SXSE

For reasons I'm not going to go into but which aren't a huge mystery, I find myself in the Deep South. Birmingham, Alabama, to be precise. This is not a place I thought I'd ever find myself on purpose, yet here I am. I blame the vortex.

Landed on Wednesday the 5th, went out to dinner in a hipster area which could have been in Portland or Seattle or Brooklyn. Well, maybe not Brooklyn, but when I asked where the cupcake bakery was, since there had to be a cupcake bakery nearby, my date for the evening pointed down the street. On Thursday, we drove to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Atlantic is beautiful, there's no doubt about that, but Myrtle beach is a town full of strip malls and miniature golf. Seriously, I have never seen so many miniature golf courses in proximity to one another. The 7-hour drive from Birmingham to Myrtle Beach was as nondescript as could be (but the company was delightful). I wish I'd counted the number of Waffle Houses on the way; I'm guessing 25 but it could have been 100.

Myrtle Beach

Friday was spent working all day in a very nice hotel room with a view of the white sand and surf through the sliding door, but on Saturday there was a long and lovely walk on the beach. The spring breakers hadn't yet arrived in full force and the water was still way too chilly for swimming - I'm assuming... I didn't actually dip a toe in, but only a brave few kids were paddling in the surf and digging in the sand while plenty of adults were out sunning themselves. We went to dinner at a restaurant called Vintage 12 to celebrate a variety of things (vacations, the vortex...) and had a lovely meal.

crab cakes

rib eye

grunt fish (huh?) on a bed of grits (who knew I'd like grits?)

bread pudding with chocolate, caramel sauce, and ice cream

Sunday it rained relentlessly which totally foiled my plan to have a few cocktails and hit the mini-links.

Long stretch of Myrtle Beach, and a guest appearance by someone from a previous post.
http://www.placestogo-manomi.blogspot.com/2013/12/seeking-vortex.html

So that was all a couple weeks ago.

I've spent this week in the suburbs of Birmingham. I don't think we actually made it into Birmingham proper (except for a on a little driving tour) but the suburbs - Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Hoover, and other surrounding neighborhoods were a lot less... je nais sais quoi (but whatever it was, it wasn't good) than I expected. In fact, aside from the proliferation of southeastern strip malls, the neighborhoods were perfectly nice. There was another long walk through a very cool stream-side woodland park (complete with resident owls) which ended with a stroll through an extremely swanky neighborhood which showcased some spectacular mid-century architecture, along with cute shops and nice restaurants a-plenty. So yeah, Birmingham.

 a trail in Jemison Park

Chez Lulu

cinnamon rolls from the Continental Bakery; I think they're deep fried; look out cronuts.

I liked the white-modern decor at Flip Burger

One of my new friends in Alabama; he ordered the Krispy Kreme milkshake (right);
it was dreadful.
The vanilla with Whoppers (left) was much better.

Seriously, I'm not at Liberty to Say

fake Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas Hotel 

Photo courtesy of Gary

I went back to Vegas to give the vortex another chance to come through for me; this time, it totally did.

Chihully ceiling at the Bellagio

Photo courtesy of Gary

It's Staying in Vegas So Don't Even Ask

A strict code of silence set by the City of Las Vegas keeps me from elaborating on the events of the last few days. Let's just say, the vortex giveth, and the vortex taketh away.

This one is an inside joke...

Orcas Island

It was clear skies yesterday when Cheryl and I drove to Anacortes and caught the ferry to Orcas, but the fog rolled in overnight and today the island was shrouded in a haze that only made this lovely place seem even more magical.

We started our day at the Doe Bay Cafe for a leisurely brunch, then drove to the top of Mt. Constitution where we were above the clouds and the views of Mt. Baker were spectacular. From the top we took a trail through the woods and, well, technically, we got a little lost, but after conferring with some mountain bikers we met on the trail, who were also technically a little lost, Cheryl and I decided to backtrack instead of forging on, and five miles later we were back at my car. We drove into Eastsound to get snacks from the grocery store and ran into the bikers; we all congratulated each other on making it off the mountain (we were all using that term loosely; Mt. Constitution is 2,399 ft. and there's a parking lot at the top. There was very little danger of any of us ending up in a Donner Party-style situation.)

Got back to the resort for massages at 6, and now we're back in our room watching the last Harry Potter movie on TV and feeling quite content.


View from our room

cinnamon French toast stuffed with goat cheese, berries, pecans, and maple syrup.

at Doe Bay

Mt. Baker

Seeking the Vortex

It's all about the vortex here. And crystals, and psychics, and chakras, and energy. Frankly, I heard more about the vortexes (vorteses? vorti?) before I got here than after I arrived, but I take no issue with folks looking for whatever makes them feel good, and there are a lot worse ways to do this than hiking through a canyon looking for an energy field. Or a space portal. Or whatever the hell it's supposed to be.

Christina had so much fun on her mountain bike yesterday that she was jonsing to hit the trail again today, so we drove back toward the Enchantment Resort where we'd had our fancy dinner on Thursday, and I dropped her off at a trailhead from where she could do a ride which would put her at another trailhead parking lot. I then drove ten minutes to the trailhead for the Fay Canyon hike and wandered on down the path. It's sad to admit, but after a while, all the spectacular red rocks and wide canyon walls start to look alike, and one (well, this one anyway) starts to get a little... if not jaded, exactly, then used to the beauty. Fay Canyon is a lovely hike which ends facing a sheer cliff wall. It took me an hour an a half to hike the 2.3 miles in and out. Again, the trail was really quiet, but much warmer than our first day's hike, and even though this was considered an easy one, there were very few people out.



Trail's end; click on photo.

After coming out of Fay Canyon, I drove back to the other trailhead which was on Christina's bike route, and ended up in the parking area just as she was riding through. We made a plan for meeting up again later and she continued on her ride while I headed down the Boynton Canyon trail. This one is about six miles RT and goes behind the Enchantment Resort, along a ridge and into the canyon. The beginning of the hike is spectacular and then you sort of lose the view as you end up in a more forested area on the canyon floor. But the big draw to this hike is the VORTEX. It's at the end of the trail or on the tail, or the tail is a landing site... or something (I really should have done more vortex research before I got to Sedona); whatever the deal was, I was open to it. I took some deep breaths, cleared my mind, and headed down the path.

photo courtesy of Gary 

Look, my theory is, the vortex is wherever you want it to be. We all can get there or find it whether we're in Sedona or Senegal. But still, for those who like having a framework for their spiritual awakenings, it was fun to think that this spot was extra-vortexy. It certainly was pretty. At one point, close to the end of the trail (and thus, closer to the actual vortex site), I saw a guy standing on the trail pointing his camera into the woods; he heard me approaching and put his finger to his lips and pointed into the trees. I had no idea what he was trying to photograph so I tip-toed over and whispered, "what are we looking at?" He pointed through the trees, and there, about 30 feet in front of us, was a young deer sitting in the leaves. And that was the moment my camera battery died. Luckily, the guy offered to take a photo with his phone and send it to me, and when I gave him my number, he immediately asked, "Washington?" when I started with "2-0-6..." This sparked some whispered chit-chat when I said I was from Seattle, and it turned out that camera-guy (Gary) grew up in Spokane, lived on Capitol Hill while going to Seattle U, and now lives in Birmingham, Alabama - that last fact was imparted with a fair amount of disdain, as appropriate for any west coaster who finds himself living in the deep south. More chit-chat ensued about Seattle and Sedona and the convoluted route that took him from Spokane to Alabama, all in whispers since the deer was still sitting right there, but eventually I had to get to the vortex at the end of the trail, and Gary was heading in the opposite direction so I told him that my friend and I would be heading out to dinner that night, and [unbeknownst to him, but in the spirit of the "People to Meet" title of this blog] he'd be welcome to join us. Which he did, at the Cowboy Club, after Christina and I had our spa appointments (shea butter body wraps) back at the hotel.

I didn't have high hopes for the Cowboy Club, it was smack in the middle of the most touristy area of town, but it did get good reviews on Yelp, and we were assured that it was a place the locals went. It was surprisingly good. We sat at the bar and the bartender was extremely nice and called me "sis" which I really liked, and we ordered some cactus fries and rattlesnake bites (Gary's idea) from her before our entrees. Anyone who knows me knows I have a fairly severe snake phobia; actually, anyone who knows me would be more familiar with my deep-seated aversion to monkeys, but that's only because the snake phobia is so strong that I don't even like to talk about it/them while I will happily expound on my dislike of monkeys to anyone who will listen. There were signs at all the trailheads about some sinister-looking black viper that was endangered or something - I don't know exactly what it said because I wouldn't get close enough to the sign to read it (photo of the snake on the sign was too vivid) and I tried really hard to put the thought that there might be snakes on the trail out of my head during all my hikes. So I wasn't really all that excited about eating rattlesnake bits or bites or whatever; as I pointed out at the bar, ingesting one didn't seem right when I hated them so, and also, I didn't want eating one to somehow (through the vortex) summon them to me. But whatevs, Gary ordered them, it would have seemed rude and wimpy not to try it, so I did. Tastes like chicken - HA! I felt I had to say that. It actually tasted like pork; old, over-cooked, semi-flavorless pork. So I don't need to do that again.

We had a nice dinner with lots of chatting about travel and adventures and why no one should voluntarily live in Alabama if they can help it. Gary was at the beginning of his vacation in Sedona so we gave him lots of tips on what to do and see - we made a point of strongly recommending Elote Cafe (which we would have gone back to that night if they weren't closed on Sundays), and told him that the Pink Jeeps were fun and the West Fork hike was great. Christina and I wished him luck in search of the vorteses (he had said he felt a little bit of a rush at the end of the Boynton Canyon trail...) and went back to the hotel to pack.

It was a fantastic trip. Active enough for me with some spa-life thrown in, great food, clear sunny days in a spectacularly picturesque town, nice friends, and good vibrations.

Bring on the Bikes (and the magazines)

By Saturday, it had been at least three days since Christina had been on her bike, and she was getting antsy [she drove to AZ from Seattle with her mountain bike, stopping in Moab for several days before picking me up in Phoenix]. Luckily, there are lots of opportunities for biking in Sedona, so off to the bike shop we went. I got outfitted with a mountain bike, the bouncyness of which made me a little nervous... I mean, why would I need a full suspension bike with disc brakes when we were just going for a leisurely, easy ride, right? Well, it started out that way, but quickly turned into a rolling single-track. Thanks to my one and only lesson in downhilling ("trust the bike; look ahead not down; keep your cranks level"), I didn't kill myself but I did end up walking the bike quite a bit while Christina rolled down crazily steep steps, peddled up crazily steep steps, and cruised around hairpin turns. Still, the scenery was amazing and it was fun (kind of) but it was a long way from my beautiful, 8-speed, Italian cruiser with the basket on the front, and the thought of falling on a cactus seriously unnerved me. We rode one crazy loop together (which for CM was probably the equivalent of a ride around Green Lake) and then she took off for more bad-ass riding while I cruised up the main trail (along with the people pushing strollers and the elderly) back to the bike shop, which is also a coffee shop, to wait for her while catching up on my New Yorkers.

Christina may have earned her 4pm massage more than me, but it's a vacation not a competition.

seriously, don't fall off the bike 

at the Bike and Bean

Elote Cafe

"You call it corn!" Remember that Native American-looking lady on TV who translated "maize" for us in the 70s? Well, maize may be the word for the corn plant (and it turns out, that lady must have been Mayan because the word comes from the Spanish), but "elote" is Spanish for the corn on the cob street food of Mexico, and based on dinner Friday night, it's a word everyone should know. Elote Cafe is pretty much the most highly recommended restaurant in Sedona, and the hour wait for our table was worth every minute. We had the specialty of the house appetizer which the restaurant is named for, but thankfully, the roasted corn had been shucked off the cob (I've had an aversion to corn on the cob since I was a teenager - all those years of wearing braces) before being mixed with spicy mayo, lime, and cotija cheese. We liked it so much that Christina bought the restaurant's cookbook just for the recipe - and the chef came out and signed it for her! Her halibut dish was as pretty as it was delicious, and my beef barbacoa quesadilla was fantastic, but once again, we stuffed ourselves to distraction.