Red Rock State Park, Kurt’s Mainstreet Grill, and the Javelina Leap Winery

After a slow, lazy morning we drove to Sedona. Stopped at Red Rock State Park on the way. Grabbed some photos there, then continued on to Sedona.


Rock formation in Red Rock State Park.


Robin takes a photo of Louise.


The drive into Sedona.


Entering uptown Sedona.

A couple of days ago, our Grand Canyon tour bus driver had recommended a new Sedona restaurant named Kurt's Mainstreet Grill. We decided to try it, and I give it a rating of 9 (out of ten) javelinas. Delicious and huge servings.

If you're in Schnebly -- I mean Sedona (see the "A Grand day" blog, 2/24/09) -- put Kurt's on your dining places list. It's on the south side of 89A, next door to the Super 8 Motel.


Look for this sign if you're hungry.

On the way back to Cornville we stopped at the Javelina Leap winery for a wine tasting. According to the server in the tasting room, the same guy that started Stagg's Leap and Frog's Leap wineries in Napa Valley also started the Javelina Leap winery here.


It's not Napa Valley, but has a charm all its own. I suppose.

Since John McCain's ranch is somewhere here in Cornville, I'd like to see a Republican Leap wine. Speaking of being in Republican country, the TV here shows a lot more Republican-biased, Democrat-bashing TV commercials than we see in Santa Fe. I hope it doesn't start to brain wash me. Oh, gotta run. It's almost time for Hannity and O'Reilly.

Yet another Zoomify Grand Canyon panorama

Click the photo. Drag in the Zoomify window that opens, or use the controls that appear below the Zoomify window.

Take the last train from Clarksville

I'll be waiting at the station
We'll have time for coffee flavored kisses
And a bit of conversation
Oh no no no, oh no no no

Oops. Make that Clarkdale, Arizona. About thirty minutes from where we're staying in Cornville. We spent Wednesday afternoon riding a train from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back, through Verde Canyon. Perkinsville has a population of 2 1/2 (man, woman, and 6 month-old child).


Heading northwest toward Verde Canyon and Perkinsville.


I spent most of the trip here, shooting video.


The Perkinsville depot is a fixer-upper.


Robin takes time to brush up her King Henry V.

Another Grand Canyon photo

Photoshop's "PhotoMerge" feature merged four vertical shots into one.

Grand Canyon panorama

Click the photo below (or click the text link below the photo) to see a Zoomify panorama photo of one small sectional view of the Grand Canyon.

To see the entire photo, drag horizontally (left and right) in the Zoomify window that opens when you click on the thumbnail photo below.



View the Zoomify panorama photo.

A Grand day (canyon and otherwise)

We drove to Sedona this morning to meet our minibus tour group at a local resort. FYI, Sedona is actually the name of the wife of the town founder, Somebody Schnebly. Sedona's mother made up the name. A true story. Straight from our guide, a likable guy just full of interesting tidbits. Such as: a Navajo elder was watching astronauts train in a meteor crater (in the ’60s). He approached them. They told him they were going to the moon. Since Navajos believe some of their ancestors stayed on the moon when others came to Earth, he asked them to deliver a message to the Navajos on the moon. The astronauts-in-training recorded the elder's voice as he spoke in Navajo. Later, when they had the recording interpreted, it said "Don't sign anything."


The SwanMobile heads towards Sedona early Tuesday morning.
The tour bus stopped in the Route 66 town of Williams so a couple of our tour group could take the train to the Grand Canyon.


The Williams Depot

I'll post more Grand Canyon photos Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, here are some shots from a busy day.


Robin always finds time to study or work on a project. The minibus is today's office.


Lunch at El Tovar, the historic log lodge at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We also celebrated Pat's birthday (Robin's mother) with a bottle of Grand Canyon wine (made in Hillsburg, CA).


The Watchtower, south rim. A really beautiful structure, designed by Fred Harvey's (Harvey House Hotels) female architect.


The Colorado River is barely visible in the background.


Inside the Watchtower.


A Navajo roadside shop.


Navajo beader at the roadside shop.


"Raven, sweetheart, if you think this watchtower is nice, you should see the Tower of London."

Santa Fe to Cornville

Cornville. It's almost like Sedona. In fact, it's about 20 miles south of Sedona. Robin's mother rented a house in Cornville, drove here from California with a friend, and invited us to join them for the week.

We left Santa Fe at 8:00 this mornning and arrived at 3 PM. Looking forward to several days of exploring the area. Tomorrow morning we drive to Sedona and hop on a tour bus to the grand canyon. The trip includes lunch at the famous lodge there (El Tovar). It doesn't include a ticket to the Skywalk (a glass walkway that juts out over the rim of the canyon), but I'm hoping we'll have time to do that too.

The drive here was enjoyable. Lots of southwestern-style scenery. We stopped in Grants, New Mexico, on historic Route 66, at El Cafecito for a late breakfast.



I was tempted to try another place, a couple of miles earlier (also on Route 66 in Grants), where we stopped to get gas, but you know how sometimes you pick up vibes that you should just keep going -- plus, the service looked pretty slow. Now that I think about it, the place did have lots of atmosphere. An open atmosphere, you might say. More than most places. But that's not necessarily a good thing.