a teenager either as tan lines were more important to me than safety. In spite of the drought Lake Natoma and the American River from Orangevale to where it meets the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento are at normal summer levels because it is regulated by releases from the Folsom Lake reservoir.
Looking across to Negro Bar on Lake Natoma. The Aquatic Center has hosted the NCAA Pacific Region rowing championships.
Lots of people were also boating on Lake Natoma. This manmade lake stretches from the Aquatic Center at Hazel Avenue to the Rainbow Bridge in Folsom (about 5 miles). The bike/horse trail makes a ring around it. I cycled 56 miles round trip from 9-2:30 today. I was still recovering from 30 miles yesterday in the 104 degree heat. This is all about preparing for RAGBRAI so it is miles + time in the saddle. Speed is less important. I am finding that it is a mental challenge as much as a physical challenge. I shared with my cousin John that I am worried I will not be able to ride the full length, and he chuckled and said he gives himself permission to take a day off and go play golf. I felt better and decided I will do my best. Keep my eye on the prize: have fun. On the ride home I noticed the blimp in the sky. At first I thought it must be passing through on its way to or fro an event in the Bay Area. Then I remembered the US Senior Open Golf Tournament in Carmichael. I hope none of the old duffers playing yesterday expired in the triple digit temperatures. I imagine today’s high of 92 with breeze was a relief. I hope the television gives the audience some views of the river.
Bunny and Elephant jumped into a padded mail envelope and are flying off to the United Kingdom to meet Lizzie and Christina.
My goals was to finish these two knitted animal dolls by UK Sarah’s visit. I downloaded the patterns from Little Cotton Rabbits. You can find the patterns at http://www.littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk. Julie Williams has a blog called Little Cotton Rabbits: knitting and living with an autistic son. She is the Beatrix Potter of the knitting world. I am in love with these patterns and I love the results. They are a little fiddly to knit, so I will probably only make them rarely.
I am working on two more dresses so they have a change of clothes. I grew attached to Bunny and Elephant so it was hard not to name them. I will leave this to Lizzie (Christina is a bit young to have a say.)
Check out Julie Williams’ beautiful blog. If you are a knitter and you want a moderately challenging project that is hugely rewarding (you will be delighted), then order one of the patterns and give it a go.
We only planned to stay in Flagstaff to make it easier to catch our flight to Phoenix with a connection to LAX. Originally I had a reservation at the Hampton Inn outside of town. Then a colleague with a love of Flagstaff gave me some great travel advice.
1. Stay at Hotel Monte V
This hotel has seen a lot of famous guests and after parties. It is clean but worn. The art deco lobby and most of the rooms have not been remodeled since opening. Cool except for the swamp coolers in the window. Our room was an unusual layout: 2 rooms with a double bed each separated by a jack and jill bathroom. The rooms are named after famous guests who have stayed at the hotel over the years. Ours was named after a whiskey.
The Hotel Monte V is lit up in neon at night.
2. Enjoy the night life.
We strolled across Route 66 and then the railroad tracks to our restaurant, The Tinderbox Kitchen. We enjoyed a relaxing, delicious meal and then strolled around town stopping to listen to a rooftop band and enjoying the variety of people on the street.
3. Appreciate the unique architecture of downtown Flagstaff.
The Grand Canyon Cafe is a blast from the past like so much of Flagstaff.
Flagstaff must have built its downtown during a timber or other resource boom. The architecture is remarkable cohesive and attractive. We loved being right near the famous Route 66.
We ate breakfast at the Grand Canyon Cafe the next morning. The food was not anything special, but the ambiance was fun. Like Flagstaff.
Waiting for the sun to peak over the horizon, the crowds grew at Mather Point.
We watched the sunset and so it seemed logical that we would get up at 4:30 a.m., throw on clothes and dash to Mather Point to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.
We hoped our photos of the canyon would be lit in a way that allowed our phones to catch more accurately the canyon colors that we were seeing with our naked eye.
We drove the short distance from Market Plaza to the Visitor Center parking lot at Mather Point. We joined the crowds walking to the cement deck and rails to stake out spots and watch the sun rise.
There were groups of boisterous young people and contemplative adults. Families kidded one another and couples took turns taking photos of each other and the sunrise.
We enjoyed chatting with Jane from the UK.
The sunrise illuminates an already gorgeous canyon to new heights of breathtaking.
After about an hour our craving for coffee and our hunger got the best of us and we turned for the car.
As we walked towards the parking lot we saw a herd of female elk. It was exciting and yet we remained cautious.
The National Park doesn’t pull punches. There are signs that are blunt: “Do not feed the squirrels. They have fleas that carry bubonic plague.” Or stay 75 feet from elk and other wild animals. They also warn you of the perils of going to close to the canyon edge. We witnessed people ignoring all of this advice. Sigh. I guess people feel they are special and nothing bad will happen to them.
Do not be the fool who gets injured by the wild elk.
So enjoy the beauty of the park. Appreciate our forefather and mothers who set aside these special places. Thank the people who dedicate themselves to protecting them today and making our experience possible. And respect the wildness of the place.
Remote is not the best way to describe the crowded Rim Trail at the Grand Canyon National Park. However, it was our word of the day after we saw a funny t-shirt at the Market Plaza store: “Remote is not just the thing on the coffee table.” And as we hopped on and off the bus to Hermit’s Rest, we actually experienced that refreshing peace one does in a truly remote place between the Abyss and Mohave Point.
Looking back at the South Rim Village from Trailview Overlook.
It was one of the few sections of the trail where it is not paved or without the rock barrier built by the CCC. We agreed as a security to stop if we were going to look at the canyon or take photos or gape at California Condors. It was quiet and beautiful and felt remote.
We had 24 hours to enjoy the Grand Canyon. We lucked in and grabbed one night in the Yavapai Lodge next to Market Plaza. We dropped our bags and walked about 40 minutes to view the South Rim for the first time (for my friend) about a mile from Veerkamp Visitor Center. Our goal was to mooch along the Rim Trail to Bright Angel Lodge and stop at anything of interest along the way.
We had 7:45 p.m. reservations at El Tovar dining room. This was also when the sun would have set and the bus would stop running to Hermit’s Rest. We planned to watch most of the sunset from Maricopa Point or Powell Point and catch the bus to El Tovar. Turns out that very few of the bus stops pick up/drop off in both directions. And we stopped to take photos so often that we reached Maricopa Point about the time we needed to turn around. That is when we discovered the only return bus stop was another half mile up the trail. We did not realize there was a 30 minute grace on our dinner reservation so we ended up dashing back on foot.
Finally I saw a California Condor! I have been reading about their decline and recovery my whole life! To see one riding the air currents wild and free was thrilling!
The El Tovar dining room is decorated in the classic Bavarian dark hunting lodge style. The patrons are noticeably grayer than the people we met on the trail. This is the only proper dining room we could find (the Yavapai Cafe was closed for remodeling) and it is expensive. The food was good, not great. Our server was competent but glum. And we were tired from hiking in the altitude and sun. It was a relief to get on the bus and ride back to Yavapai Lodge and crawl into bed.
We set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. so we could watch the sunrise. The Grand Canyon sunrise deserves a post of its own because it is delightful. Afterward, we ate breakfast at the cafeteria at the Market Plaza and bought sandwiches and salty snacks for our day pack. (We used my Nuun tablets to help us stay hydrated.) Our plan was spend the day riding the bus to Hermit’s Rest and hiking our way back.
Sunset: I have so many pictures on my phone of the Grand Canyon that it is a huge challenge to select photos for this post.
It was a great day and not as hot as the previous afternoon. Wear sunscreen even when overcast! It looked like thundershowers might cross our paths but they were always at a distance. About 3 p.m. we were satiated. So much beauty!
Many visitors to the USA land at Los Angeles International Airport and then head off to have adventures and need to stow a bag for a few days. Of course with security concerns, storage lockers in airports and other transit terminals are no longer available. My friend UK Sarah discovered LAX Luggage Storage last year when she broke her journey from London to Auckland so we could visit Yosemite.
This year we were determined to visit the Grand Canyon and she needed to store a bag. This became even more important since we were flying on US Airways and an extra bag meant an additional $25 each way. She could not remember the name of the company. So after she cleared customs I found her we went to the information desk in the Tom Bradley international terminal to ask for companies who store luggage. The older woman with a heavy Russian accent at the counter hardly let us finish our question when she began to protest that the airport does not provide luggage storage. We tried to explain that we were looking for a company UK Sarah had used last year. She said to look it up on the internet.
We were booked into the Hilton Airport Hotel and I was pretty certain that the concierge would know a company that could stow the bags. Sure enough he called LAX Luggage Storage and within 20 minutes the van arrived to pick up the bag. It was $77 to store the bag for 5 days. The fee is $10 a day plus a $5 pick up and drop off fee. They only accept cash. When you need the bag again, you call the number on the card and give them your claim number and then within 20 minutes they drop it off. It is a terrific service and worth the fee.
After UK Sarah collected her bag and checked in at the Air New Zealand terminal, we said goodby and she headed to the Koru lounge and I walked to Terminal 1 to check my bag for my Southwest flight. I was using my smart phone for my boarding pass for the first time. All of the lines for check in were long, so I joined the express line and waited and waited. It gave me an opportunity to chat with a young woman from Portland, Oregon who used a website called Spinlister to rent a bike from someone local in Redondo Beach.
The tagline for Spinlister is “rent a bike from someone you like” and it is modeled after AirB&B only for bicycles. Rental rates vary. Her rental was $10 a day and included use of a helmet and bike lock. It also offers surf and ski gear. Spinlister is a very cool idea.
My camera is in the shop so all of these photos are taken with my phone.
I do not often dedicate a post just to lodging in a place I visit. I believe this is the fourth visit to Sedona and the other stays have been at the Enchantment Resort. It is a super special place for a girls weekend or couples get away. However it is more expensive and not always available. I also am a HiltonHonors member so I decided to see what they have to offer in Sedona.
View from our room and the resort.
The Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock was under $200 a night and included 2 free drink coupons, access to the fitness facilities including the beautiful pool, classes and tennis. Our room was a suite with a lovely patio area to enjoy a little of the outdoors and the views of Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock.
Reception lounge
We dined in the restaurant for lunch and breakfast and found the food and service to be very good. We enjoyed the lounge as well for more conversation and a nightcap before bed.
UK Sarah gives the pool, sauna and jacuzzi two thumbs up.
Darlene the Concierge gave us very good advice about things to do and places to eat. I booked a massage at the spa and Linda gave me an A+ massage working out the knots in my shoulders from cycling. UK Sarah swam laps then used the sauna and jacuzzi. She said the jacuzzi was one of the best she has experienced.
Fish tacos
When I return to Sedona I will stay at the Hilton again. Especially if I am organizing a business meeting or retreat or traveling with family. We felt a peace and grounded energy from Sedona and the Hilton Resort was a gracious complement to the Sedona environment.
I love traveling with my friend UK Sarah because it helps me see places I have been to several times with fresh eyes. We flew into Flagstaff and picked up our rental car and drove to Sedona on Highway 89A. It is a beautiful drive along Oak Creek. We stopped at Rock Slide State Park to take pictures because all of the other laybys were full of cars also taking pictures.
Great hikes from Oak Creek Village
We spent some time enjoying the amenities at our hotel and then went to Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock for a short hike. It was great fun and we came up with our word for the day: Majestic. We needed to come up with more vocabulary than Wow! and majestic just fit.
Trail to Bell Rock
We took the time to read the Sedona Vortex Map. Bell Rock is one of the places that the energy is strong even from the parking lot. Call us skeptics but we did not feel it. Perhaps we are insensitive.
There is a Butte Loop trail around Courthouse Rock–yeah, we didn’t do that one.
After our hike we drive to the end of Verde Valley School Road to view Cathedral Rock more closely. Majestic. Better than a man-made cathedral.
We returned to the Hotel and changed for dinner. Then we walked to the Cucina Rustica for a delicious Italian meal with impeccable service from Paul. Dining outside in the warm Arizona evening with guitar music in the background would be very romantic with the right person. We took advantage of the ambiance to have a great conversation and to catch up after 6 months in very different time zones.
I love the cloud formations as much as the rock formations.
Today we will visit Chapel of the Holy Cross on our way to the Grand Canyon.
americanjulie.com 