Good bye Sedona, hello Flagstaff

I'm done with Sedona for now.

I changed campground two nights ago, to go a bit North of Sedona. First night, I was told it was 24 degree Fahrenheit (that is below freezing!) and 32 on last night. I had all my clothes on (that’d be 4 layers, plus scarf, warm hat and gloves), but it still was pretty unpleasant in my so-they-say 3 degree centigrade North Face sleeping bag!

On the first morning in the new camp, I was offered some tea by Daniel and Tamara. Daniel has been in Sedona quite a few times and advised me to hike on Wilson Mountain. It was a good advice as the overview on Sedona is great.

My camera could only capture a small part of it, sorry!

See, I was there! That view was the signal for me to move on. I felt like I could leave Sedona peacefully.

Saying goodbye to Sedona.

Yesterday night I was nicely invited to share a campfire with Jeff and Kelly, from Tucson. We chatted as the sun went down and then played guitar and sung around the fire. It was fantastic. I didn’t think of taking a picture, though!

Climbing up to Flagstaff.

In Flagstaff the first thing I did was buying a warmer sleeping bag. This one should take me up to -10 degrees centigrade (15 fahrenheit), which should be much better.

Then I found this great shop that sold plenty of CDs for one buck:

I bought 4, 2 of which (Billy Joel and Van Morrison) I recognised were on that "500 best albums of all time" Rolling Stone book that my brother Frederic gave me for Christmas 2007. I'll probably drive route 66 listening to them.

I think I’m getting used to being on holiday now. I’m very chilled out.

The Aussie burger. Cheese, Bacon and fried egg. The menu said "Don't be afraid, mate!" If there was some rattlesnake in it, I'd understand...

Sitting in the sun, listening to some good music, drinking some great local beer (10 oz were plenty enough to get in the mood) and eating my burger, I felt in paradise.

Next stop now is the Grand Canyon Village. I need to see if I can hike down there. I've heard people have to book permits for months in advance. But some people told me there are some other options. Daniel told me he hiked down and up the canyon in one very long day. It's 1500 meters of elevation difference: the headlamp is crucial to come back! I've done 1,200 meters elevation hikes in the French Alps, I'm reasonably fit and I've got used to the climate here (cold dry air, strong sun, big temperature changes), so I might just about be able to do it. But hopefully I'll be able to find a way to camp down there.