Snapshots from Everywhere

Sedona, Arizona

When we arrived in Sedona, it was in darkness. Use to waking up early during the vacation (well, at least my friends were), we were greeted by a spectacular sunrise. As the sun slowly rose, the landscape became lit with an almost reddish glow of the red rocks that makes this place famous.

We were fortunate to have a really nice view from our second floor room at the Kokopelli Motel. On the other hand, virtually every hotel or motel in Sedona had a good view. There were no high rises anywhere, no tall buildings at all. Why is this? Well, you have understand that Sedona's main business is tourism. The Chamber of Commerce in Sedona is governed by some very wise people who knew not to kill the goose which laid the golden egg.

In the state of Arizona, you'll notice that a great deal of attention had been made to making sure the highways and overpasses blended in with the natural landscape. The pinnacle of this effort can be seen in Sedona, where the building codes are probably very strict. All the buildings have hues which are harmonious with the landscape. The effect is that much of the residential buildings are unseen.

Even McDonald did not escape from the strict code. The normally bright yellow arches were not to be seen, instead replaced by a tasteful small pale blue M. Instead of garish signs hawking for the attention of tourist, Sedona's downtown strip contained subdued store fronts, each vaguely distinctive and a quaint manner.

We spent a nice morning just soaking the morning rays with some wonderful java. All the places we ate or drank at in Sedona were just really nice. I wish I could remember the names of the places. They're all really cute and artsy.

That is not to say we did nothing but eat, drink and lounge around in Sedona (though we really enjoyed that). Did I mention there are numerous stores cattering to the new age crowd? For those in belief that crystals and rocks have powers, Sedona is the place to be! There are plenty of friendly folks and curio shops in Sedona (along with the good eats).

Some of the things we did in Sedona (other than eat, drink, and relax) were things like a full moon hike up a mountain, visit the nearby ancient cliff dwellings once inhabitted by the Puebloan Indians, and took a wild jeep ride with Pink Jeep Tours.

Please be patient. More photos to come. Click on photo for bigger image.

Sunrise from our motel room. Red are the rocks in Sedona. I have a T-shirt dyed with the red soil of Sedona. It's a beautiful earthy red shade.

Another photo from our motel room.

Some wierd statue of a Pueblo Indian and his dog on the main street in Sedona. This is in the parking lot of one of the stores.

We visited the Palatki ruins. It's been quite a while and my memory is fuzzy but these ruins are intact only because they reside underneath a natural cliff overhang, hence the term for their inhabitants, cliff dwellers. Puebloan Indians dwelled here over a thousand years ago. Quite old and there's a park ranger to give you the facts about the ruins.

Ancient pictographs on Palatki cliff walls. Not sure how old they are but estimates are at least 3000 years old.

I just like the posture and expression on her face as she steps into an old shelter.

These trees are found in a couple of places in Arizona. Specifically, in Sedona, they are termed Vortex trees for the so called magnetic forces that have caused them to twisted in strange manners! Okay, you don't have to believe in the new age stuff but its still a neat sight.

Yet another photo of a vortex tree beneath the blazing Arizona sun.

I have to recommend the Pink Jeep Toursfor a wild a crazy ride! Our driver had us gripping our seats and holding on for dear life. In any case, you'll see some interesting rock formations and the Jeep's capability to climb and descend ridiculous trails.

I'm riding shotgun. Look at where the mirror is pointed. That should give you an idea of our inclination.

Just a picture of what you can expect to see around Sedona.

Picture of me and some of my companions on this excellent adventure.

This is the type of trails that the Pink Jeep Tour took us on. That's a mighty steep hill.