Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Day 77: Spectacular Sedona!!

WOW…..WOW……WHAT a day of spectacular scenery!!!!!!!! A day of superlatives with each curve that we turned…..with each cloud that passed over……with the different slants of the sun beaming down/across the incredible bluffs and rocks and red mountains of that magical place called…….SEDONA!!!!!

We were up at the usual time. It was to have been below freezing last night so I opened the drain tank from the kitchen galley and then let the kitchen faucet drip all night…..and our water hose to TheHowserHouse did not freeze……like others in the RV Park. YEAH!!!

We left about 9am…..and headed east for 30 miles on I-40 to Flagstaff and turned south on the mountain road to descend for 13 miles at a 7% descent grade of the road into the canyons and finally surrounded by these HUGE red mts. and rocks that were that picturesque red color that so many magazines have featured. After a couple of picture stops we arrived in the town of Sedona……..and there is not any other town that is like this one…that can compare to this one. It has become a tourist destination for people from all over the world…..and we heard languages there from all over the world

The town is filled with wonderful….beautiful art galleries…..and soooo many wonderful shops that are not the average tourist traps. There are restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, contemporary sandwich shops, etc., etc., etc. BUT…….the overall WOW factor is the gorgeous surrounding scenery!!!! The colors of the rocks, bluffs, cliffs, surround Sedona is a burnt orange…….and with each passing cloud the color changes……and then sun shifts a bit and the colors change again. It is a never-ending color palette that revolves every few minutes…….all you have to do is just stand there and as these factors change the colors……your mouth just drops farther and you stand there feeling as if you are in some dream with all of these colors flowing through your head……..no words that I write can give you an accurate picture of this lovely, lovely town of Sedona and the surrounding area.

We went immediately to the local Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center to get some detailed maps and some suggestions as to the various roads that we needed to travel on for various viewpoints…..and some possible times for the various stages of the sun as it passed overhead and then as it headed down to the horizon. We came away with several road trips, times, and specific locations that we “must see”. We found a little place….while we were still parked(a difficult task to park in this town with little extra space for large trucks)…..a place much like St Louis Bread Company. We grabbed some soup, salad, and sandwiches and headed to the outside patio to sit, to eat, and to enjoy the ambience of the mountains radiating their various colors.

We then headed into the hills…..down and up the twisting roads to view the ever-changing scenery and color…..as I keep mentioning.. We spent the next several hours seeing as much as we could with the time we had. By late afternoon we decided to stop in town at an Arts district which is housed soooooo wonderful in great shops in a Spanish setting. Great shops…..great works of art by local artisans……and much beauty in some these artworks that were on display. From there, we headed to the main street…..and with a difficult task…again….of parking the truck, we went to an ice cream shop….and sat on the outside patio as we devoured them…..and once again….enjoying the red mountains. I picked up a Starbucks cappuccino as we headed back to the truck and then began the 13 mile ascent up the twisty, hairpin road where no semi’s are allowed, as well as rv’s. And….if the rver’s are sensible they will not even begin to attempt to come down or go up this road………never!

We returned to TheHowserHouse about 6:30pm…….filled still with the memories of this wonderful…..very magical place in the center of Arizona. It is no wonder that soooo many different New Age spiritualists find their way here……..even I found it a place to meditate on a higher power that can create such a wonder as this area!!!!

My pictures just do NOT show the colors….the wonderful warm feeling that these mountains project. I am really disappointed…….perhaps the worst day of pictures that I have done on the entire trip. Just couldn’t capture the true and vibrant colors of this area…….perhaps it is as it should be……..because everyone should find their way to Sedona and see it and experience it for only themselves…..and not for someone else. You will undoubtedly find yourselves renewed spiritually…….and question yourselves as to why we all cannot live in Peace in a place such as this.

Do I really need to say/write my usual tag line after a day like this???? Of course……because I feel even stronger about saying it than I usually do……..

LIFE IS GREAT……AND I HOPE IT IS FOR ALL OF YOU, ALSO!!!!!!

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