I finally watched the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie, Broken Arrow. I say "finally", because I've been meaning to for years, ever since I first went to Sedona, Arizona.

On our Sedona trips, you have the option of taking a rugged (and I mean rugged) jeep tour. The route I like best is the Broken Arrow tour, so called because it goes right through the area where this movie was filmed. I've known that for years, and finally got to see the movie that is the jeep tour's namesake.

The Sedona jeep tour is an exciting ride - get ready to hold on tight!

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This Jimmy Stewart "Broken Arrow" movie (not to be confused with the totally different John Travolta movie by the same name) is obviously a period western. However, given the time in which it was created, I was pleased to see the balanced approach that it took, acknowledging that there were two sides to the "Cowboys vs. Indians" story, and that in fact not all the Cowboys were good, nor all the Indians evil. In fact, this movie is credited with having "a decisive impact on popular consciousness and effectively amend(ing) the ground rules of the genre." Guess that makes it more important than I realized!

The classic western, Broken Arrow

Based on fact, the movie is the story of ex-army scout Tom Jeffords (played by Jimmy Stewart). He is distressed at the way the war against the Apaches is going, and does his best to see if everyone could just get along together, and live in peace instead. In his efforts, he makes friends with the Apache chief Cochise, who is sympathetically portrayed as a wise leader doing the best for his people in a difficult time.

The main problem I had with this movie was the scenery. I mean that's one of the things I love about it, too -- the spectacular Sedona scenery! So why is that a problem?

Sedona, Arizona was a big place for making movies, especially back in the days of the westerns. The thing is, for decades they were making movies here, and never calling it Sedona! In movie after movie, they'd use Sedona as the location for filming, and pretend it was somewhere else. In this movie, it's supposed to be the area in southern Arizona near Tucson, where Cochise had his stronghold.

So I was sitting in Tucson, watching this movie that was clearly happening in Sedona. (Once you've been there, you simply cannot mistake Sedona scenery for anywhere else!) And everything would be going along fine, until they mentioned that they're in Tucson. Every time that happened, I did a double-take. Tucson? They're not in Tucson!

Then I'd get lulled back into the Sedona scenery until the next time they called it Tucson!

You can find the movie on Amazon or Netflix. If you've been to Sedona, or are thinking of going, it's a great movie to watch. You get a little Arizona history along with Sedona vistas... even if they are mismatched!

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If you do the jeep tour in Sedona, you might even recognize some of the views from the movie! We'll be back in Sedona (or is it Tucson??)for our Sedona getaway trips in April, May and October of 2010.
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Hedgehog cactus - beauty among the rocks

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One nice thing about visiting the desert in the spring is the flowers that add splashes of color to the landscape. It's amazing how even the forbidding cacti, covered in treacherous thorns, have these beautiful blooms. It almost doesn't seem to go together.

These little hedgehogs are just a few inches tall, and the blossoms are nearly as big as the plants themselves.

As for the name? Looking at these adorable baby hedgehogs, it's easy to see the resemblance!

Baby hedgehogs

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We'll be headed back to Sedona soon, for our Sedona Red Rock Getaway. The mesquite trees are in bloom now, and the palo verdes will be coming soon. With any luck, we'll see plenty of blooming hedgehogs while we're there too.
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Walls of Tuzigoot

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Not far from Sedona, Arizona, lie the ruins of Tuzigoot, an ancient Sinagua town that was abandoned centuries ago.

Tuzigoot National Monument (pronounced "too-zee-goot") is part of the southwest US's mysterious history. This small hilltop town was built by the Sinagua people about a thousand years ago, and there's so much we don't know. We don't know what they called themselves, or called this place. We don't know why they left, or where they went.

All the names we use would be foreign to them. Spanish explorers named these ancient people Sinagua "without water" since so many of their ruins were in dry, desert locations. The Apache named this site Tuzigoot "crooked water", since it was by a bend in the river.

The people started building Tuzigoot about a thousand years ago. Generations of Sinaguans (or whatever their own name was) lived here, expanding the pueblo buildings over a period of 400 years. And then they were gone.

As you walk through the ruins, you can imagine it full of life. About 200 people lived here at its peak. The hilltop would have been full of people talking, children laughing, everyone going about their daily business. I can picture the women grinding corn in the plaza, exchanging gossip and tales about their children. The men would be out hunting, hoping to return with a rabbit, deer, or other meat for the family. Kids would be kids -- surely they had more chores and work responsibilities than children now do, but I bet they were running around yelling and laughing and getting into trouble back then, too. Some of the older folks would be complaining about toothache (a common problem in those days, with no dental care).

When you've been living in a town for centuries, why pick up and leave? It's one thing for some of Tuzigoot's young people to take off for another nearby town. We know the Sinagua had an extensive trade network, and must have met people from other places. But why would everyone leave?

Tuzigoot was on top of this hill for 400 years -- longer than the US has existed. It's far longer than most of our present towns and cities have been around. So why would everyone leave?

This story, often called "the abandonment" is a recurring theme throughout the southwest. The great Anasazi cities at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon were abandoned, as were many others throughout their realm. The Sinagua did the same thing.

View from the Sinagua ruins at Tuzigoot

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What makes Tuzigoot especially puzzling is that the location here seems ideal. As you can see in this photo, there's plenty of greenery around here.  By a bend in the river, with a small lagoon and marsh, this place is practically an oasis in the desert. Why leave this prime spot and travel across the hostile desert to who knows where?

Theories abound as to why they left, and where they went.  That could be a whole series of posts on its own!  Right now, there's more mystery than solid fact, and that's part of what makes Tuzigoot so fascinating.

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I'm in Sedona right now, on our women's trip to Sedona. We visited Tuzigoot yesterday, and it's such a cool place. A ranger here told me once that he believes we will eventually solve the mysteries through more advanced archaeological techniques. In the meantime, it makes you wonder...
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Rare Arizona Prickly Palm

• Dormant frogs survive buried underground for many months at a time.
• Flower seeds may wait years for the right rainfall conditions, then sprout, grow, bloom, and back to seed in a few weeks.
• Kangaroo rats manufacture their own water from eating dry seeds.

There also seems to be a preponderance of species that followed the "if you're going to be mean to me, then I'll be mean to you back" evolutionary path. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, and cacti are all in this category. If you're walking through the desert, it pays to be careful!

This brings us to the unusual desert species shown above -- the rare Arizona Prickly Palm. In this case, the plant has concentrated its sharp spines in small outgrowths that occur along the main trunk. This would appear to be an intermediate variation - it's likely that as generations go by, the species will develop spines more widely distributed about the tree. Extremely rare, this specimen was spotted in Tucson, Arizona.

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Actually, everything above except the prickly palm is for real. Spadefoot toads really do stay buried for 10+ months of the year. (What a life!)

For a prickly pear cactus, the side of a palm tree is an unusual place to live, but seems an easier environment than many. The trunk of the palm will help trap some water, there's little competition for resources, and you're safely elevated above the javelinas (who adore munching on prickly pear fruit)!

You'll see palm trees and prickly pears on our women's trip to Sedona, Arizona, though they're not apt to be together! You could even try eating cactus fries, or sipping a cactus margarita. Find out why the javelinas like these things!
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Even when an image seems clear, its meaning isn’t as easy. Does a glyph that looks like a deer mean this is a good hunting area, frequented by deer? Does it record a specific hunt? Perhaps it honored a deer-related god? Or was it just the idle chippings of a bored and artistic traveler -- ancient graffiti?

In most cases we’ll probably never know, but one group of petroglyphs may have yielded up its secrets. A couple of amateur Arizona archaeologist say these "water glyphs" were used by the ancient Anasazi used to find scarce water sources in the desert.

The markers seem to act something like a map of motel locations. Just as a modern traveler could look at such a map and decide where he would be assured lodging for the night, one of the Anasazi well-versed in reading these symbols would have known where he could next stop for water and shelter."

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Bob Ford and Dixon Spendlove have identified and studied more than 270 examples of these symbols, across more than 2,000 square miles, throughout the ancient Anasazi homeland. Each glyph is at one water source, and points to another, enabling you to hop from water to water across the desert.

Just take a quick walk in the desert today, and imagine heading off on a lengthy trek across the forbidding (and potentially deadly) desert. You’ll wish you had a reliable water map.

A thousand years ago, they did.

Wilderness Utah: Water trails of the Anasazi

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Our desert hiking trips in Arizona and New Mexico come supplied with plenty of water, but you’ll quickly get an idea of how hard it must have been for earlier travelers without all our conveniences. It’s spectacular country, but not easy for the unprepared!
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If you ever come to Sedona, take one of the Pink Jeep tours, and be sure to get the "Broken Arrow" tour. It's hands-down the best.

The tour involves amazing feats of driving up, down, and over the red rocks of Sedona, and you'll go places that look like they should be impossible! If you've got back problems, this isn't a wise idea, as you WILL get bounced around a lot, and grab for the "oh shit bar" frequently. It's an exciting ride!

The trail is on national forest land, so although Pink Jeep company has exclusive rights to this trail for commercial operators, any Tom, Dick or Harry who wants to do it on their own can give it a try.

We passed a private vehicle with a family inside, little kid waving out the window at us. A bit later, we almost saw them flip over.

We'd just come down the very steep section shown in the photo, and they were attempting the same thing right behind us. Unfortunately, Driver Dad hadn't had weeks of training in how to maneuver this course (unlike our driver). He got his wheels in the wrong place, went way up on one side, and came within inches of flipping. He finally realized he had to back up out of that situation, so one imminent disaster was narrowly averted.

I'm sure there were some very worried people inside that vehicle, who would rather get out & walk down the hill at that point. I'd bet there were also some "I told you this wasn't a good idea" comments flowing, interspersed with a ripe selection of 4-letter words!

After the first near-miss disaster, our jeep driver continued on, so we weren't able to see the rest of the story. I certainly hope the folks behind us did better on their 2nd attempt, because it was just too scary watching them on the 1st!

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We do women's trips to Sedona a few times a year, and every guest has the option of going on this jeep trip -- with a fully-trained professional driver! For anybody who's feeling the urge to drive it themselves, I'd recommend taking the tour first, and see what you're up against.
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We arrived in Sedona this afternoon, and it feels so good to be back!

I met our group of adventurous wenches this morning in Phoenix, then we headed up to Cottonwood, where we picnicked beside a lagoon, with big shady trees. It felt like an oasis in the desert!

Next stop was Tuzigoot, the ruins of a town built by the Sinaguans about 1,000 years ago, and mysteriously abandoned 400 years later. Who were these people? And why did they all leave this "oasis" spot in the desert? (Tuzigoot and the mysterious "abandonment" definitely deserve coverage in posts of their own, so more on that later!)

From Tuzigoot, it's a quick hop to Sedona. Driving into Sedona is always spectacular, as the famous red rock landscape comes into view, and it's always cool to share this amazing place with new people.

I've been here so many times, that settling into our uptown hotel feels like coming home. Get all the chores done, then relax on the hotel balcony, looking up at the rocks, and thinking "ahhh... life is good". The view includes famous "Snoopy Rock", lying on his back and looking up at the sky (on the right in the picture, click photo for larger version).

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We do Sedona tours for women a few times a year, in spring and fall. I always feel my spirits life when I come here, though I don't know how much of that I can attribute to vortex energy vs. just getting away from my desk and spending time outside!
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We did a women's trip to Sedona recently, and I got to join our group on the vortex tour. Now I can't tell everything, because our unwritten rule is "what happens at the vortex, stays at the vortex". (I guess now it's a written rule!) But without giving too much away, I can tell you a bit about it.

Vortexes are places on the earth where there's an especially strong electromagnetic field, and there are quite a few of them in the Sedona area. Some of the sites are described as having upward energy, some inwards, some a balanced combination. Other times you'll hear these described as male or female energies. Native Americans have used these sites for centuries, and recognize their spiritual power.

So what happens at a Sedona vortex? Some people have miraculous healings or visions. Some people feel nothing at all. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. We visit with a wonderful vortex guide who provides insights, and performs special ceremonies to help us get in touch with the energies of the land and ourselves. I've been on quite a few vortex tours, and I always feel something. I never know what to expect, though -- every time is different.

On this beautiful blue-sky afternoon, we visited Boynton Canyon, guarded by Kachina woman (an important rock formation at this vortex site), then found a private spot near the creek for our medicine wheel ceremony. By the end of the afternoon, we'd made discoveries about our aura energies, life situations and issues we were facing, and insights on our connections with the earth, ancestors, and animal spirits.

At the end, we each received a black velvet bag with a peacock feather, and some items that were meaningful to each of us. When I saw the message in mine, I was astounded. It was so "on target " it was spooky.

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We do Sedona tours for women several times a year, and each guest has an option to go on a Sedona vortex tour. I can't tell you what to expect, since each time is different. You'll just have to experience it for yourself!
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It's wonderful to think, but it's even more wonderful to experience life with all your senses.” ~ Oscar Wilde

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How right he is!

I'm back in the office now. The life of the mind uses a lot of my time when I'm not traveling. It's incredibly interesting! Whether researching possibilities for new trips, or working on long-range strategy plans, or writing a blog post, or learning new coding techniques for our computer system (yes, I still have some techie left in me!), it's all quite fascinating. Like the man said, it's wonderful to think!

But there's so much more, isn't there? There's the part we don't get in the office, sitting in front of a computer. There's the part we (or at least most of us in this culture) tend to forget about in the stresses of jobs, family, and all the commitments we have. That's where travel, vacations, and adventures come in. When you get away from the everyday, all of a sudden, you experience life with so many more senses!

A couple of weeks ago, I was up in Cottonwood, and took these pictures of trees in the winter. I was struck by their beauty, and this quotation fit them so well.

While I was out walking there, I was feeling the chill in the air, hearing the river running nearby, gazing astonished at these incredible trees and the blue, blue sky, and feeling the path and the leaves underfoot. I was using all these senses in a way that doesn’t happen here in the office.

Now that I'm back, looking at the pictures can bring back some of the sensations -- the exhilaration of those deep, fresh breaths, or the the nip in the air that made me glad I had a hat. But the pictures couldn’t do that unless I was actually there in the first place.

Oscar Wilde was so right.

We stop in the small town of Cottonwood on our Sedona hiking tours for women. You might even see these exact same trees, but you’d never recognize them covered with green leaves.

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I'm here to sample some of the vortex tours, to decide which vortex guide to use on our trips in 2008. Unfortunately, the guide we've used for years is moving, so we need somebody new. We whittled it down to a short list, then I came up to meet the finalists, and see how they ran it in person.

The last tour wrapped up about 6pm. I'd been outside most of the day, and by this time was wearing 2 sweaters, 2 vests, an Alaskan jacket, 2 blankets, hat, gloves, boots, and more, and was so cold my words weren't forming quite right.

(The good news is that I'm convinced shivering is an effective weight-loss method. I've yet to see a scientific study on this, but a good full-body shiver must burn quite a lot of calories, and involve toning many different muscles.)

Each vortex guide has a unique style, but their overall purpose is to teach you about Sedona's mysterious energy vortexes, and help you connect with that energy in various ways. People always ask what this feels like, but there's no simple answer. It depends on the guide, the rituals you use, your receptivity, how you're feeling that day, and a lot of other factors. Some people claim miraculous visions and healing. Many people feel nothing at all. Most people fall somewhere in between.

On the first vortex tour, the leader did a guided meditation that had me soaring like an eagle around Thunder Mountain. This had a very surprising effect on me -- I still don't understand quite what happened. I left the tour wondering "what is going on with the eagle??" On the next tour, I was told that my spirit guide is a golden eagle. Among other qualities, this is supposed to mean that I can soar like an eagle. I left this tour wondering "what is it about eagles??"

I may or may not ever understand these links to eagles. But at least I accomplished the purpose of testing and selecting vortex guides -- cold weather and all!

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We do our Sedona hiking trips for women in nicer weather -- spring and fall are usually ideal. Warning: If you ever come here in January, remember that even Arizona gets cold, and pack the expedition-weight long-johns!
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