A Day in Sedona

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Another weekend out of town... left after work Friday evening, returned on the red-eye in time for work on Monday morning...

I was looking forward to really hot weather in Phoenix, only to find temperatures peaking in the high 80's, low '90's all weekend. Nevertheless, I had a great time catching up and staying with friends in north Phoenix.

On Saturday morning, we embarked to Sedona, about a 90-minute drive north of where we were based. This was my first trip to this resort town and we had a fun time! You don't really notice Sedona while driving on the 17 North, but once you're off the highway and you begin to see the red rocks, WOW... early on, skies were overcast and temperatures were cooler than expected... this was documented in some of the pictures taken.

We had hoped to grab lunch at Bistro Bella Terra on the Hyatt site, only to find signage that the restaurant was being replaced... which was unfortunate given my friends had enjoyed eating there whenever they were in town. We ultimately dined at Open Range... wanted something that wasn't flat-out touristy where we could still enjoy a view of the red rock! Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience save for one friend receiving his mixed vegetables drowning in butter.

After lunch, we opted to take the trolley tour where our helpful guide drove us by Tlaquepague, Chapel of the Holy Cross, and just about any downtown site that displayed some sort of eccentric architecture. As I've observed from others' writings, I also found it hilarious that as we were approaching Chapel of the Holy Cross, most of us were agog or distracted by the enormous house across the street, near the base of the driveway leading up to the Chapel. Kudos to that family for having the funds to develop that property. Regardless, we took our best panoramic shots outside of the chapel... (there, I realize that, at some point, I should take a photography course and perhaps invest in something other than a point-and-shoot digital camera!)

After the tour, we proceeded to one of the more popular scenic views - the Bell Rock trail. Though we didn't finish any of the trails, we walked around long enough to embrace the scenery and take more pictures. By then, the skies had also cleared up and we felt, well, like we were in Arizona (re: warm)!

I would love to return to Sedona someday and will always think of my friends when reflecting back to my first Sedona experience!

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Photos

Taking pictures from chapel view...
I don't remember the names associated with the rocks/vortexes... but they were photogenic!