We absolutely loved our time in Verde Valley RV Park.  We had a great site, we played pickleball daily and we were only 30 minutes from Sedona.  We had one problem… the weather decided to not cooperate and we were facing temps well below normal.  In addition to that the campground was struggling with a well and we had been without water for 3 days.  The breaking point for us was the overnight low on Tuesday 11/29/2017 of 17 degrees!  We left Maine to get out of cold winter temperatures, and I’m pretty sure that the overnight low there doubled the one we had just experienced.  Our pickleball friends were departing quickly for warmer temperatures.  John and I would probably have left sooner but we were waiting for a package from Amazon.  We had been having trouble with our water pump since just before Thanksgiving.  Our holding tank was filling when it was not on bypass so we were pretty sure it was a problem with the back check valve/diaphragm on the water pump.  We had this happen last spring and we swore we would travel with a spare pump, a promise we forgot to fulfill.  We had ordered a new pump from Amazon but with he holiday weekend it wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday.  On Wednesday morning we both agreed if the pump arrived before noon we were going to be on the move to some place warmer.  The pump arrived at 11:45 am and we packed in record time and headed south and down several thousand feet.  We were not due to arrive in Palm Springs until 12/6, so we used our RPI membership to stay at the KOA in Salome for 6 nights for $10 per night.  Salome is pretty much in the middle of nowhere between Phoenix and Quartzite, but the weather is warmer and we have free (good) wifi at our site. We already have one excursion planned for our stay here, a visit to the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City.

We enjoyed our last few days in Cottonwood and we are already planning a return visit here.  A little earlier in the fall next time.  Our last hike in Sedona was a great one.  We did a loop hike at Cibola Pass

Beautiful Red Rock Views on Cibola Pass Loop

and extended our hike out to see the Devils Kitchen

Devil’s Kitchen Sink Hole

and the Seven Sacred Pools.

Seven Sacred Pools- couldn’t get all 7 in the photo

It was really cool to see the light dusting of snow in the high elevations in Sedona. The recent rain/snow in the area provided us with the rare opportunity to see water in the seven sacred pools.  Gizmo absolutely loved hiking in the 40 degree weather and ran most of the hike.

Gizmo enjoying the cool crisp air

John enjoyed the hike until the end when he accidentally “kicked” a prickly pear cactus that he didn’t see.  Several of the “pricklys” came through the top of his sneaker and impaled him in the foot.

Prickly Pear won this match

One of our greatest finds in the last few days was the Cottonwood Recreation Center.   

Wow, what a great community asset this place is.  We had heard about it from fellow campers so decided to check it out.  They play pickleball here almost every day in the gym and there is a large number of locals and campers who come to join in.  John and I played here for 3 hours on Tuesday and had a blast.  We had visited the center on Monday as well and took advantage of their gym.  They have several treadmills, ellipticals and other equipment and weights, all state of the art.  There are several large screen TVs on the walls to watch as you work out as well as TVs in many of the treadmills/ellipticals. Unfortunately for us the pool was getting resurfaced and would not reopen until after our visit.  There is a .  slide and lazy river in the pool. The cost is just $28 per month or $28 for 10 visits if you are over 55.  We took the 10-visit option since it is good for a year and we knew we would only be in the area for a few more days.