Unfortunately, I did not get to spend as much time there as I'd hoped. Suffice it to say that the four or five hours we spent there were enough to make me want to go back. There were many rock shops and New Age shops and restaurants, but the best part was the absolutely beautiful scenery. After making a second trip to Sunset Crater, then driving to the nearby Wupatki Ruins, we drove from Flagstaff down to Sedona in the afternoon along what was one of the most nerve-wracking roads I've ever been on. Narrow, many hairpin turns and switchbacks with towering rock outcroppings on one side and sheer drops on the other. Once we got out of the nightmare portion of the drive, we were treated to a combination of breathtakingly beautiful red rock formations and lush forest trails and camping areas. We arrived in Sedona around 5:00 in the afternoon with a nearly full moon rising in the east. What a lovely sight. It put all the tourist shops and the rest of the town to shame. We wandered the streets a bit, browsed the shops, ate dinner, then returned to Flagstaff. I certainly hope I get to go back soon.
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| The road to Sedona. It was like this or worse most of the way there. |
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| Some of the beautiful rock formations along the drive to Sedona |
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| Sedona moonrise |
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| Just a small portion of the shops we saw |
Hoping you get to make another trip to Sedona soon. Looked like fun.
ReplyDeleteIt was beautiful, Nancy. I'd love to try to get back there this May. Hoping...
Deletewhat wonderful rock formations...
ReplyDeleteOh, Juliet, they were awesome. It was difficult to take good photos while driving past them (son was driving, not me) and there weren't many places to pull off to take pictures. I deleted a large number of them because they were blurry. We should have gone back the next day, but we really needed to head back to Alabama. The kids had things scheduled for late May and we wanted to get to Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, and Meteor Crater that we passed during the night on the way out.
DeleteAw thanks. We came down from Flagstaff in a camper van pulling a BIG U-Haul trailer! Wow! Truly a fantastic place and scenery. After you got down the hilly, windy part, but still before Sedona, you went by two stores and a place called Indian Gardens. That is where we lived - right on Oak Creek - for a year.
ReplyDeleteIt you were driving down 89A in a camper pulling a trailer, that must have been some drive!! It was harrowing in a minivan--and trying to take in all the natural beauty at the same time. It is an absolutely beautiful place. I am not a shopping person, but I would love to go back to do some camping and hiking before I become too old and crippled to get around. I would have loved to spend time exploring the Oak Creek area. Only one thing bothered me--signs with rattlesnake warnings at the entrance to camping areas! I'm not afraid of snakes, but I have no desire to surprise anything poisonous or take a nap with one in my sleeping bag. I do hope to make it back out there as soon as possible and do more than wander the town's streets and shops.
DeleteYour photos of Sedona are spectacular! It must have been amazing to see in person.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fran, but these were just cell phone photos. I did get a few good shots with my son's camera, but they aren't easy for me to acess for the blog. I should fix that!
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