Red Rocks of Sedona

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We left Williams yesterday and drove to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon. There were some spectacular views as we first climbed some and then descended well over 2000 feet into Sedona. After a quick stop at the Visitor Center, and a wonderful lunch at the Coffee Pot Restaurant, we set out to explore the town a bit. Incidentally, the restaurant got its name from the rock formation behind it that looks like an old-fashioned percolater, not because it specializes in coffee, although it does advertise 101 different omelettes. We spent some time wandering around the Tlaquepaque Plaza, a shopping area designed to look like a Mexican village. Although very picturesque, most of the shops and its many galleries were way too high-end for us; as Tom likes to say, "we're just simple folks." Today we did something we hadn't ever done before: a GPS-guided driving tour. We picked up our unit and accompanying map at the Visitor Center, and it guided us on two different tours of most of the famous red rock formations in and around Sedona. The directions were great, and prevented us from wandering aimlessly, wondering which way to go next. There was also interesting historical and background information, and even occasional trivia questions to keep you engaged. The rock formations are indeed awesome, and appear different depending on the light and one's perspective. People have named some of them, depending on what they resemble. There is Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and even Snoopy Rock, which looks like the famous Peanuts dog lying on his back on top of the doghouse. In some cases, had a hard time seeing it, but then, I'm not very good at seeing pictures in clouds, either. I kept thinking that perhaps this is what the Grand Canyon looks like from inside its depths. We can really understand the appeal that this area has for hikers......there are so many gorgeous places to explore. As for the famous Sedona vortexes........well, the whole explanation makes some sort of sense given the electromagnetic nature of the Earth, but we didn't personally seek out any of them. As you can see from the pictures, we had a simply beautiful day for our drive, although the temperature was in the mid to high 40's all day. As I write this in the afternoon, there are snow flurries. It's a good thing that Arizona is known for its snow-removal; otherwise we could be in trouble. Kind of sad to realize that today was our last tour, although it many ways (named Adam, Gracie, and Aidan, for example) we are so looking forward to returning home. I plan to do one last wrap-up blog full of all kinds of arcane statistics (miles driven, different beds slept in, etc.) after we get back and compile them. Again, it's been fun to virtually take all of you along with us, and we appreciate your support and feedback. All our best, Tom & Nancy

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Photos

PA260020
The dirt is red