Let’s go see some red rocks!

Roger, Kathy, and Paul (Kathy’s dad) have been planning a fantastic quick trip to the scenic town of Sedona, Arizona for some time now. We were able to make our reservations final for the perfect timeframe of the last week of October. The weather was wonderful – crisp and cool mornings, lots of sun and light breezes by the afternoon, and crystal clear night skies.

Why Sedona, you might ask?  When you read through this and the next three journal entries – I hope you’ll understand.  I’ve seen photos before, but honestly… the experience outperformed my expectations.  Everywhere you looked was something phenomenal.

Flying early into Phoenix, we pick up Paul at his hotel (who flew in the night before) and after grabbing a cup of coffee for the road, we start up scenic I-17 into the distant mountains.  Driving along – the saguaro cacti seem to sprout out of nowhere and fill the high desert on either side of the highway stretching to the horizon.  Lots of excited chatter fills the car as scene after scene unfolds around each turn or over each crest. 

We realize that lunch is definitely needed before we get to our destination, so after some quick web-searching, we pull off into Camp Verde and start looking around.  After our first thought ended up being a no-go, we landed at what was actually the ultimate best choice.  Moscato Ristorante Italiano was a great find and a really nice, slow, and relaxing lunch.

Loading back into our BMW X-3 (a pleasant surprise upgrade!), we start back towards Sedona.  Seeing the highway exit sign and barely onto the new road, the red rocks of the Sedona valley become visible in the distance.  The anticipation continues to build until we make our first stop – Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock.

The small parking lot is bustling with cars and RVs as it’s also the start of a trailhead that looks popular with a number of hikers heading off towards the base of Courthouse Butte.  Walking towards the natural desert landscape and seeing these formations rise above you makes me wonder, as it often does, what the early American settlers thought as they came past in wagon trains heading to expand westward.  Obviously, some decided to stop here and it’s easy to see why.

Bell Rock is appropriately named, as it really does look like it just needs to be lifted up and shaken to release a deep ringing peal across the landscape.  Fortunately – no giants appear to act out this (admittedly odd) description of the formation.

Lots of photos later of this scene and we head off again!

This time – it was one of my “must stop” destinations of the Chapel of the Holy Cross.  One of Sedona’s most popular attractions, this church is literally carved into the hills and overlooks Cathedral Rock in the distance.  We knew parking was going to be at a premium, so I dropped off Kathy and Paul at the top before heading back down the hill to find a spot.  I seem to have inherited Paul’s “Golden Boy” parking status, as I found something maybe 10 spots down from the top!  Yay me.

Walking up the hill and onto the winding path up to the chapel, there are views of the Twin Buttes formation rising above us.  These are like a curtain of red rocks and stark edges on one side with a sweeping vista of the valley that can be seen below.  The chapel itself is relatively small – able to hold a maximum of 150 people.  But the smaller capacity doesn’t take anything away from the stunning window view behind the altar and massive crucifix that overlooks a breathtaking scene in the distance.

Paul lights a candle for Geri, and we all take some time to appreciate the ambiance inside the chapel.  The late afternoon sun through the window provides a perfect backdrop for some quiet meditation as worshippers begin to gather for the scheduled evening service.  After a few more moments of viewing the scenes outside the chapel, including a fun-to-find carved eagle head on the cliff, we head off now to our home base for the next few days.

HOWEVER – before we even arrive, we’re greeted by a welcoming committee of javelina crossing the neighborhood out on their evening jaunt.  It’s a fun little sighting of some of the local residents that was unexpected, even though we were told they were around!

Our VRBO house was even better than we expected.  Like our previous stop, this house had a massive back window that provided a beautiful vista of the red rocks east of Sedona.  

It was the back deck, though, that provided the “gasp” moment.  The tail end of the Capitol Butte formation rises above our back yard with striking features that we come to know well in various times of the day.  Our timing for today, though, is approaching an early sunset and the rocks are already glowing with the “golden hour” lighting as the sun moves towards the western horizon.

The light and shadows change quickly, with each “phase” being different but as beautiful as before.  When the direct light is finally off of the Butte, it’s still lit with a twilight glow for awhile longer before the soft purple of the evening begins to take over.

A perfect start to our vacation is in the bag – and we head to bed excited for the day ahead.