Pet rock escapes; takes dip in Sedona Spa

Talk to any Sedona Jeep tour driver and you’ll learn that kids don’t own the market for saying the darndest things.

Drivers put a lot of effort into spinning interesting and compelling yarns about the geography and history of places they take city folk and international visitors; especially those who drive for companies that have to go a little farther into the outback to get to the good trails.

Sedona has spectacular scenery and wildlife you won’t see elsewhere. Sometimes that prompts guests to ask questions only a mother would love. Your tour guide is apt to have a little fun with them.

Guest: How high up the mountain do you have to go before the deer turn into elk?
Driver: Um, deer don’t ‘turn into’ elk.

Guest: Why are the rocks redder at lower elevations than higher up on the mountain?
Driver: That’s as high as the painters’ ladders reach.

Montezuma’s Castle is a 1,000-year-old Sinagua Indian dwelling that’s basically a 20 room high-rise apartment built into the hillside. It’s definitely off the beaten path of modern civilization.



Guest: Why didn’t they build it closer to the highway?
Driver: …

My personal favorite is the one where a guest asked why some large boulders were wrapped in wire cages. The straight answer is that the wire prevents them from slipping from erosion.

Driver: Remember when pet rocks were all the rage in the 1970s? Well, some people just couldn’t take care of them and dumped them off in the desert. We had to cage them to keep ‘em under control.

Seems one got away and took a dip in a hot tub.

No joke.