Cindy put together another trip for us. This journey turned out so well that we decided to bring her sister and her brother-in-law along the next time. It was also good because my brother-in-law’s cousin worked in Sedona for a place called Pink Jeep tours. The best part was the side trip to the Grand Canyon!

We flew into Phoenix, I would have loved to be able to stop at Alice Cooperstown but settled for a t-shirt. I have always been a fan of Alice Cooper. Maybe next time I go there I may stop. One of the first things that greats you as you come up the road into Sedona is Bell Rock. I swear this has to be the most photographed rock. It is a beautiful red colour. We stayed at a complex right at Tlaquepaque which is the local arts place. Sedona is know as an artists mecca as well as an energy center. We met Harold and Mark there at Sedona Mystical Tours. That visit was an experience. Harold’s place was more like a museum to Egyptian mysticism. Harold even had a pyramid outside for people to sit in and recharge their energy. Harold noted my name White Wolf and brought out a wolf pelt for me to wear during our visit. I was a bit unnerved as I felt the wolf met a violent death, so I could not wear it long. A little White Dove sang which piqued Harold’s interest as he said she never did that. In Cindy’s presence it sang. So he gifted her the name White Dove. I bought her a coffee mug with white doves on it later.

The place we stayed at was great. There was the Oak Creek Brewpub right next door. I also had a friend who lived in Sedona. I was able to connect with her. It was so great to be able to meet her face to face as we had been friends online for many years going back to our days on Tribe.net.

It was interesting to walk down town and see plagues that honored many of the cowboy movie heroes that had worked in the area.

Of course the best part of the trip was the ride up Oak Creek Canyon and on up to the Grand Canyon. I have hundreds of pictures of the area. I just need to pick just a few but the pictures I post can never do justice to the majesty that one sees when you go there. That is definitely a must see!

We went up the back way so we hit the backside of the Grand Canyon first. We encountered this tower. It is a museum too.

Let me cut to the chase though, and show you some of the shots of the Grand Canyon. As I said, we repeated this the following year with my in-laws and it was also amazing. So let me share some of the vistas we saw.

As I said, there is no way my words or photography can capture the essence of this view. One other thing to note, that like our trip to New Mexico, we also saw a number of ruins. We also visited the Blow Hole of the Earth. It is located at Wupatki. There are a number of Anasazi ruins around. From the Wupatki site:

Located near the ceremonial ball court east of the major ruins, the blow hole is a crevice in the earth’s crust that creates the impression that it’s capable of breathing. It connects to an earth crack, an underground passage formed by earthquake activity in the Kaibab limestone bedrock.

It is also a must see stop. It is near the Painted Desert.

The ruins in the area are amazing, not only for their beauty but how they have mostly survived the onslaught of time. Look at how well those rock foundations were laid.

As with New Mexico, if you ever get a chance, it is well worth the time to travel to Sedona. I also would travel the back way going up Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona. This will take you to Crater Mountain. It is amazing to see the whole side in a fine black sand type material.

I hope you have enjoyed some of my memories. It has been a good many years, so hopefully I remembered things correctly.

Oh, one more thing, a few of the features of downtown is that there are a number of these formations that are named. There is even one they call Snoopy that you can see from downtown. It looks like Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse. There is just so much to see and do.

I hope to find the folder with the pics from the following year. I believe that is when Lakota, Eric, Harold, and Marc joined Cindy and I to celebrate my birthday at Oak Creek Brewpub. If I do, I will do another on Sedona as that had some amazing shots also.

I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour. As always, my heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Emma