Tarantula Hawk Wasp

How does Nature balance itself?

The Tarantula Hawk Wasp attacks and kills Tarantulas with one of the most painful insect stings on the planet. It then drags the larger arachnid to its brooding location and a single egg is laid on the abdomen of the spider. When the larvae hatches, it digs a small hole in the abdomen and begins its long dinning event avoiding any critical organs to ensure the spider remains alive keeping the food as fresh as possible! EWE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NATURE: The PUREST balancing act!

Photo courtesy of Dyanna Musurlian

FREE YOGA!!!

Our friends at The Collective have an amazing June scheduled this year. Along with the FREE Yoga on June 3rd in the "Courtyard", they have Live Concerts, Hemp History Week, the Farmer's Market and a whole lot more!

Check them out on Facebook to see the latest news and goings-on:

Facebook.com/TheCollectiveSedona

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It's a bird... It's a Hawk... No.. It's a ....Moth???

One of the coolest things I've noticed about Nature, (especially lately) is that you never know how cool a creature is till it lets you get up close and personal. About a 5 inch wing span. I thought this was one of the biggest moths that I had ever witnessed, but for the life of me, I couldn't get passed the proboscis. That is that little "party noisemaker" looking thingy that it uses to sip the nectar from flowers. I had to know what this little flyer was...

( Thanks Google) ..lol     The plant is Point Sal Purple Sage (not native to Arizona) and the Beauty that I got to take a picture of is a Hummingbird Moth. Ha! Who knew!! I certainly didn't...What a gift to witness so many amazing forms of life!    5/28/2017

Honey! Did you invite that Western Fella??

Sooo, yesterday was like any other day in Arizona!! When it comes to the Southwest anything is possible. Like house guests! Do you always plan on who shows up at your party? Do you ever have uninvited guests? hmmmmm....... 

I'm guessin' if we get down to the truth of it, he was here first! Well at least for today he was here first... My mind is having heavy discussions about the possibilities!  However, he was a perfect gentleman...... This time...... (My granddaughter and kids were not home)

 If your doing anything outdoors, always expect to be greeted by the unknown. We are the Wild West after all...... Please think and be safe .

Angel and the Badman

“Angel and the Badman” was filmed in Sedona in 1946. The movie starred John Wayne and Gail Russell and the cast included Harry Carey, Bruce Cabot, Irene Rich, Lee Dixon, Stephen Grant, Tom Powers and Paul Hurst. A western town was built for the movie. It was located by Coffee Pot Rock in West Sedona. The set continued to be used for filming until it was torn down in 1959. The studio also built a sound stage to film the interior scenes, which remained in operation until 1966. The cast and crew stayed at the Sedona Lodge on State Route 179, where the Kings Ransom Hotel is today. The lodge was a converted CCC (Civilian Concentration Corp) Camp and was demolished in 1964.

Photos by Bob Bradshaw

©2017. Dawn Gould, Owner of Sedona Olde Time Photos. All rights reserved.

Short and Sweet...

There are over 130 trails in Sedona now. A plethora of options requiring practically every skill-set from trail to trail. What makes one better than the other is simple; YOUR skills and desires.

You'll hear claims like these:

"Nothing beats Bear Mountain!", "Bell Rock is the BOMB!", "West Fork is magical!", "Wilson is like being on top of the world!", "The Canyons are magnificent and easy.", "Sleeping overnight under the stars is OUT OF THIS WORLD!", "Devil's Bridge is intense!", "I felt pure energy at Cathedral!"
"You GOTTA do Jack's Canyon!"

Each trail has its own ups and downs and they provide a little something different. So when folks come here from all over the world looking for the best hikes, we tell them straight up; "Ask our local Avid Hikers!"

Yava-Coco's Bear is one such person. Hiking Sedona for the past decade, he has been on them all and beyond. An explorer at heart, he indulges in experiences very few people can. Ravines, creases, canyons, summits. He says; "My favorite thing to do is sleep under the stars atop the summits."

Yesterday he provided a quick and simple hike for a guest providing them with an exceptionally unique view of the entirety of Sedona...but it wasn't some 4 hour, uphill both ways, death-defying ordeal. It was on the easy side and exactly what his guest wanted.

Always time for a Selfie!

Beauty is everywhere!

A little peak at paradise!

The Verde Valley Farmer's Market

Celebrating its 14th year, the Verde Valley Farmer's Market is ready to go!

So...WHERE is it? When is it?

Excellent questions you ask. Here are the details:

WHAT?       Verde Valley Farmer's Market

WHEN?      SATURDAYs - from May 20th through October 21, 2017

WHERE?    Town Ramada (next to Ft. Verde State Park) corner of Hollamon and Main St.  Camp Verde

TIME?         8:00am till Noon

CONTACT - Jane Davie (Market Manager)

Come on down and check out the amazing selections from all over the Verde Valley. Come support your neighbors as they put their wares out for all to see, smell and consume!

Let's go show our love!

30 YEARS OF LOVE

Our latest guests are local Sedona residence and have been sharing amazing moments of Sedona bliss each day. So, they decided to give us a test. They've seen us before and were ever so curious and we gave them a ride to remember.

Having never ridden a Segway before, Joan was eager to figure this machine out and was excited about the tour. Todd however, has been on a Segway before and was very interested to see how his beautiful wife would manage. no more than 5 minutes of training with Bear and they were off!

This tour became all about the RIDE!

1.5 hrs. of everything and anything happened and the mileage ran up quickly as Joan was "Lit up!" (per Bear) with joy as she quickly became an exceptional rider and they toured almost every back street we have for this tour! Up and down hills, down to the Jordan Park, consuming mile after mile of pavement and dirt all while showing off their "Segway Swagger"!

How lucky are we that we can not only share this insanely fun Eco-friendly tour with our regular guests, but that we can also impress our locals with exactly what we do.

We are blessed to be of service to everyone!

Joan was attacking Jordan Road with enthusiasm!

Our Sedona Segway Kiss "Shot"

Sharing a little LOVE...Sedona Segway Style!

THREE CHEERS...

Three tours and a wonderful Sedona to thank for it all.

Nice quiet back streets surrounded by our gorgeous red rocks makes for a thrilling and camera-filled glide on our easy-to-use Segways.

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY...

Bob Bradshaw

Bob Bradshaw moved to Sedona in 1949. His love of photography led him to document the diversity and beauty of Arizona. He opened the first Kodak film store in the area. Bob also worked with the movie industry in Sedona, as a location scout, a stunt man and an actor, allowing him to take photos during the filming of the movies. Bob contributed photos to the Arizona Highways magazine from the 1950's through the 1980's. His images captured stunning landscapes and ultimately formed a photographic history of the area. 

Bob Bradshaw passed away August 8th, 2008. Throughout the years, he created a biography of his life through photography as well as a series of photo books. His family continues to make these priceless images available through Sedona Olde Time Photos & Sedona Photo, located in uptown Sedona.

Go West!!!

We are welcoming our latest guest Blogger to you all. Giving us a perspective of the history of the Great Southwest through photographic creativity:

Sedona Olde Time Photos and Sedona Photo

    Dawn and Randy Gould purchased the "Old Time Photo" studio in November of 2013. The business was renamed Sedona Olde Time Photos. The studio has three sets; a saloon, a parlor and a bath tub along with many costumes and props. The studio is located upstairs at 271 North State Route 89A right in the heart of Uptown Sedona.

    Dawn and Randy also own Sedona Photo, which prints photos and sells the historic; Bradshaw Photo Collection. Bob Bradshaw was considered one of Sedona's most respected and gifted photographers especially in the early days of Sedona's history. The Bradshaw Photo Collection includes images of early Sedona and stills from some the many Western movies made here. Sedona Photo prints using a wet processor and also prints large format images up to 42 inches! 

    Randy was born in Wichita, KS but soon moved to Los Angeles, CA. He then moved to Flagstaff, AZ where he remained for over 40 years. Randy worked as a service technician repairing office equipment. After 36 years with the same company, he was given an opportunity to move to Sedona and became a jeep tour driver, which he loves doing to this day.

    Dawn was born in Pontiac, MI and moved to Las Vegas, NV. Her first career was working as a stagehand in Las Vegas. Then Dawn became an optician. Shortly after Dawn and Randy met, Dawn moved to Flagstaff and they got married. In Flagstaff, she continued to work as an optician until their son was born. Then she went back to school for a teaching degree and taught Special Education for several years in Flagstaff, Sedona and Cottonwood. Currently, Dawn manages and works full time in The Olde Time Photo studio.

Please join us in welcoming both Randy and Dawn as they provide us with a unique way to see the history of Sedona.

A clip from their website at www.sedonaoldetimephotos.com

Filmed In Sedona

There are about 100 movies that have been filmed in Sedona. The first movie filmed here was Zane Grey’s; Call of the Canyon, in 1923. In 1945, a western town set was built near Coffee Pot Rock for Angel and the Badman, which starred John Wayne, Gail Russell and Harry Carey. The set continued to be used for filming until it was torn down in 1959. A second set was built on Bob Bradshaw’s Ranch in 1967, for the filming of Stay Away, Joe, which starred Elvis Presley and Burgess Meredith. In 1986, that set was burned over the course of several days for the filming of a Wells Fargo Bank commercial.

Image:  Glenn Ford, Henry Fonda, Chill Wills and director Burt Kennedy during the filming of The Rounders in 1965. Photo taken by Bob Bradshaw and available at Sedona Olde Time Photos.

©2017. Dawn Gould, Owner of Sedona Olde Time Photos. All rights reserved.

Off the Beaten Path...

When I hike, it is most likely going to be a journey of adventure and certain blood letting. Ok...not SERIOUS blood letting. Just bushwhacking, edge work, ravine work, bouldering, that sort of stuff.

In Sedona, there are dangers everywhere when you venture off on your own, so with 12 years of hiking this majestic location, I have learned where all the water tanks are, the edible items from nature, the bad sections to avoid and the dynamically spectacular spots that few humans have ever traveled. It's what I do.

I share this as my gift to the Verde Valley. I am an OFF-TRAIL hiker and love sharing my adventures!

Maidens Rock - DEEP in the canyons of Sedona

Happy 100th!!

Happy posting from Bear & Lora lee...

In just 8 short months we have managed to put out 100 posts. 💓 Well technically Bear has put out more than me,, 😏..lol....but still... Its an exciting day for us.... Please tell us what you love about the Verde Valley

We have opened up the blog for other writers. "Authors welcome" Please those who wish to share about the Verde Valley!!  Its all about having fun!! 

Show us your GUNS Alabama!!

What a great Adventure I had with Sarah and her Boys!! She is one Bad Ass mom to Ben and Dallas! This family is from Alabama! Ben is now a local Arizonian.... Check out Sarah! She is one tough Cookie!! Love these Guys!!    

#welovewhatwedo #segwaytours #showusyourguns

Say Hello to my Little Friend!

I Love how magic just shows up in Sedona. I was gifted the viewing of a beautiful Winged being in my office today! Love our Local Monarchs.... Thought he might have been working too hard to find a way out so I broke off a little piece of a shrub and got him to jump on.... AWAY he went.....