January in Arizona – Two Floridians trying not to Freeze - COMPLETE - 5-8 - Page 4 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Red Rocks Everywhere!
After Montezuma Castle and Well, he headed up AZ 179A from I-17 into the Coconino National Forest stopping along the road at the Visitor’s Center. There was a beautiful view of the valley and some of the famous red rock formations were visible from the viewing platform at the Visitor’s center. Chris broke out the tripod, and the new wide angle adapter for the camera to take some photos - that adapter would be getting lots of use over the next few days!
The rocks are starting to show the red colors
Red Rock Country!
View from the visitor's center
Chris setting up the shot
I thought it was very interesting that the building had a rain water cistern to catch rainwater from the roof. Not sure what they use it for - but I can see that being an asset in the desert.
They had some interesting exhibits about the geology of the Sedona area, as well as the critters you might encounter (as represented by scat samples and footprint casts).
They also had an interesting exhibit on forest fires- what the effects are, prevention, etc. Very interesting. I talked to one of the foresters about their “no impact” program - “take only pictures, leave only footprints” - trying to minimize the effects of all the tourists that visit the valley each year.
This tree tree went through nine fires since 1835.
The city of Sedona sits right smack dab in the middle of the National Forest, and I guess this has led to some growing pains and conflicts on the proper usage of National Forest lands.... (sorry - Environmental Policy geek, remember?).
After more examination of the Visitor’s center, we continued on into Sedona and found the Hilton. We unloaded all the STUFF (the polite word for it) from the Rav4, hauled it all inside and when we got to the front desk - we were informed that we had been upgraded to a Suite (SWEET!!!). We had a 2 room suite - a living room, with gas fireplace, dining area with wetbar, and then the bedroom and bathroom areas. It was very nice (and free again - thank you Hilton Hhonors!).
Our bedroom
View from our bedroom
We had a small balcony
Dining table w/wet bar
Sink area of the bathroom
Shower/bathtub
The entrance sign for the Hilton
After getting settled in - we went in search of dinner. One restaurant had been recommended by friends, but we were unable to find it - so we used my phone to log into “Urban Spoon” to see what the recommended options were - we decided on Oaxaca - a mexican restaurant where the chef tried to make it healthier with fewer fats, etc.
View of the red rocks from the Hilton parking lot
They have two stories - and we were taken upstairs to the glassed in patio - I am sure the views would have been great, if the sun had been up.
Free chips and salsa to start
Really good black bean soup. I tried quite a few varieties of black bean soup on this trip.
I caught Chris stealing some of my soup
He had the red rocks enchilada
I had the blue mesa trout
We decided not to walk around Sedona's downtown tonight, we were both tired - so we headed back to the Hilton - and I took a few more shots of the hotel - which still had the Christmas decorations up.
Chris decided to play with a cactus!
Love the updates! And now I'm really looking forward to our trip this summer.
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Hi Terri! I'm curious to know how you liked Oaxaca. DH & I were just there in November, and every person we spoke to about restaurants (all locals) said that place was horrible and expensive and not to go there, so we didn't.
You write the best trip reports! Thanks for sharing!
--Carolyn
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First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
The view of the Red Rocks is breathtaking! What a nice surprise getting a room upgrade in Sedona. I should have had some lunch before I read this update b/c your trout looks so good! can't wait for more.
Your dinner looked delish. I just got to catch up and take a look at your pictures, wonderful shots. Everything is just so beautiful. Congrats on your room upgrade, looks like a great view fromy our patio.
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Originally Posted by wishes
Hi Terri! I'm curious to know how you liked Oaxaca. DH & I were just there in November, and every person we spoke to about restaurants (all locals) said that place was horrible and expensive and not to go there, so we didn't.
You write the best trip reports! Thanks for sharing!
--Carolyn
Carolyn - it was pretty decent - we enjoyed it, of course it was winter and a teh crowds were low. I've had much worse.
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Thanks so much for sharing Terri! I always feel like I'm getting a history lesson when I read your updates, which is fantastic (I'm a huge history buff-it was my major in college)! I've not spent any time in AZ, so this is pretty neat!
Glad to hear your meal was decent, Terri! Maybe we will try it next time we go back! Thanks for the info! BTW, we looooveed Sedona--so beautiful & peaceful!
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First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
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on the upgrade, the room looks very nice!
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