Back in the Saddle Again

Monday, October 09, 2017
Sedona, Arizona, United States
Today was a day that we actually had to be up and out at a set time. In keeping with our last two trips, we went horseback riding. We had to be out at 8:00, as the ranch was a 45 minute drive away.  The M Diamond Ranch is a 100-year-old family owned cattle ranch in the Coconino National Forest just outside Sedona. It is one of the oldest continuously operating working cattle ranches in the Verde Valley. We took the 2 hour ride and there was one other person in the group, along with the guide. We saw 3 javelinas along the way. We enjoyed the peace and quiet and desert scenery.
After the ride, we stopped at the V-Bar-V Heritage Site.  It is the largest know petroglyph site in the Verde Valley and one of the best preserved. It consists of 1032 petroglyphs. The images are a mix of humanoid figures, stylized animals and geometric designs. The vast majority of images were created by the Sinagua from about 900 AD until about 1350 AD. The people who created these petroglyphs once lived in villages scattered from Wupatki, northeast of Flagstaff, south to the Verde River. They flourished for centuries, until they abandoned their villages shortly after 1400. Some Sinagua drifted north and may have become ancestors of the modern Hopi people. It was once part of V bar V ranch, which gave it its name and it was bought by Coconino National Forest in 1994. Ranchers did their best to preserve the site from destruction, which is the main reason why the drawings are so well preserved.
After we were done here, we got a phone call from the insurance company informing us that my car was deemed unrepairable and they were totaling it. It really put a damper on the rest of the day, as I loved that car and wasn’t particularly looking forward to car shopping, especially since I had no idea what I would want since I was perfectly happy with the one I had. It was only 4 years old.
We drove back to Sedona and had a late lunch. I didn’t eat much since it was so late. We spent what was left of the afternoon getting an idea about some cars and then we walked into town and had Mexican food for dinner. We finished off the evening by watching the movie we had downloaded yesterday.

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2025-02-15

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