Day 15 Sedona

Looks a nice scene does in daylight I'd say.

You know whe they say your heart stops with fright. Picture the scene in this forest at four in the morning with only a piece of nylon between you and whats outside. Nobody around to hear you scream. You hear footseps on leaves and snorting/sniffing outside. The brain puts two and two together and thinks 'Bear'. Well thats what happened and I just thought to myself. Stuff it what will be will be. I'm not getting out of this sleeping bag.

So the night passed and a morning spent studying the local culture at Starbucks and MacDonalds. I know, I know.....well I wanted to see if they were any different in the land of their birth. They are not.

Off to the hills once more this afternoon for best mountain biking to date on the "Little Horse Trail" to "Chicken Point". In the distance were majestic views of Bell Rock and on reaching Chicken Point I was the only one there barring a local who hikes the trail most nights after work.

Then it turned into Summer Camp as five pink jeeps arrived. The local beleived its called chicken point as the jeeps used to come out onto the small rock precipice to scare the toursists senseless.

"Picture - Chicken Point"....not a chicken....a human.

A biker dude arrived with mighty impressive deadlocks and was soreley disappointed with the congregation in front of him. He protested that this was his spot to chill of an evening too. The dude explained there are over three hundred trails in Sedona and over sixty secret trails. Infact right now his mate was up the top of the opposite hill in disguise and fear of a wardens fine or discovery of his masterpiece before completion. I'd quite like to build a secret trail I thought and with that said my goodbyes and whistled back down of the hill.

After a heart feed at the breadplace where their unique selling point appears to be they send you to your table with a coloured card after youve ordered and then arrive with your food thereafter. Whats the difference between that and a waiter asking your order once seated ....I'm not sure. Everyone looked suitably confused. Bound to catch on.

Back to the campsite in the dark and firstly I see a skunk pottering about near my pitch. Was this the bear from last night me thinks? Then a racoon shoots across in front of me. It has to be said (no offence skunks or racoons) but they you are both funny looking animals and no wonder form the butt of many a cartoon. Again there was nobody at the site... well not within half a mile so I thought not again. I'm ditching this and heading to Flagstaff hostel which is on the way to the Canyon anyway. However I'd arranged a biking tour with the Goodloes for tomorrow and tried to get a cheap motel in Sedona. Not possible but this woman who looked and acted like Tweety Pie's owner (the cartoon budgie) gave me a room on the outskirts and to my horror there was somone already in room nine when I tried the door. Horror movie anyone? Thats it off to Flagstaff for a bit of luxury or so I thought.

Got my own room for a change in the hostel and grabbed two beers from the back of the van. Are we sitting comfortably then I'll begin. Not really I was perched on the bed sitting up reading with a beer bottle held between my feet (never again). Yes you guessed it the bottle fell over soaking the duvet. Great ....how was I going to explain this. For all the world it looked as though I'd urinated like a horse all over the bed and my shorts. No relxaation for me then - washed the shorts and duvet and basically gave up and went to sleep. Tomorrows another day...Grand Canyon Day for that matter. Must look up my book of one hundred and one uperlatives.