Rio Travelers: CAMP VERDE AND FAREWELL FOR TOUR

The last stop on our tour was in Sedona and it was a busy one. We started out with a full day bus trip that took us to some more Puebloan ruins at Montezuma's Castle and Tuzigoot which are both National monuments. We then drove up to Jerome, an old mining town in the mountains above Sedona, for lunch and shopping and then through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. The area is beautiful and, since it has more greenery, different than the parks of southern Uttah.

Our last full day together was a "free" day until our farewell dinner so several of us decided to do a "Pink Jeep Tour" of the Sedona area. This is a tour that had been recommended by family (my sister Barbara) and friends (Paula and Nick) and it was as great as they had said. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the area and went as far as saving a trantula from being run over by a jeep. Being from the flatlands of Long Island, New Jersey and Floida, I was not experienced in off-road jeeping and had no idea that jeeps can travel at 45 degree angles up and down rocks. We had a great time!

So we got cleaned up and a bit more dressed up for our last dinner together. I think we can safely say that we had a great trip and made some new friends. We made promises to have a reunion and will be traveling with several in the future - some to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque next week and some on later trips.