01.-30.04.2007: Roosevelt Lake - Payson - Sedona It took nearly three driving days to get up to the border where there was a huge queue. By the time we got across it was early evening but we made it to the nearest DMV (Dept of motor vehicles) with only 10 minutes to go before they closed. But we managed to get our driving licenses renewed in record time! We stopped at Wal-Mart in El Centro for the night and spent over $200 the next day! We stayed at a campground but it was getting too hot - 36°C / 96°F. We even had to sit outside with our feet in bowls of cold water to keep us cooled down! So after 2 nights we headed to Roosevelt Lake near Phoenix where we spent 4 nights at a free spot. We arrived on a Saturday and the place was full of motor homes. But by Sunday evening we were practically on our own to enjoy the peaceful setting. Whilst we were there it was Helen's birthday and Kirsten was supposed to be her slave. But it didn't last long before the slave went on strike!!! It was still a nice peaceful day though. We drove further north and stopped at a campground in Payson that had free WiFi internet so we spent most of the time catching up on what's been going on in the world. Our next stop was Montezuma Castle National Monument to see some cliff dwellings and then we battled with lots of traffic to get to Sedona. We were here at Christmas 2003 but it was too cold and there was too much snow to do any of the famous hikes. This time we spent two weeks there and did lots of walking. We got a map and found out about a free camping area - well it's free if you have a Golden Eagle Pass, otherwise you have to buy a Red Rock parking pass which costs $5 per day or $15 per week. The first trail we did was a loop along Brins Mesa, Soldier Pass and Jordan trails which was about 8 miles long. Beautiful scenery and good views above Sedona. We drove back into town and went to the visitor centre marked on our map. But it had moved. A young man at a tour shop asked us if he could help. We found out where the visitor centre had moved to and enquired about balloon rides because we had been woken up at 6am that morning by all the balloons flying over our camping spot. Unfortunately, the balloon rides are very expensive - $195 each. However, we were offered $50 discount. Helen asked about helicopter rides, the cheapest of which would have been $120 for the two of us. He asked us how much we would be prepared to pay and Kirsten said "nothing!" But then he offered it to us for $10 each!! The catch was that we had to go for a 1.5 hour timeshare "talk". Well, we couldn't resist such a cheap helicopter ride. So we paid the money and got the details of where and when we had to go. We laughed all the way to the visitor centre like two teenagers! The next day we drove to the Sunterra Golf Resort and ended up spending nearly four hours there. We were taken around the complex in a golf cart and went into one of the suites. That only took ten minutes! Then came the hard sell. The more we said no, the better the deal we were offered. Unfortunately, we can't use a timeshare at the moment because we are still travelling around in Winnie. Our helicopter flight was scheduled that afternoon but it was cancelled due to high winds! So we did a 5 mile trail around Bell Rock. What made the walk interesting was when we rounded a bend and got startled by a sudden rattling sound. We both instinctively jumped away. Somehow we knew it was a rattlesnake although neither of us have ever heard one rattle before! The snake slithered off into the bushes whilst we tried to get our stomachs and hearts under control. Then Kirsten spent 10 minutes taking photos of the 3 ft long green snake. After the walk we went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a catholic church built into the rock and whose design is quite unique. Our helicopter flight was only postponed until the next day and we got upgraded to the 20 minute ruins tour (instead of the 10 minute Bell Rock tour). We certainly didn't complain seeing as it had only cost us $10 each and four hours of talking! We saw some Sinagua ruins that you normally can't get to, flew down Long Canyon and over Bear Mountain and the three sisters - a three pinnacle rock formation. We also flew over the houses of Sharon Stone and Al Pacino. We waved but there wasn't anyone home!! We thoroughly enjoyed it and drove directly to Boynton Canyon to do a 5.5 mile hike. It would have been a nice walk except for the Enchanted Village which is a fairly new development that has been allowed to be built in the canyon and the trail now goes passed its high wire mesh fences. We were even treated to really loud music coming from one of the cabins! Not our idea of a wilderness walk. The last part of the walk was a steep climb and we sat chatting to four ladies who were staying at Sunterra because one of them owns a timeshare!!! We also walked along Long Canyon which we had flown over in the helicopter. This walk was a lot more peaceful and, again, had a steep climb at the end. But at least we were rewarded with good views. The walk was 7.5 miles and afterwards we did the short 2.5 mile walk along Fay Canyon. There is an arch on the right hand side but you have to climb up the steep slope to be able to see it. The last two hikes we did were the best. The first was Secret Canyon. We had to drive 3.4 miles along an unpaved road which took us 45 minutes. It was a 12 mile walk that was not easy but there were lots of red rock formations, and arch and a chute. There were also trees whose trunks were curving in different directions. The next day we had a rest from walking and drove along the Red Rock Scenic route. We would have stopped at a recreation area along the way until we found out that it cost $8 to park there! Then we dropped in to see Polly and Bill who we met at the campground in Álamos. They have a super adobe style house which they built themselves. We were really impressed. Our last walk was up Bear Mountain. It was really tough going because the trail just seems to keep going higher and higher. It was a total of only 7 miles but with an elevation gain of 2,400 ft up to the very top. The first part was quite steep and Kirsten was having problems with the heat so we kept stopping for rests whenever we found shade. But she insisted on carrying on and she got better. There were superb views the whole way. We also saw the arch in Fay Canyon that we couldn't see when we did that trail. We could see the Palatki cultural site from above - the road to it is unpaved and not suitable for Winnie. (You also need reservations to go there.) It was a very strenuous hike up to the top where we were as high up as any of the mountains in the area! It took us nearly 3 hours to do the 3.5 miles to the top. It only took us 2 hours to get back down but the last 30 minutes were quite an ordeal. Kirsten started to feel sick. We had plenty to drink with us, so it wasn't dehydration. But she really struggled to get back to Winnie where she promptly lay down on the floor and Helen got her a cool pack and tried to make her comfortable with a pillow and blanket. 45 minutes later she was back on her feet and feeling fine! We have no idea what had caused it. The next day was our last in Sedona and we had a day off and relaxed. Then we headed north via Flagstaff and Page and crossed the state border into Utah to stay at the ranger station for the night where we would be applying for a permit for the Wave the next day.