Holy Dove! Chapel, Flagstaff

Annie and I decided to do a mini-reboot, which requires more organic produce than is available at the General Store in Grand Canyon Village (none). So, we toddled back to Flagstaff, that toddling town. We also stocked up on the most crucial personal hygiene product: clumping litter. Even got some for the cats.

I am naturally clumpy.

Up 180, just out of Flagstaff, is a little building called Chapel of the Holy Dove.

Cute, no? And, how 'bout that church!

Check out the gap under the door. When we arrived, Bibles and literature were scattered around like a bad day at the Kingdom Hall. Annie started picking them up, which made me feel guilty, so I helped.

What's one more sermon from Annie?

All over the walls are inscribed sacred graffiti, like PRAY FOR UNCLE JIMMY. I guess that makes them prayer walls. I wish they were updated more often. For example: THANKS EVERYONE. UNCLE JIMMY RECOVERED! so we could stop getting filtered to God's spam folder.

Can't you feel the snark? Place Prayer Requests HERE, not the walls, you Philistines.

It was the Holy Dove's day off. Meet Sacred Raven.

Department of What Passes for Excitement: we had neighbors last night, for real. These people asked if we minded, told us they would only stay for one night, and wouldn't make noise. Plus, they were European, so we felt like ambassadors. See how friendly we can be, when provoked? I didn't even consider using my ocarina, which is classified by the ATF as an assault weapon.

I'm getting itchy to see the North Rim. What say you?

Excellent boondocking location...nah, I shouldn't say.

On the other hand, I'm going to. This is the first place we've stayed our full 14 days and still weren't tired of the spot. Ajo doesn't count, because we didn't stay 14 days.

• Route 17 (Arizona) to exit 298. 
• Go east on Forest Road 618. [If you go west, it's Rte. 179 into Sedona.]
• 0.4 miles past the first cattle guard, you come to a four-way stop. Go left (north). This is Beaver Creek Road and Forest Road something something.
• 1.3 miles later, you're there.
• Coordinates roughly  34.697493,-111.723889

We covered this road in the Duck (38.5'), but never did it with the toad attached. That was just circumstance, though, and Annie says she'd do with the car and dolly.

You could spend two weeks in this area without ever needing to go to town for entertainment. Beer, yes. If you parked at the green arrow, you could hike down the left tine of that fork, turn left at the edge of a canyon, and follow a road right down around to the floor. There are said to be petroglyphs there, but I didn't find them. FREE

 









If you want something a little further off the trail, explore the right fork. The road is better, and we considered a few camping sites down there, too.

The Arizona Safari jeeps passed us every evening at 7PM. Feel smug knowing you're seeing the sights for free. [Arizona Safari: NOT FREE]

 Or, you could follow F.R. 618 down to the same draw (Red Tank), park at a turnout, and take a few steps to more petroglyphs. FREE

 Or, tour V-V Ranch and see a huge and well-preserved collection of glyphs. Bring your lunch and eat under a big tree along Wet Beaver Creek. FREE, needs Interagency Pass or Red Rock Country pass to park.

 Or, Visit Montezuma's Well. FREE

 Or, pad on down to the creek and cool off. Bring your lunch to the shady picnic tables and your garbage to the big garbage cans. FREE

Park at the trailhead off FR 618 and take any trail. There are two strenuous trails, and one moderate. I took the easy trail to the pit toilet. FREE

Best of all, this campsite is on a dead-end (sort of). A few hundred feet down the road is a gate that serves as a cattle guard. People have to stop to open and shut that gate, and first-timers often just turn around there. Feel smug knowing you've hiked on the other side of that gate. Smug: FREE

You may see cowboys. You will probably hear cows. I never, ever knew there were so many cow-sounds. If you think they only moo, you're living in a fool's paradise. Fool's paradise: FREE

Head toward Sedona on Rte. 179, and you'll come to the USFS Ranger station. This is a worthwhile stop, because here is where you can get a copy of the new Motor Vehicle Use Map for this area. A ranger will want to explain it to you if you tell her you're interested in dispersed camping; let her do it.  The map itself is a little less than self-explanatory, as well as being actual-size. Will the rig fit in this spot? Let's pull up onto the map and see. So, a little help is a good thing.



The map is also good because you will be AMAZED at all the dispersed camping there is available in the local forests. I hated to settle without seeing all of them. Pick an altitude, then pick a site.

We've taken on fluids and headed for higher altitude and lower temperatures. That's one thing that will chase you out of town, but the hardier souls are now enjoying the quiet of a not-very-touristy Sedona, and perfect nighttime temps. And remember, it's a dry heat.

Solar Mo

SparkyPants is testing our new mini solar panel.  It attaches directly to the coach batteries with alligator clips for easy-on/easy-off.





Without the charge controller it was reading 24V. Too much!

It's just a term of endearment.

I need technical help with the blog. Please? If you look to the left, you'll see the blogroll. Everything is fine for a while, and then there is no more update time, and the blogs below that have dissolved into feed nonsense. Even though they're still updating. Vantramps, for example. Do you know how to fix this? Is there a functional limit to the number of blogs that can be on the roll?

ETA:  You're saying that the blogs on the bottom look fine to you, and to me they're just a billion lines of code.  If I remove them and re-add them, there is no change.  Some of these blogs haven't updated in a while, but some have.

Gratuitous lighthouse picture.   The money shot.

The stuff I promised you. Not a travelogue!

Micanopy

Bailey White wrote about Micanopy, and that's why I looked for it on the internet.  It's a sleepy drive from Lake City;  even while we were driving through Gainesville it was not especially stressful.  It was one of those 110° heat-index days that you're tired of reading about, and we cracked the car windows and got out. You can walk the length of the business district in five minutes, if you stop and browse a little.

We spent some time at the Shady Oak Gallery where local artists display and sell their work. The place is air conditioned and the pieces were great. They offer week-long stained glass classes, if you're interested. They also rent suites long- and short-term, in case the place charms the pants off you. And, if you're not charmed out of your pants, well, you must not be wearing any.

I had some serious business on my mind as we walked into the gallery: the only public restrooms in Micanopy.

After that, I could enjoy the wares. Beverly (an artist there) told us the town's name is pronounced "Mik uh NOPE ee" and that it used to be a company town. Everyone worked at a crate factory, and all the stores were company stores. She came for a visit years ago, stayed to work on her art, then took a part-time job in the gallery.  She's living the dream.  Seriously.

The clouds waited too long for the public restroom. We took refuge here:

I was going to take a picture here


and then I saw that he was selling postcards of the same picture, and I imagined me asking if it was okay for me to shoot, and him pointing at the postcard rack, so I took this picture instead:


To add poo to the potato salad, I can't remember the shop's name. "Robe__t_____"?  He sold some interesting memorabilia, including some ancient stuff.  It's a museum where you can touch and buy the exhibits.

Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, where you cannot touch and buy the exhibits


The picture is fine. I was fuzzy that day.

RAWR!  Mosey away - I am a Giant Sloth.

"Does this mammoth make me look fat?"  Alternate caption: "The Mammoth, and some elephant-thing."  Vote now.  [You KNOW I did not suggest the elephant remark.]

Ichetucknee Springs

This shot is no better than the ones I posted before, but I really took this one.

The spring is the deeper-blue area in the southwest quadrant of the picture

It was 100° that day, and it still took 20 minutes of self-talk to get me in.

At the Blue Hole (a different spring in the same system). Mary offered me her mask, and swam out with me to calm my jitters.

Again with Annie.  Annie would have swim swam swum out with a mask, but says she wouldn't have gone right over the spring's mouth like she did with Mary.

Thanks, Mary! You made our visit 10X better.

Mary and Jack L., originally from Long Island, NY.  It was fun meeting you!

This river was NOT closed. Once I got beyond the sign, I could see it was running just like before. They mean that it was too late to start down the river in a tube - they close that down at 3:30 PM.

The CUTE was not closed!

Things you learn at the movies

I told you all about 49¢ day at Blockbuster, and how the clerks are all "Wow!  You're going to have a Twilight movie marathon tonight because ripping movies onto your computer is not legal!" and how we smile and nod, because ripping movies onto your computer is not legal (Blockbuster clerks make killer copyright lawyers).   They probably caught the moue of misery on my face and assumed I was already a huge Bella fan.  We're totally Team Jacob, which I never knew was a thing until Annie told me.

I tricked Annie into sightseeing yesterday.  Tricked = badgered.  I tricked her down to Micanopy, then I tricked her back into Gainesville to the Museum of Natural History.  On a nicer day, I could have tricked her into the Butterfly Rainforest, but it's outdoors, y'all.