I want to start off by warning those of you in love with Sedona that this may offend you. It is not my intention to offend you.... just a possible side effect of the truth.
Maybe I visited at the wrong time. Maybe I really have become too sensitive to the crush of too many people. Maybe I'm too sensitive to the legendary vortex's of that area. Or maybe Sedona and it's vortex really just had a good marketer and the masses have come to believe that a vortex is a positive thing. With that being said, let's look at the definition of the word vortex:
(from Merriam Webster) 1 : something that resembles a whirlpool //the hellish vortex of battle
— Time
2 a: a mass of fluid (such as a liquid) with a whirling or circular motion that tends to form a cavity or vacuum in the center of the circle and to draw toward this cavity or vacuum bodies subject to its action
especially: whirlpool, eddy b: a region within a body of fluid in which the fluid elements have an angular velocity
Now, what about this definition indicates a positive experience??? None. And that's exactly what Sedona seemed to me. A "hellish vortex of battle" for parking, appropriate social distancing, dumpsters for trash (they lock all of them!) in town... then the masses of campers and RVers parked and piled in every possible spot outside of town, some with 10 to 15 RVs in one location. I was able to secure a spot (the one photo I took during my brief stay was from that spot immediately after my arrival) where there were no other RV's.... however the spot was a massive "whirlpool" of a very fine, red, powder that swirled and flew into every crack and crevice and coated the entire RV, inside and out, (every inch of the bed, couch, counters, cabinets, walls, floor, etc was covered in a reddish film). I wish I had taken photos. I am day 3 away from there, wiping down all surfaces 3 times a day, and I'm still seeing the red shit on the rags and mop. I ended up leaving the next morning... I would have left earlier but I don't like driving in the dark down a forest road with the RV. I had to find a park to stay in so I could have an endless supply of water for cleaning and be able to wash all of my clothes and bedding. I am still trying to figure out how someone was able to sell that as a magical phenomenon. Maybe 2020 bled me of the belief in magic as well?
So we left and came to Flagstaff, AZ which is much higher in elevation (6800 feet), much greener and much cooler. It's actually snowing as I write this. I miss the desert but I'm loving the ponderosa pines. Majestic towers that catch and toss the wind between them creating a great whoosh of noise. They have actually created a word for this sound, psithurism. I don't think it does justice to the sound.
I like Flagstaff. It has a lot of good looking restaurants that I would like to try. Most have take out and some have outdoor seating. It's a bit cool to sit outside right now but I would love to come back when it's warmer and try some of them. There's Vietnamese, Thai, Mongolian and several sushi places. I think this evening will be take out sushi. I have high expectations from The Sushi Lounge in Morristown so I hope I'm not disappointed. We are supposed to leave tomorrow but I may tack on another day before we head to the Grand Canyon. This isn't a fancy place but it's quiet and close to the main parts of Flagstaff. Of course all of the amenities are closed still due to covid but it's nice to be able to take a long, hot shower and do laundry. :) Even Thelma got a thorough cleaning inside and out.
For those of you who read to this point, I'll now take a moment to ask that if you shop on Amazon, that you take a moment to look at my product page and check out the links. Even if you don't need any of the items listed, any shopping you do through my link for a limited time results in a small commission to me which can help cover some of my travel and there is absolutely no additional cost to you. :) I know it's currently a very basic design but I will be working on making it better and will add more products that may be of interest to some of you. I appreciate your support!
Until next time, keep Movin' On.
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