Tuesday, February 21, 2017

I couldn’t have enough of saguaros and now, I cannot have enough of red rocks… I think I am having a case of Arizona amazement!

We started the day with breakfast and headed off to discover the town. After getting some information from the well-furbished Visitor Centre (331 Forest Road – http://www.visitsedona.com), we took the scenic road just across from our hotel – Dry Creek Road – which took us all the way to the ancient ruins of Palatki, a designated World Heritage Site. What an interesting visit and the best $5.00 we ever spent! The volunteers were very generous in telling us the story of the Sinagua Indians who built those cliff dwellings from 500 to 1425 AD.

You need to book your visit ahead of time because only small groups can go up and down a very narrow and rugged path (walking sticks are made available to visitors, which prove to be very useful!). At this time of the year, though, not having a reservation doesn’t seem to be a problem because the crowds are thin.

These rocks must hold some power because you cannot stop photographing them! Each angle offers a new arrangement and a new shade of light. Amazing!

There is a sunset hot spot in Sedona: The Airport Mesa. Airport Road winds up to a dead end (there is ample parking, for $3.00 per car), where you can witness an AMAZING sunset on the mountain range! Needless to say, all visitors congregate there, camera at hand! The colours are splendid and when the glow dissipates, so does the crowd. That’s when tripods are set up and longer exposures are used to capture the town lights or the dramatic skies. When we were done, only 2 cars were left in the parking lot…

Anecdote: Since we arrived, we have been looking for that perfect Cowboy and Cowgirl hats. Not the straw ones, but the more elegant ones made of felt. Still looking…  Will we find them in Sedona? Stay tuned.