Day 10 – March 22, 2016The day began on an excited promise of driving to a lower elevation. Flagstaff has seen me for the last time; I simply cannot handle the thin air. Han was not too happy with it either. It’s not the city which seemed nice enough. It’s just the air’s lack of oxygen.
We ate breakfast, I went to the bathroom before hitting the road, had a slight panic attack, waited outside in the car while Han paid the bill, began our drive, got about five miles down the road, pulled over and asked Han to drive. I was in full scale panic mode. Thin air and curling around the mountains had gotten the better part of me. It did not get any better as we traveled down “hell mountain.” This well-traveled and loved road by many (according to the Internet) left me cowering and shaking.
Flagstaff to Sedona on 89A is a bit of a nightmare.
Sharp winding curves, drop off cliff edges, heavily traveled, falling rock, steep downward grades does not make an enjoyable time for me.
I might be the only person who does not like this road. Bless their hearts, they may keep it.
Sedona landscape was very unique, but the town was overly crowded and very touristy, so we decided to take pictures on the fly and continued on to Jerome.
The road up to Jerome once again was very steep again with somewhat tight corners, but I was taking it a little better by then in the passenger seat and even taking some photos.
However looking out the window over the cliffs was a bit too much for me. I am a flatlander. Pure and simple!
Jerome was well worth the climb and nervousness however. The old ghost town on the copper mountain had plenty of old buildings, extensive history, unique gift shops, restaurants, nooks and crannies to explore, pleasant people to converse with and one of the most perfect areas for one of a kind pictures.
I walked in a particular store called the “Turquoise Spider” and noticed a necklace hanging on the wall behind the counter and it reached out and spoke to me. I walked around the store trying to ignore it, I finally asked to see it closer, checked the price, fell in love with it but the price made me hand it back to the owner. I walked around some more, left the store, spoke with Han about it and I could feel myself being drawn back to it. I settled on a price that I would pay if he would accept it, went back to the store, inspected it closely again, asked about the history, spoke about price, he accepted and I walked out with one of the loveliest three-strand antique authentic Zuni Indian fetish animal necklace. It has found it’s new home and I will enjoy wearing this amazing piece of handmade indian art.World Animal Day falls on my birthday too which makes it even more special. I put it on and it felt just right. I love it and it was worth every penny. I googled later what the animals meant and it is very interesting and educational. I have some Cherokee Indian heritage, so I very much enjoyed learning about the Zuni culture and the differences.
After coming down off the Jerome mountain, we had a late lunch at Denny’s in Cottonwood, according to locals a sleep town for those who work tourism in Sedona. Han had a normal club sandwich and fries lunch, I decided life is too short to miss dessert, so I literally scarfed a “Blackberry Pancake Puppies Sundae” and I strongly suggest you try this delectable dessert, which appears to be a temporary item on the menu for $2!. I shared one bite with Han, but that was all I could make myself give up. LOL
We wrapped lunch up and got back on the road towards the “Birthplace of Historic Route 66” in Seligman AZ avoiding curved nightmares. Our trusted GPS took us nicely around the mountain on a 4 lane highway passed an interesting community called Prescott onto I-40.I had previously googled the motels available and picked the one I thought was the cutest. The pictures were right on and was even better in person. Do yourself a favor and spend a relaxing night at the “Historic Route 66 Motel.”
Both Han and I fell in love with adorable decor, comfy beds, sweet hostess, so well appointed and the train runs closely parallel across the street and sounds so comforting while relaxing in bed. Yeah, we became quite enamored with the charming motel.
Next stop? Who knows, no plans except letting the road lead the way.
Lodging Choice: Historic Route 66 Motel was everything advertised and more. Firm comfortable beds, fresh smelling sheets, extremely clean, microwave, fridge, cutest decor I have ever seen, wonderful staff, work desk, plenty of pillows and had such a great overall feeling while spending out time there. Two small issues, but not overly important, were the TV had static and the internet was a bit slow.
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