The Oak Creek Canyon Trail

The Oak Creek Canyon Trail is one of the most popular hikes near Sedona, Arizona. As you zig-zag into the canyon, the Mongollon rim of white kabab limestone and red sand stone form an undulating fortress on both sides of the creek. It was simply beautiful. The only negative for me, was all of the stream crossings. Hopping rocks is not my favorite thing. Towards the end, I just gave up and trudged right through with soggy shoes. The ten million year old cliffs were never far away...

The towering rocks kissed the sky. They hovered between 800-2000 feet.

The trees were pretty darn tall too. 

Mayhew Lodge

The ruins of Mayhew lodge. 1925-1968. Celebrities like Clark Gable, Walt Disney and Jimmy Stewart stayed here. 

This robin has soggy shoes too.

This slug doesn't need shoes. 

Oak Creek Canyon is often called a cousin of the Grand Canyon. Even though it was gorgeous, I'd only call it a 3rd cousin once removed. 

"In the empire of the desert, water is the king and shadow is the queen."

Mehmet Murat lldan

Now, for a walk on the wild side of the street, head over to The Chorus of the Crows  I'm ranting (my first rant) about a certain un-natural and vexing phenomenon...

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Seaworld

I finally returned to Seaworld after visiting the park once as a kid. Soon the killer whales will be a thing of the past too. Seaworld is phasing them out. This move will undoubtedly bring change to the park. A lot of people will be happy. Although, probably not the trainers. They might be out of work. 

All of the animal shows at Seaworld are designed to thrill and entertain the audience. They do a really good job. My favorite though, was simply the hilarious dog and cat show. I laughed and laughed. All of the parks in Orlando, from Universal to Disney, have one of these shows.  They usually involve birds that swoop over the audience. There might also be a few trap doors, a bell and a whistle, a few surprise guests, a duck on the lam or a pig in the poke. You never really know who or what will turn up. 

An injured beak left this little owl unable to fend for himself. Now, he's doomed to entertain guests. Things could be worse in the unforgiving animal world. 

The penguin enclosure was freezing! And the ride wasn't working. But we still enjoyed seeing the feathered critters at the end. But not smelling them. 

There were lots of less than perfect turtles.

What a face!

Seaworld really is a good time. There's even a few thrill rides. This one was only marginally thrilling. But that's O.K. with me. The ones that are extremely thrilling, like the Hulk Coaster at Universal,  or Cheetah Run at Busch Gardens are almost more than I can handle. Is it fun if you can't even open your eyes?

This post was devoted to life under the sea. But what about life in the other direction? Do you believe in birds? Scratch that and look higher. Do you believe in aliens? If you do I have a great book for you. Over on my other blog, The Chorus of the Crows

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The Way to Casco Veijo...

A busy dog walker.

We stayed in a high rise amidst the skyscrapers of bustling Panama City last January. We even played a few rounds in the towering Trump casino and joked about him becoming our next president. Ha! We laughed and laughed, thinking it would only happen when pigs fly. Gulp. Good grief. It did. 

Panama City was a completely new Central American experience. But the old quarter or Casco Veijo, with its more familiar gritty and crumbling facades, wasn't far away. We walked...

The skyscrapers loom in the distance as we passed this local fish market. 

A load of bananas greeted us as we entered the old quarter. The historic part of Panama City. 

Now where? My camera led the way...

Who ya gonna call?

This alley of graffiti and crumpled garbage cans was photography nirvana for me. 

Casco Viejo is being restored and revitalized as we speak. But many empty ruins remain. One of them held a pop up food truck! 

I just love these two gentleman passing time, wearing their Panama hats. It doesn't get more Panama than that!

This week, I reminisce about my vacation pets, Puffy and Petite, over on my other blog, The Chorus of the Crows

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Bell Rock and the Chapel of the Holy Cross

Bell Rock is an iconic, natural rock sculpture that greets awestruck visitors as soon as they enter Sedona, Arizona. Natural sculptures are my preferred kind. I guess that's why I covet photography over paintings. You really can't improve on the beauty of nature. And I'm an artist! 

Red Rock Country

The view from the rock. A phrase that can be uttered anywhere you stand in Sedona.

A towering agave. They are pretty sculptural as well. 

Desert critters!

God's got mail!

We visited the chapel of the holy cross after hiking at Bell Rock. All of the main rock sculptures, including: Courthouse, Cathedral, Bell and even the relatively diminutive Rabbit Ears are near the chapel. Evidently, God thought that would be a convenient touch. The chapel is a man made Sedona landmark. However, it does look as if it sprouted magically from the rock.

 I said a prayer here. I also whispered one on the vortex center which is Bell Rock. I could see energy spiraling in front of my unpeeled eyes in the latter. I wonder which prayer will be answered? 

Blooming cacti lined the pilgrimage heading up to the chapel. Truly awe inspiring beauty.

Beautiful!

I'll be blogging about Sedona, Panama, Florida, and Nicaragua in February. 

 My camera was busy in Nicaragua this January. I just got back. I brought home a lot of cherished visual souvenirs. And mental memories. That eventually, I'll share here in 2017. Please stay tuned. 

This week, over on my creative writing blog, there's two things in a bucket. Neither of which are a cat! The Chorus of the Crows

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