4/12
Today we spent driving for about 8 hours from Moab to Sedona. The drive took us through Monument Valley, truly breath taking. No picture can capture the amazing colours and vastness of this place. It was a lonely drive, as Monument Valley is on what we call a back road, not a main highway. We went from snow covered ground to arid desert in the space of a few hours driving.

The road from Flagstaff to Sedona is about 60 kilometers, but takes over an hour. The first 20 ks are easy but then the road starts heading down into the valley. We drop from 6,000 feet to 3,000 feet over the next 10 ks hugging the side of the very steep snow covered valley walls. Total concentration was needed as the road was icy in parts, many twists, turns and switch backs with no barriers to stop you from driving over the edge. Slow going made sure we arrived safely. Not a road for the faint hearted.


Arrived at Sedona at around 5pm.

5/12
Sedona in winter is a very quiet place to visit. Today and the next few days will be short drives to see the sights. There is some very interesting geology here.
Alan came down with a nasty fever and the flu yesterday, so we will be taking it easy for a few days. He seems better today, but still not imself.

6/12
Spent the day driving to a few lookouts to take in the sights. Nothing much else to report today. Alan is feeling only slightly better today. My knee is still swollen, but the pain is almost gone.

7/12
Went to Flagstaff today and walked around Old Downtown Flagstaff. This part of town is on the old Route 66, so there was some interesting history to be seen. Stopped in a Coffee shop to enjoy a nice warm Latte. Spent 15 or so minutes talking to the owner, as he was very interested in Australia. He has given us a few tips on what to see as we head north. The most interesting place he told us is the Slot Canyons along the Highway 89 to Springdale. Lucky for us we will be driving straight past it.

A slot canyon is a narrow canyon formed by the wear of water rushing through rock. A slot canyon is
significantly deeper than it is wide. Some slot canyons can measure less
than one metre (3 ft) across at the top but drop more than 30 m (100
ft) to the floor of the canyon. These are formed in sandstone and limestone.

Got back to the car only to find i have lost my sunglasses. Back tracked to the coffee shop, but they were not to be found. Could not be without sunglasses with the sunshine and white snow, its blinding! Found a Walmart and bought a pair for $19.
Headed back to Sedona where it is a sunny and balmy -1 degree C.

Petrol prices are falling in the USA, and we are down to $3 a gallon, unfortunately the Jeep Liberty we have is not a fuel miser. Then again 22mpg on the highway is good for a car of its size, and not wanting to attract the attention of the Highway Patrol, we have been sticking to the speed limit.