Sunday, December 16, 2012

My Favorite photo of 2012

On May 20 of this year, northern Arizona was treated to an annular solar eclipse. Photographer Clinton Melander was at Horseshoe Bend near Page, AZ and captured this stunning multiple image. My personal favorite shot of 2012!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)

Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Grand Canyon - http://greatventures.com/tours.aspx?id=1


Tennessee
1 review
5 of 5 starsReviewed October 13, 2011
We considered driving to the Grand Canyon and doing our own tour but decided to go with a tour company so both of us could enjoy all the sites. Boy did we get more than we bargained for. We had the Best Tour Guide I have ever been around. We were with him almost 12 hours and he shared unbelievable information almost the entire time. He told us about the geology (he is a geology major), he told us history, he talked about wildlife and the all the plant life. He could not have been more thorough. He was a wonderful storyteller, had a great sense of humor and made for such a delightful trip. He even knows where to get the best shots for next year's Christmas Card. If you go with Red Stone, make sure you ask for JR. You will not be disappointed. This forever changed our opinions of tour guides--best tour ever!
Visited October 2011








Tennessee
1 review
5 of 5 starsReviewed October 13, 2011
We considered driving to the Grand Canyon and doing our own tour but decided to go with a tour company so both of us could enjoy all the sites. Boy did we get more than we bargained for. We had the Best Tour Guide I have ever been around. We were with him almost 12 hours and he shared unbelievable information almost the entire time. He told us about the geology (he is a geology major), he told us history, he talked about wildlife and the all the plant life. He could not have been more thorough. He was a wonderful storyteller, had a great sense of humor and made for such a delightful trip. He even knows where to get the best shots for next year's Christmas Card. If you go with Red Stone, make sure you ask for JR. You will not be disappointed. This forever changed our opinions of tour guides--best tour ever!
Visited October 2011

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)


Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Grand Canyon - http://greatventures.com/tours.aspx?id=1


Virginia, Illinois, United States
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 starsReviewed November 1, 2011
We had never been to the Grand Canyon. We did the Explorer Tour. Our guide was J.R. He was so informative, fun, and knowledgable. He knew the best places to go and all the history behind it. I cannot imagine the trip without him. We would have missed out on so much! We had a great group of people on our bus and he made it so fun and exciting the day flew by. At the end of the tour we were amazed at how much we had learned and seen! I would highly recommend the tour and again be sure to ask for J.R. You WILL NOT be disappointed!!! Best money we spent!!
Visited November 2011

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)


Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Grand Canyon - http://greatventures.com/tours.aspx?id=1


UK
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 starsReviewed November 23, 2011
1

person found this review helpful
Hi, I would like to offer a brief review of the trip my brother and I took on Saturday 19th November, 2011. We were picked up bang on time from our hotel in Tempe, and once the vehicle was full, headed to The Canyon via Sedona and a couple of other places. We had the pleasure of having both JR and Steve B. as tour guides. Quite honestly, this was an absolutely fantastic trip. Believe all the wonderful reviews! The other guests were also good to be with, and I'm sure would all agree that we had a great day, despite most of us having never met before. I didn't want the day to end, I had such a good time. It was worth the 5768 miles to get to Phoenix from the UK, and the 550 miles we travelled on the day, which went all too quickly. Without a doubt I will be taking another tour with these guys, and like eveyone else, would take every opportunity to recommend them. Thank you Redstone, JR, Steve, and the other guests who all made the experience as unforgettable as it was.
Visited November 2011

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)


Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Grand Canyon - http://greatventures.com/tours.aspx?id=1


Greenwood, Indiana, United States
1 review
5 of 5 starsReviewed March 6, 2012
My husband and I made our third trip to the Grand Canyon today with J.R. as our tour guide. This was our first guided tour and we can't stop talking about how fabulous and informative this trip was. Highly recommend this tour and guide. We wish we had done this tour before. We learned so much along with having a great time.
Visited March 2012

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)


Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Grand Canyon - http://greatventures.com/tours.aspx?id=1


Montreal, Canada
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 starsReviewed May 14, 2012
We booked the Sedona City Tour and the Grand Canyon Tour out of Sedona package with a hotel stay. The area was hit with a snowstorm as we arrived and we were afraid our money was lost - but they went out of their way to accomodate us and change the dates so that we would not miss on the tours! Their rep Yvonne was professional and efficient in re-organizing our dates.
Sedona City Tour was great - saw so many beautiful vistas and heard lots of history about the area and the special spirtual side of the place. I am not big on the vortex theories, but our driver was so sincere and had a great aura to him that I was somewhat convinced of the postive energy emanating from those breathtaking rock formations - even if you are a skeptic, the views and colors are worth the tour. Don't remember his name unfortunately but he had mutton chop side burns. 
Our second day was a trip to the Grand Canyon with JR. He was friendly, courteous and very knowledgeable about the geology and history of the Grand Canyon. JR grew up in Sedona and certainly has lead an interesting life. He gave us a great window into the area. The trip was a great learning adventure.
Our package included 2 nights at the King's Ransom Hotel. The accomodations were clean, and the restaurant on site 'Cafe Elote' was great. It is a chef-owned restaurant so the food is fresh and the staff is friendly. No reservations are accepted, so we had a couple of drinks on the balcony of our room and then headed back at the time they estimated our table would be ready. It was so easy - no parking, no worries!
I did extensive research on all the Grand Canyon tours offered and many sounded very good. I was especially grateful to have booked the hotel & tours together as it gave us a good discount and we didn't lose anything by the rogue weather. They took care of all the loose ends and made it a memorable and enjoyable trip from start to finish.
This is a great tour with family, especially teens as there is so much fascinating information and beautiful vistas.
Visited March 2012

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)


Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Monument Valley     http://www.redstonetours.com/tours.aspx?Id=13


Brampton, Canada
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
 4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 starsReviewed September 20, 2012
We had an absolutely fantastic day trip with our tour guide JR and another couple from the Phoenix area. JR was simply great. His wealth of information on geology, starting from Oak Creek Canyon all the way through to Monument Valley gave us an appreciation of the formation of the entire area from Sedona to the North East area of Arizona of the Navajo Reservation. We stopped and had lunch at Gouldings Trading Post before we entered Monument Valley. Try the petite Navajo Taco - very good with the Fry Bread. We even had a chance to take some pictures of John Waynes headquarters at the trading post. JR took us through Monument Valley with a detailed description of all the Buttes and Mesas. Just a breathtaking area. Thanks to JR and our fellow companions for making it a great trip. Wouldn't have been the same without him.
Visited September 2012

Great Reviews on TripAdvisor (Redstone Tours)


Book Your Tour Today From Sedona to Grand Canyon - http://greatventures.com/tours.aspx?id=1


Dallas, North Carolina
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 starsReviewed December 5, 2012 NEW
WOW is really all I can say!! The whole trip is something that we will never forget. Aside from the Grand Canyon being absolutely breath taking (words really can not explain that!!)...JR (our guide) was amazing. We learned all sorts of cool things and I especially loved it when he whipped out his telescope to show us something that we would have not seen otherwise. The experience as a whole was worth way more than we paid! We enjoyed JR's company as well as his knowledge. It was only my friend and I and another couple on the tour so we all got personal attention. From this we take great memories, lots (i mean lots) of laughs and new friends. I would recommend this to anyone who asks!!
Visited December 2012

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving from Arizona

Native American Corn from Hopi Mesas
The attached videos are a rarely photographed glimpse into modern Hopi ceremonies. Last September, I had the honor of attending the 1st Annual Hopi Days at the Hopi Cultural Center. Thanksgiving seems like the perfect time to give thanks to the people who settled this part of the country thousands of years ago, and their descendants who live here today on the Hopi Mesas. Hopi Indians outlawed photography in 1949 and only rarely allow videos, or photography. You're gonna love the "little ones" dancing with the buffalo headdresses.

Happy Thanksgiving from Arizona!



Hopi Katsina Dolls
hand crafted from cottonwood root
Happy Western Thanksgiving from J.R. & Ko'ko!
My Brother Jerry is missed every day.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Arizona Dinosaur Tracks



While it's not possible to see a real T-Rex while touring around Arizona, you might just get to stand in the tracks of dozens of dinosaurs on your way to Monument Valley. It's not at a fancy museum, but will definitely impress you with hundreds of dinosaur tracks. It's our Monument Valley Tour, and the Navajo Indians who run the sight will ask for $5 to take you on a tour across their land covered with dinosaur tracks... including a print from a T-Rex.


Dinosaur Track with quarter
for size comparison
Redstone Tours
Monument Valley

J.R. Ralston
Tour Guide