Roadtrip Southwest - Day 2

 Hitting the open road.

Day 2 was a lot of driving through Arizona.

But it wasn't all driving.

I took some time to step out of the car a few times to appreciate the desert.

Made a stop in Prescott, AZ.

Stayed hydrated with some yummy prickly pear 🌵 lemonade.

And got caught in a rainstorm.

I waited for the rain to slow up a little bit before trying to continue on my way.

And still wound up driving through sheets of rain, lightning and a smattering of hail!

Whoa!What a ride!

I eventually made it through to the other side of the storm system, but watched 

in my rearview the clouds pouring rain and storms onto the mountains.

I finally arrived in Sedona, after driving up and gaining elevation on

switchbacks and curvy roads into higher ground.

 I had chosen Devils Bridge trail, so I looked for the trailhead.

The trailhead to this particular trail is kind of hard to get to.

You can either park about a mile from it's nearest parking lot and

walk on a dusty, shadeless path to the trailhead, or

you can drive to the Mescal trailhead parking lot and use part of the Mescal

trail to meet up with the Devils Bridge trail. I decided to hike the Mescal route,

if only to get some more scenery and shade opportunities along the way.

The skies still looked threatening, and I saw lightning and dark clouds off in the

distance. I was sure I'd be caught in another storm, but decided to chance it anyway.

On the Mescal trail

Finally made it to the Devils Bridge trailhead.

The trail goes up, essentially.

The beginning is pretty gradual, until you get nearer to the top, when you reach the stairsteps.

It's more or less straight up at the end.

But this is your reward!

A natural bridge. And an amazing view.

Of course I walked on it.

A fellow hiker was kind enough to get a few shots with my camera.

It's a bit wider than it looks.

Still gotta be careful.

Don't look down!

Sedona Shark

A few raindrops fell, but nothing that ruined the hike.

The storm clouds stayed away from this particular trail.

It is a gorgeous view though.

Well worth the effort.

Floppy hat. Good sun protection. Kinda dorky.

It was about a 4 mile hike, roundtrip.

Found some squished purple pods from the prickly pears on the trail.

I've always wondered what was inside them.

And then on the return hike, I stopped to look in the stream and saw a few of these

somewhat terrifying worms. I think I watched one of them attack and kill a tadpole.

What is it?! A leech? 

A quick targeted Google search tells me it probably is, but I'm not certain.

I saw several, and they were all kinda creepy to watch.

I was careful not to put my hand in the water.

After returning to the car and drinking the remains of my prickly pear lemonade and most of

what was left in my waterbottle, I hit the road again to find my hotel, in Camp Verde.

The hotel was fine.

A budget location, near some food stops and a gas station.

I watched South Park reruns and examined the plans for Day 3.

Camp Verde also is home to the world's largest Kokopelli

After planning the next day's route, I got some sleep.

Day 3 would be an early start, about sunrise. 

I had a lot of ground to cover.