#Scattered_Day 7

I came to Sedona to understand the attraction; I left this morning still unclear of the attraction. Sedona is known for the majestic red rock scenery and its tangible regenerative effects. And the vortexes...many people seek out Sedona for the uplifting power of the vortex meditation sites. And then there are the aliens; I actually met two people who traveled from Seattle to 'commune with aliens.'

I believe in the restorative healing powers of Mother Nature in general. I'm not sure there is anything 'magical' about Sedona. I traveled to Alberta Canada where I visited Red Rock Coulee in Southeastern Alberta. It is literally in the middle of nowhere; 54 kilometers from Medicine Hat...which is also in the middle of nowhere. Red Rock Coulee is where the horizon meets the sky the area is part of what is known as the Canadian Badlands. It is a geological wonder.  The vista is so vast you can literally see the curvature of the earth. Giant round boulders dot the barren landscape. Spherical rocks the size of houses; they look like giant, petrified cow patties.There is a solid geological explanation of how the rocks appeared on the landscape, but it is the Native American explanation that I fell in love with (Canada is part of North America and the natives throughout North America are referred to as Native Americans).

The stones themselves deserved to be worshipped for their size and isolation; scattered across the landscape in no particular pattern. The Blackfoot and Cree believed the spirits of their ancestors lived in the stones. Myself and one other person where the only people in the area. I walked among the rocks and listened. Was it the wind whistling across the badlands? Was it the tiny critters skittering underneath the scrub? I don't know, but I heard the spirits whisper. As the sun started to set, I put my camera on a tripod set low among two large boulders. I snapped away thinking I was capturing the spectacular sunset. When I looked at the photos the next day...there was a 'face' in the rock nearest my camera. Seriously. Red Rock Coulee is THE most spiritual place I've visited on earth. 

Leaving Sedona, I rode south on 89A that winds up into the Mingus Mountain. At one time in the heyday of its mining days, Jerome was known as 'The Wickedest Town in the West.' Jerome is 5000 feet up so it was a nice twisty ride on two wheels. Jerome's heyday was the 1920's as a mining town when it boasted 10,000 residents. Its earlier history involved cowboys and outlaws as the west was being settled. In the '50's Jerome's population dwindled until the town was officially 'closed.' Artists started squatting in the buildings to create and sell their art. Today it is a funky, off beat artist colony with a mining museum. It was early when Bessie and me came up around the last curve and cruised through town. I walked a few blocks looking for breakfast, but alas, all the shops and restaurants were closed. I decided that if I come this way again, I would stay in Jerome (there is a haunted hotel) over Sedona any day.

Route 89A South from Jerome to Prescott is a two wheeled dream. Mingus Mountain Scenic  Byway is 11 miles of twisty turny, 15 mph switchbacks (which is actually part of the Black Hills) as you climb to an elevation of 7800+ feet. All too soon I was on the outskirts of Prescott, leaving behind the Black Hills. The most fun I've had on two wheels since I left Central Florida!

Relaxing lunch with two new friends in Prescott then back to the hotel to do laundry and write. 

Debi Tolbert Duggar is the author of 'Riding Soul-O'

Part Memoir, Part Travelogue, Part Spiritual Salvation

Available at Bessieandme.com or online wherever books are sold