Wed March 11th: Sedona

The day after our Grand Canyon trip we drove to the red rock country of Sedona. We took the bulky motor home as it appeared to be a fairly easy round trip of less than 100 miles. Problem is, having just visited the Grand Canyon, how can any rock and canyon scenery top that? Well, maybe not, but the red rocks were superb, and carved into all sorts of strange shapes; the one on the left looks like a flying saucer, presumably full of little red men rather than green ones.

 The town of Sedona, in the heart of the rock formations, was far more congested than we bargained for, as was the whole area, but perhaps not surprising given the lovely surroundings. However, it meant we couldn’t park the motorhome to take a more leisurely look or take photos, and by the time we had found a place the red rocks has nearly gone. The parking spot was pleasantly right by the river, so we had lunch there.

There were high cliffs across the road, also in a beautiful setting. The whole area is served by many walking trails, ancient Indian sites and a preserved mining town. We said if we came back we would need to stay in Sedona and explore it properly.

The Sedona area also attracts mystics. It is claimed to be one of the premier places on Earth for vortexes, points at which swirling waves of energy are emitted and can be interacted with. The precise locations are known and draw people who wish to harness these energies. I suppose it’s one of those things you have to believe in to derive any benefit from.

The road follows the same river that we stopped beside for lunch in a narrow canyon. It then climbs steeply from the river to the lip of the canyon wall where we stopped at a viewpoint to look back down the canyon.

A Navajo Indian market was set up in the viewpoint with certified genuine Navajo made goods. But who certifies the certifiers?  Nothing we wanted, although Jane was interested in the beadwork. 

In two days we leave the natural beauty of this area for the ultimate in manmade tinsel town- Las Vegas.