The adventure never ends

After quickly packing up camp this morning, I continued my desent through Oak Canyon passing Slide Rock State Park. I was truly awed by the morning sun displaying vibrant colors off the cliffs that on more than one occaision I had to stop to take it all in. Once I reached Sedona proper, I found an open cafe, grabbed a cup of joe, and called home for the first time.

Cottonwood was the next town and my plan was to pick up a few snacks for the rest of the day. Just before reaching the grocery store, I noticed a sign on the side of a Mexican restaurant that said "Sunday champagne brunch." I asked the man outside what the details were and learned it was all-I-could eat and drink for $8.95. How could I say no? After quickly grabbing a seat on the porch I began to gorge on enchiladas, fruit, papas y queso, and flan like it was going to disappear. About an hour into the feast, my stomach began to ache and begged me to quit. After initially ignoring the request by eating even more chips and salsa, I finally paid the bill and hobbled over to a nearby tree to sit for a half hour until I could move again.

Back on the bike, I left Cottonwood with food being the last thing on my mind. Old town Camp Verde looked nice but with no reason to stop I continued east. At Clear Creek, I took a break at the RV park, bought a cold one, and chatted for a half hour with a couple reidents about the surrounding area. The shopkeep informed me about Fossil Creek nearby which was along a dirt road "shortcut" to Strawberry, my next destination. He insisted my bike could handle the washboard road and it would cut the milage in half from 50+ miles to about 26.

Turning off the highway I wondered if this was the best idea. This was my first time going on an unpaved road this trip and I just prayed that my trailer would make it. If I got stuck, a 20-mile walk wouldn't be impossible.

Reaching Fossil Creek was like finding a desert oasis. The tourqoise water was flowing strong and when I jumped in I immediately forgot about any previous concerns. But at this point I was losing daylight and began the ascent out of the canyon. It lasted well past sundown and with a sliver moon setting, I began to feel like I was on another planet. Looking back, the climb out on the dirt road was mighty dangerous. With steep cliffs and no lights other than the stars above, I feel lucky to have gotten out of there with just a flat tire on the trailer.

I'm camped out now just outside Strawberry but still in Tonto National Forest. I'm too tired to fix the flat tonight, so instead, I close my eyes and listen to the mountain lions screaming from every direction. I guess it's a good thing I didn't stop for any snacks.