Arriving into Sedona

Yesterday after posting, I looked for a campground to pitch the tent. The GPS found "Pinerock Camp" near Prescott. It's actually more a campground for "RV" (Recreational Vehicles) and it was actually closed and empty... Mike, who runs the place with his wife Cindy, was nice enough to offer me hospitality anyway and showed me where I could pitch the tent.

It was the first time I didn't pitch the tent on grass... a bit trickier but it worked -- thankfully it wasn't too windy or stormy during the night!

Hmm pasta... and as long as there is some beer, the moral is up!

The night was a bit chilly, though. I think it was something like 1,500 meters above sea level (to check), and Mike was telling me they had some snow just a couple of days ago!

This morning I had breakfast with Mike and we chatted a bit about his career changes and what brought him from NewYork and Chicago to Arizona.

After that I took the very winding road towards Jerome, where most turns are limited to 20 mph...!

Jerome used to be a real sin city during the gold rush. It then became the biggest ghost city of America. Now it's home to a lot of artists who expose their wares in posh galleries. It's actually a town I could visit by foot. The street were tiny and not organised in blocks for once, mostly because the town tries to hard to clutch onto the steep slope of the mountain.

That was much better than what I had in Phoenix. Bleu cheese & Bacon burger, at the Mile High Inn.

There was also an old "ghost" mine, but I saw one already and I didn't feel like camping in the area, so I just took a picture from a dirt road above and decided to hit the road to Sedona instead.

On the way, the gasoline light went on and I pulled over in a station. I had to figure out what fuel my car ran on...! There was little indication on the car itself. The people of the stations (including a customer) were very helpful (and amused by my not-knowing). It turns out no cars here use Diesel. Except the biggest cars that are in fact qualified of "trucks". The car didn't break down, so they must have been right!

It's funny how it works. You have either to pay by card, or to pay in advance. It's a bit difficult to know in advance how much you're going to need! The lady estimated $25 and she was spot on. Once you've paid, you have to lift the plastic bit in which the hose is stowed when unused, otherwise the damn thing wouldn't work at all. Then there's a system where you can block the handle so that the gas keeps coming out even if you don't press the handle anymore.

Now I'm in Sedona.

I long for a campground with a view. Somewhere I could settle for a few days, and just hike and generally take it easy. Watch the sun set. Watch the sun rise. Gaze at the stars. Relax. My life has been so hectic recently, what with deciding to move out of my place (which I did in 8 days, from the decision to the house being empty & clean) and then squat at a crazy saxophonist's place (no offense :-P).

I just long for some time off, with not much to worry about. No GPS. No "where am I going to sleep tonight?" Etc.

I'm hoping to find this in Sedona. I want to settle for a few days and there are a lot of scenic hiking trails here.

It's gonna do me a lot of good.

PS: many thanks to all of you who write comments (here or on FaceBook) or send me emails. I don't really take the time to answer them, but they're great!