Tuesday... Silence and Scenery
Since Kef had another conference call first thing this morning, I woke myself from a pleasant dream and took my coffee out on the patio for some quiet solitude. Although the pool and road are in the foreground, if you focus "up" you get a nice view of Capitol Butte (aka Thunder Mountain) with a bit of fall foliage thrown in for good measure.
As time passed, more people woke up and got to work delivering waffle batter in noisy trucks and blowing fallen leaves into more appropriate piles. The silence over, I gathered my stuff and got ready for another day of stunning views, great food, and even better company.
We geared up for hiking and went in search of an early lunch as fuel for the journey. The Coffee Pot Café had piqued our interest, so we sat down to a pages-long menu full of breakfast and lunch fare. My turkey reuben and seasoned curly fries hit the spot for me, and Kef's club was so tall she had to dismantle it to take a bite.
We had researched the easiest hikes, and we were interested in experiencing one of the famous vortexes of Sedona (note: they say vortexes, not the grammatically-proper vortices). I had not adequately prepared for this trip by walking and climbing and generally getting into better shape. So, as always, it was slow going for me. This is why we choose easy hikes. I know Kef would like nothing more than to grab a pick and a rope and go straight up the rock-face. And I say more power to her... but as for me, I'll watch that from here.
Hiking stick in (my) hand, we made our way through sandy trails toward a vista point near the Boynton Canyon that is one of the four most famous vortexes in Sedona. Two monoliths rise up on either side of a space that is known for energizing and centering people. To get the full effect, you're supposed to rest your forehead on the stones to feel the energy. As we approached the area, you could see stacks of stones all around where people had spent time meditating. We tried to give the others in the area their space, as we sought our own quiet spots for reflection. I did rest my head on the rock, and don't know whether the energy I felt was from the rock itself, the warmth of the sun radiating from it, the spinning of the earth as you look up at the dizzying height of the spire, the slowing of my heart rate after a strenuous few minutes, or a mixture of all these forces coming together. It is said that the twisting of a tree's trunk will indicate the presence of a vortex. You just sit mesmerized by the twisting of the trees, the stacks of rocks standing sentry (both human-placed and God-placed stacks), and the gentle wind through your hair. It is indeed a holy place.
As we began to make our way down from the rocks, a gentleman approached us with a pleasant greeting and open hands holding hearts crafted out of red rocks. He explained that each heart is filled with unconditional love and magic, with which we will heal the world... one person at a time. We continued on our way, and he continued up the rock. In a few moments, we saw him atop the Warrior Rock playing his Indian flute. The sound followed us down to the parking area, filling the valley with peaceful, haunting music. Elvis, a Corgi and miniature Australian Shepherd mix, happily welcomed us back to the bottom of the trail. After some good head scratches, we climbed back in the car to head back into town.
Earlier in the day, we'd seen a gelato shop that looked promising. Actually, just the fact that it said "gelato" made it look promising. When we walked in, we could tell that something major had just happened. People were dressed up and wearing nametags and standing around chatting. As I stood there inspecting the menu, a young woman came up and asked if she could help me. I asked if they had literally just opened, and she said that they'd been open for a couple of months but had just had their ribbon cutting with the City of Sedona. As the dignitaries gradually left, I indulged in one scoop each of coffee, salted caramel, and sweet cream gelato. Kef chose two scoops of cherry and one scoop of sweet cream. We sat for a few minutes comparing photos from our hike and laughing at ourselves in unintentional selfies (and some intentional ones).
Next was a visit to a shop called Crystal Magic. There was a young woman in a small cubby at the front of the building who was taking aura photos. This is something that Kef and I had talked about wanting to do, and since it was two for the price of one on Tuesdays, we went for it. We were surprised at how similar the colors were. We both had a lot of yellow. I don't really know what that means, but she did try to explain as much as possible. Luckily she gave us some papers to read more at our leisure. We went on into the shop and looked at the beautiful stones meant to help you in one way or another with the pursuit of happiness and joy in life.
One thing I've learned is that if you're going to enjoy Sedona you must suspend disbelief and skepticism. There are so many different types of spirituality celebrated in this place. Just go with it. As we drove away, a rainbow lit up the sky right in front of us.
On our way back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner, the sunset was beginning in spectacular form. There were storm clouds brewing, so the sun went about its work of outlining each of them with a golden glow. Standing on the balcony outside our room, I watched rays shoot out from the clouds and remind me once again of the unbelievable power of light.
Before leaving again, I turned to google to see if I could figure out anything more about the man who had given us red stone hearts at Boynton Canyon. I found that others have been experiencing this man's special brand of outreach for many, many years. Apparently his name is Robert. God bless Robert and his hearts and unconditional love and spirit-filled music.
For dinner, we opted for the Golden Goose, where fingerstyle guitarist Rick Cyge was providing relaxing background music. We ate entirely too much food... hot bread, yucca frittes, asparagus soup, meatloaf and rib-eye. Their Diet Coke was mixed just right. I will say, though, that their potatoes au gratin left much to be desired. The potatoes were rather "al dente" - so much that you needed a knife to cut a bite. Apparently this was intentional, but it was quite disappointing. It's okay, because if I'd eaten those potatoes, there is no way I would have been able to walk out of that building. I barely rolled myself out as it was.
In other news today, when we tried to make reservations for a hot air balloon ride, we were thwarted by the fact that today's flights had been canceled due to weather conditions, and tomorrow's might be as well. We are on a waiting list, so I leave it up to divine intervention to make me swallow my fear and get on board one of those contraptions. As spectacular as they may be, being suspended over the red rocks (or any rocks) with nothing but a basket between me and certain death... well... it's daunting. Frightening. Super scary. Panic attack, begin. Maybe I won't have to do it. On the other hand, maybe I'll get to do it. Time will tell.
Tomorrow, Kef gets to have a full day of vacation with no conference calls. Whoop!
As time passed, more people woke up and got to work delivering waffle batter in noisy trucks and blowing fallen leaves into more appropriate piles. The silence over, I gathered my stuff and got ready for another day of stunning views, great food, and even better company.
We geared up for hiking and went in search of an early lunch as fuel for the journey. The Coffee Pot Café had piqued our interest, so we sat down to a pages-long menu full of breakfast and lunch fare. My turkey reuben and seasoned curly fries hit the spot for me, and Kef's club was so tall she had to dismantle it to take a bite.
We had researched the easiest hikes, and we were interested in experiencing one of the famous vortexes of Sedona (note: they say vortexes, not the grammatically-proper vortices). I had not adequately prepared for this trip by walking and climbing and generally getting into better shape. So, as always, it was slow going for me. This is why we choose easy hikes. I know Kef would like nothing more than to grab a pick and a rope and go straight up the rock-face. And I say more power to her... but as for me, I'll watch that from here.
Hiking stick in (my) hand, we made our way through sandy trails toward a vista point near the Boynton Canyon that is one of the four most famous vortexes in Sedona. Two monoliths rise up on either side of a space that is known for energizing and centering people. To get the full effect, you're supposed to rest your forehead on the stones to feel the energy. As we approached the area, you could see stacks of stones all around where people had spent time meditating. We tried to give the others in the area their space, as we sought our own quiet spots for reflection. I did rest my head on the rock, and don't know whether the energy I felt was from the rock itself, the warmth of the sun radiating from it, the spinning of the earth as you look up at the dizzying height of the spire, the slowing of my heart rate after a strenuous few minutes, or a mixture of all these forces coming together. It is said that the twisting of a tree's trunk will indicate the presence of a vortex. You just sit mesmerized by the twisting of the trees, the stacks of rocks standing sentry (both human-placed and God-placed stacks), and the gentle wind through your hair. It is indeed a holy place.
As we began to make our way down from the rocks, a gentleman approached us with a pleasant greeting and open hands holding hearts crafted out of red rocks. He explained that each heart is filled with unconditional love and magic, with which we will heal the world... one person at a time. We continued on our way, and he continued up the rock. In a few moments, we saw him atop the Warrior Rock playing his Indian flute. The sound followed us down to the parking area, filling the valley with peaceful, haunting music. Elvis, a Corgi and miniature Australian Shepherd mix, happily welcomed us back to the bottom of the trail. After some good head scratches, we climbed back in the car to head back into town.
Earlier in the day, we'd seen a gelato shop that looked promising. Actually, just the fact that it said "gelato" made it look promising. When we walked in, we could tell that something major had just happened. People were dressed up and wearing nametags and standing around chatting. As I stood there inspecting the menu, a young woman came up and asked if she could help me. I asked if they had literally just opened, and she said that they'd been open for a couple of months but had just had their ribbon cutting with the City of Sedona. As the dignitaries gradually left, I indulged in one scoop each of coffee, salted caramel, and sweet cream gelato. Kef chose two scoops of cherry and one scoop of sweet cream. We sat for a few minutes comparing photos from our hike and laughing at ourselves in unintentional selfies (and some intentional ones).
Next was a visit to a shop called Crystal Magic. There was a young woman in a small cubby at the front of the building who was taking aura photos. This is something that Kef and I had talked about wanting to do, and since it was two for the price of one on Tuesdays, we went for it. We were surprised at how similar the colors were. We both had a lot of yellow. I don't really know what that means, but she did try to explain as much as possible. Luckily she gave us some papers to read more at our leisure. We went on into the shop and looked at the beautiful stones meant to help you in one way or another with the pursuit of happiness and joy in life.
One thing I've learned is that if you're going to enjoy Sedona you must suspend disbelief and skepticism. There are so many different types of spirituality celebrated in this place. Just go with it. As we drove away, a rainbow lit up the sky right in front of us.
On our way back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner, the sunset was beginning in spectacular form. There were storm clouds brewing, so the sun went about its work of outlining each of them with a golden glow. Standing on the balcony outside our room, I watched rays shoot out from the clouds and remind me once again of the unbelievable power of light.
Before leaving again, I turned to google to see if I could figure out anything more about the man who had given us red stone hearts at Boynton Canyon. I found that others have been experiencing this man's special brand of outreach for many, many years. Apparently his name is Robert. God bless Robert and his hearts and unconditional love and spirit-filled music.
For dinner, we opted for the Golden Goose, where fingerstyle guitarist Rick Cyge was providing relaxing background music. We ate entirely too much food... hot bread, yucca frittes, asparagus soup, meatloaf and rib-eye. Their Diet Coke was mixed just right. I will say, though, that their potatoes au gratin left much to be desired. The potatoes were rather "al dente" - so much that you needed a knife to cut a bite. Apparently this was intentional, but it was quite disappointing. It's okay, because if I'd eaten those potatoes, there is no way I would have been able to walk out of that building. I barely rolled myself out as it was.
In other news today, when we tried to make reservations for a hot air balloon ride, we were thwarted by the fact that today's flights had been canceled due to weather conditions, and tomorrow's might be as well. We are on a waiting list, so I leave it up to divine intervention to make me swallow my fear and get on board one of those contraptions. As spectacular as they may be, being suspended over the red rocks (or any rocks) with nothing but a basket between me and certain death... well... it's daunting. Frightening. Super scary. Panic attack, begin. Maybe I won't have to do it. On the other hand, maybe I'll get to do it. Time will tell.
Tomorrow, Kef gets to have a full day of vacation with no conference calls. Whoop!
Comments
Post a Comment