UP AT 5:30 AM AND RARING TO GO... A BEAUTIFUL DAY PREDICTED AND I WANTED TO GET OUT THE "CITY" AND BREATHE SOME THINNER AIR. LITTLE DID I KNOW HOW THIN THAT AIR WOULD BE. IN PREVIOUS REPORTS I TOLD YOU ABOUT GOING TO SEDONA AND 4000 FOOT ELEVATIONS... WELL, TODAY I WENT 15 MILES NORTH OF SEDONA TO SLIDE ROCK CANYON AND 7000 FOOT ELEVATIONS! I WALKED UP A FLIGHT OF STAIRS AND WAS SHORT OF BREATH...(REMINDER TO USE THE FITNESS CENTER AT THE NEW DIGS!!). I THOUGHT THE SCENERY WAS SPECTACULAR IN SEDONA... THIS PLACE BLEW IT ALL AWAY.

SLIDE ROCK CANYON HAD TRAILS SO I SPENT HALF THE DAY WANDERING IN NATURE AND SNAPPING WHAT I HOPE TO BE SOME FABULOUS PICTURES...I'LL TRY TO DOWNLOAD THEM AND SEND SOME IN A FUTURE E-MAIL...(HOPEFULLY BEFORE I WRITE THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL)... THE WEATHER WAS INCREDIBLE, 75 EGREES WITH A BREEZE AND THE BLUEST SKIES WITH ABSOLUTELY NO CLOUDS...

AFTER GETTING IN TOUCH WITH MY NATURE LOVING SIDE, I STOPPED FOR LUNCH IN SEDONA AND SOME SHOPPING (BOUGHT SOME STUFF FOR THE NIECES). TOOK A LEISURELY RIDE BACK AND STOPPED AT "MONTEZUMA'S CASTLE" WHICH IS AN 800 YEAR OLD STONE BUILDING CARVED IN THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN BY THE INDIANS WHO MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED. BEST $5.00 I EVER SPENT.

NOW, UNFORTUNATELY I MUST PACK UP THESE FEW DAYS OF MEMORIES (GOOD THING I WROTE THEM DOWN) AND FLY BACK TO NEW JERSEY...NEED TO GET MY STUFF TOGETHER FOR THE DRIVE ACROSS THE NATION TO MY NEW HOME... I WILL HAVE MY TRUSTY LAPTOP WITH ME AND WILL CONTINUE TO CHRONICLE THIS MOST AWESOME OF ADVENTURES...