Red Rocks, Snoopy, and fantastic photography

Saturday, 27 October.  Well, since my last blog entry we've spent a couple days in Sedona, soaking up the beautiful scenery and tasting the offerings of several Sedona restaurants.  Oh, and also relaxing, some light reading, and doing just nothing.  And that's always pretty nice - one of the real benefits of retirement.  But first, let's talk about Sedona and the mystical aura it casts across this region of America.  There is certainly no escaping the overwhelming awe one experiences during a visit to this almost magical area. The majestic red sandstone buttes stand in contrast to a vast blue sky that seems to go on forever.  Want proof?  Here's a photo I took at sunset the other day just after we'd enjoyed an excellent Mexican meal at the Oaxaca Restaurante in downtown Sedona. I'm pretty proud of this particular photo.  It not only captures the "Snoopy" red rock formation (left side of photo...use your imagination) but also the nearby forests of Coconino National Forest --- and as a bonus, the rising moon.  Quite a shot, eh?

Our first visit to Sedona was this past Tuesday.  We left our campground and drove out to I-17 and headed north toward Flagstaff.  I wanted to take AZ Hiway 179 off I-17 into Sedona since it's the most dramatic entrance into the town.  I also wanted to stop and sightsee at Montezuma Castle National Monument (MCNM) , which is just off I-17.  MCNM is really the story of the native Sinagua people who built and lived here for over 300 years; the first settlers to Verde Valley gave the dwelling the misnomer of "Montezuma," which stuck, but I don't think the Aztecs ever made it this far north.  The actual "castle" is a 20-room dwelling built into the cliffside (see photo below).  This is a well-maintained national park venue and well worth the 10-minute detour off the Interstate.

After leaving MCNM, we headed for Sedona, driving thru Red Rock Canyon State Park (RRC SP).  After traveling to Sedona from Cottonwood via AZ Hiway 89A, I would strongly recommend using the 179 and the RRC SP as the entry point into the Sedona area.  You'll be treated to some fantastic viewpoints along the drive, especially around the Village of Oak Creek that serves as a bedroom community for Sedona.  You'll see spectacular cliffs, red buttes, and canyons, all surrounded by the rugged beauty of Coconino National Forest.  Here's the very first view we had of the beautiful red rock formations as we approached Sedona. This one is called the "Bell" and the drive thru Oak Creek brings one up close and personal to this particular formation.  Although we didn't venture outdoors (my bad knee was really acting up), there are numereous trails one can take that will bring you right to the base of the Bell.

Another red rock formation near the Village of Oak Creek

We drove around the Village of Oak Creek to get as good a view as we could of the other red rock formations in the immediate area.  I took far too many photos, but kept coming around another bend in the road that offered a different perspective of a formation or even another rock out-cropping or butte. The rest of the drive into Sedona offered more photo ops and of course, I continued to take shot after shot.  Some came out pretty good, others not so good.  Here are some of the ones I like best.

Sooner than expected we finally got our "fill" of red rock formations (wonderful natural beauty or not) and were also feeling those hunger pangs in our stomachs.  So it was off to Sedona to check out some of the town's finer restaurants.  We ended up eating a late lunch/early dinner at the Wildflower Bread Company.  We each had a half sandwich with a bowl of soup, both of which were scrumptous.  We ate our meal on the outside patio that just happened to give us a front row seat to a panorama of red rock formations across a valley of evergreens from the Coconino forest.  What a view!  It's really hard to describe the beautiful scenery the Sedona area offers up at just about every turn in the road.  I'm running out of superlatives.

We did come back to visit Sedona again on Thursday, as I mentioned, and just by chance were treated to the town's red rock formations at sunset.  I opened this blog entry with one shot I took that afternoon, and will close with a couple more. One in downtown Sedona, the other on the way back to the campground.  We'll be leaving Verde Valley, Cottonwood, and Sedona all too soon, but we have thoroughly enjoyed our adventure here.  What a wonderfully fantastic natural beauty!

Here's a spectacular view (below) of the surrounding red rock formations, looking back north toward to Sedona, as we approached our campground at dusk.  What a great place to stay for a few days!