Upon arrival at the Kaibab Lake campground we were fortunate to find a very nice site in which to camp.
This newly re-opened forest service campground is the nicest I have ever seen. The site we selected has an all concrete pad, large patio, table, fire ring and grill. With my senior discount the cost for 6 nights is only $54.00, a bargain. We have no hookups, but we really don’t need them. Water is available a short distance away should we need to replenish our supply before we leave for California. After supper we walked to the lake to view the evening’s sunset, and we were not disappointed. The golden glow of the western skyline viewed through the backdrop of tall Ponderosa Pines, warm sun painted clouds on both horizons, and the inverse reflections of the surrounding landscape in the still water of the lake made for an awe inspiring sight.
I have set up the hummingbird feeder and the wars have already begun. At least five female Black-chinned Hummingbirds are competing for control. I suspect a rufous will appear soon and end their reign. Other birds noted so far include Steller’s Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebirds, Common Raven, Harry Woodpecker and a pair of Osprey complete with nest. I did get some good shots of the Ospreys this time.
In the morning we are off to check out Sedona.
The drive down Oak Creek Canyon is spectacular, maybe even more spectacular on the return leg.
Along the way we stopped to a take a peek at Slide Rock State Park where we will go on Wednesday after we hike Oak Creek Canyon. Slide Rock SP is supposed to one of the ten best swimming holes in the nation. It did look pretty interesting. Sedona is nothing but a tourist trap--blocks and blocks of jewelry stores, people hawking time shares and condos, physic readers, art dealers and restaurants. The art of the hard sell is alive and well in Sedona. As you might gather this is not my kind of place. Ermine enjoyed visiting the numerous shops, had a card reading and checked out a couple of jewelry and boutiques. The most amazing aspect of the day was Ermine bought NOTHING. Just before leaving I did my shopping at a local birding store. There I purchased a couple of guide books to local birding hotspots in the Verde Valley and Flagstaff, a bird feeder and seed and Ermine pick up a nice CD that incorporates bird songs in with the mainly bluegrass music of the album. I have incorporated a few of the scenic pictures taken of the unusual formation found around Sedona. These formations are worth the drive and enduring the Sedona salesmen.
Tuesday we spend in camp. We had a cooling thunderstorm in the afternoon and the broke out the inflatable kayaks to do a little kayaking on Lake Kaibab. We soon discovered that Ermine’s kayak had a slow leak somewhere and returned to shore to see if we could rectify the problem. After a thorough investigation we determined that a leaking valve was the culprit. Fortunately, we received a replacement when we purchased the kayaks in 2002 and the new valve fixed the problem. Since we slept in late this morning, we will remain in camp and return to the lake to do some kayaking instead of the hiking and swimming we had planned in Oak Creek Canyon. We will return to the canyon tomorrow.
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