We visited Bart Bartlett during our earlier trip to SoCal (see Visiting SoCal – Part 1), and before we parted, he suggested we met again in Cornville, AZ during one of his frequent trips there. Just before we left Phoenix, we agreed to meet him on the 3rd of September. He came back to us with a day-long agenda, which included the Red Rocks of Sedona, lunch, the fantastic views from the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and ending with a shaded hike.
Bart inherited his mother’s house in Cornville, and we met him there mid-morning after a scenic 90-minute drive from our Desertscape RV spot. His 2-bedrrom, 1 bath home is in a 900-unit development called Agave Highlands (complete with golf course). I took a couple of pictures from his backyard in the direction of where we were headed for the rest of the day. He provided a house tour, and we chatted until lunch time.
He treated us to a unique dining experience at Chocola Tree Organic Oasis in Sedona. Historically, “Chocolá” was the name of a southern Mayan area, but I’m uncertain whether any connection was intended. He hadn’t yet eaten there, and thus didn’t have a clue of what we were about to experience. I’ll let the pictures tell most of the story, but I have to say this place was an health nut’s mecca. We ate in the garden, which felt very zen, and incense wafted both inside and out. The garden came with hungry mosquitos, but every table was provided with an organic skin salve. The music was comforting and included a lot of sitar.
I took a lot of photos from the backseat of Sid. The “Red Rocks” were stunningly beautiful, and frankly, all one really needed to do for a great shot was point and click. I don’t even want to know what real estate costs were in general, not to mention the places built up amongst the red formations.
On the way into town…
From the moment we left Chocola Tree, traffic turned to being abysmal. Next, we were headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross only 1.2 miles away, and we could have walked there in the time it took us to get parked near the entrance. We were OK with the delay; however, Bart couldn’t let it go and apologized multiple times throughout the rest of our day together. MFI got extremely lucky when a vehicle backed out to leave right in front of us, and we pulled in behind them. We had only a 150 yard walk uphill remaining but were almost immediately offered a ride to the final church walkway on a golf cart. I tipped the driver $5, and luckily he was the same person to take us back to Sid after our tour was finished.
On the way to the Chapel of the Holy Cross…
The 18-month construction of the Chapel of the Holy Cross was completed in 1956 at a cost of $300,000. The American Institute of Architects presented the chapel with its Award of Honor in 1957. Arizonans voted it as one of the state’s Seven Man-made Wonders in 2007, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 6, 2011. The chapel was inspired and commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude and designed by August K. Strotz. Despite its Catholic oversight, Ms. Staude wanted the chapel as a work of art to have universal accessibility. We were there for well over an hour and there was cwertainly a steady stream of visitors the entire time. Our cart driver said he had not ever seen it quite this busy.
I entered the chapel to take some pictures. What I thought would be a solemn atmosphere had all the trappings of a tourist attraction. Visitors were respectful, but the numbers and rushed flow reminded me of being hustled by the display of England’s Crown Jewels in the Tower of London decades ago.
Before we left, I took these pictures from the circular concrete deck and walkway located at the rear of the chapel.
By the time we left the chapel, the hike was no longer an option. Instead, Bart decided to stop at the Coconino National Forest Ranger Station. He wanted us to meet two rangers whom he had befriended, and he wanted us to see what he believed was the best view in the Sedona area. I took pictures of three more formations on the way over.
Bart volunteers as a guide at the Visitor Center when he’s in town. As such, he made many references to the Red Rocks as we toured Sedona. At one point MFI challenged him and said, “Those rocks look terracotta to me.” Bart, bless his heart, reflected hard on her more accurate color assessment, and for the rest of the day, when he caught himself saying red, he quickly corrected with “I mean terracotta, Susan.”
Once we were back at his house, he graciously prepared a heavy snack of Wheat Thins, red grapes, and cheddar cheese. Like us, he prefers not eating a big dinner, so this fit our needs perfectly, especially after our nutritious lunch. We continued chatting until MFI realized we needed to get on the road back to Phoenix or turn into pumpkins. Bart walked us out to the car and when he hugged us with a final goodbye, he again apologized for Sedona’s heavy traffic.
