Coal Mine Canyon, AZ - February 17, 2006 (Re-run)

 Coal Mine Canyon is a large, uniquely shaped and colored swath of erosion that is situated partly on Navajo Reservation and partly on Hopi land.  The Navajo require a permit to visit their part of it, while the Hopi require a Hopi guide to go into the canyon.  In 2006, the canyon was little known and neither tribe was inclined to publicize it.  I happened to learn of it and was not aware of rules or permits, I just went there and found no one to challenge me.  The place has a kind of eerie feel due to long abandoned shacks scattered about the mesa.

On this first visit, I came upon a trail into the canyon, but didn't take advantage because it was getting late in the day.  I've regretted that decision since the trail was later washed away by flash floods and I haven't seen another path into the canyon.  In some of the photos, you'll notice a small seam of coal around the rim, which is how the canyon got its name.  Native Americans have used that as a source of fuel for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Sedona, Arizona, Part 6 - February 10 & 14, 2006 (Re-run)

 Sitting near the top of Cleopatra Hill, the town of Jerome calls itself an "historic ghost town".  Founded in 1876 as a copper mine, Jerome once had around 15,000 people and was known as the "wickedest" town in the West.  After WWII, the demand for copper dried up and the mine closed in 1953, with a population decline to around fifty die-hard residents.  Today the town is a popular tourist attraction and haven for artists and musicians with a full-time population around 500.  There is a State Park, a mining museum and a variety of shops, galleries and restaurants to satisfy all tastes.  A narrow, steep road twists its way through town, making it all but impossible for big motor homes to negotiate.

Sedona is one of the best places to take what for many is a once-in-a-lifetime trip in a hot air balloon.  I can say it was a wonderful experience with beautiful weather, just perfect conditions.  Years later, I did it again when conditions weren't so good and it was disappointing.