Thursday, August 30, 2018

Again And Again And Again

Three things that we enjoy when we visit this area of Arizona are the beautiful red rocks, a bike ride through Oak Creek Canyon, and lunch at a Cottonwood bbq joint called Hog Wild.  This morning we were disappointed to find that our summer nemesis—wildfire smoke—had caught up with us again.  The red rock wall along Cottonwood was totally obscured.

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In Sedona we were unable to see the red rocks clearly,

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most unfortunate because these rocks are what bring people to Sedona in droves.

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Once we left Sedona, the smoke cleared and we were able to enjoy our ride through the Canyon.  Our road leads around the corner and up to the top of that plateau—part of the Mogollon (Muggyon or Moguhyon) Rim.

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At the top the road runs on to Flagstaff, but we opted to stop at the rest area.  There is a large parking lot, a restroom, a small building with information provided by the U S Forest Service, and a row of canopies providing shelter for the Native American Market.  All items for sale are guaranteed to be made by Native Americans from quality materials. 

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We were up there for the view of the Canyon.  To the right is the road snaking up the hill (three loops).  On the left is the road through the Canyon.

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After a look around we went back down the way we came,

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through the Canyon and Sedona, and back to Cottonwood.  The smoke was still there.

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We enjoyed brisket and pulled pork, garlic fries and Cole slaw at Hog Wild,

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and finally made it back home.  On our side of Cottonwood we could see the smoke plume coming over the ridge.

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We enjoyed two of our repeat visits today, but not the smoke again. 

Two out of three are pretty good.

Louise and Duane


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