R&J's Southwestern Roundup Recap #1

4-30-05 Saturday
Arrived in Phoenix, AZ by way of Salt Lake City. Flew directly over the Grand Canyon on the way down - it didn't look so deep from ~30,000 feet. Headed directly toward Sedona and had dinner with Pastor Rick and Helen who gave a good overview of the beauty of the Red Rocks area surrounding Sedona. Back to our hotel in Camp Verde for a good night's sleep.

5-1-05 Sunday
Made it into Sedona for the 8:30 am service (highly unusual for us) at Christ Center Wesleyan Church. Jackie and I left right after the service to self-tour outside Sedona through Oak Canyon and Sliding Rock State Park. Back in town to join Rick and Helen for a great lunch at The Cowboy Club where we enjoyed buffalo burgers and cactus fries. On the way back to Phoenix we stopped at Montezuma Castle, a cliff-dwelling where indigenous people lived hundreds of years ago. Then on to Phoenix for the evening service at Phoenix First Assembly where they were having the graduation ceremony for the Master's Commission. The energy of the young people and pace of the service sure made us feel old and we crashed back at the hotel.

5-2-04 Monday
After a full breakfast at the hotel we turned south through Tucson and visited San Xavier mission on the Xavier Indian reservation. Snacked on Indian fry bread and saw our first road runner. Then on to Chiracahua National Monument for three hours of spectacular rock formations all around us. Ate dinner in Willcox at the Dining Car BBQ, an actual RR dining car with delicious ribs, chicken and brisket - we tried them all. Then on to Deming, NM for another night's rest.