Sedona

We get an early start from Gallup and soon find ourselves crossing the border back into Arizona.

Welcome to Arizona sign

Although we have both visited the Petrified Forest as kids, we decide to take a short detour to the Visitors' Center. Next time we'll take more time to drive through the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert.

Entrance to the Park

Visitors' Center

We learn from a video that these trees came from a Late Triassic forest which was covered with ash during a volcanic eruption. Over the eons, the cell structure of the trees gradually mineralized preserving the trees in brillant colors.

Mineralized rings of a petrified tree

Large petrified trunk

Common dinosaur from the Late Triassic

At one point we had planned to camp at Homolovi State Park, Hopi for “Place of the Little Hills.” In addition to camping facilities, this state park encompasses at least two major archeological sites of large Anasazi (ancestors to the Hopi) pueblos. Next trip we plan to spend more time here.

Visitors' Center at Homolovi

Flagstaff backed by the San Francisco Peaks

After an excellent lunch in Flagstaff, we head south down into Oak Creek Canyon. As we get deeper into the canyon, the views become more and more spectacular.

Pine trees and magnificent cliffs

Cottonwoods with peak

Red sandstone buttes are what Sedona is famous for

Uh oh... major traffic jam in Sedona... but this is a weekday??? Maybe we shouldn't have tried to come here during Easter Week. We learn later that Sedona is particularly popular with tourists from the Phoenix area. Oh well, we've been pretty good at avoiding crowds until now.

Easter Week traffic jam in Sedona

We find our campsite at Rancho Sedona RV Park and get settled.  It's a beautiful park and we would have loved it IF it weren't completely full to the brim.

Our campsite

Wonderful views from our campsite

Peter at park entry

We decide to take a hike away from town to avoid crowds. Unfortunately, jeep tours are a favorite local activity and we are tailed by Pink Jeep Tours and just about every other color of jeep tour you can think of.

Pink Jeep tour #1

Red jeep tour

Pink Jeep Tour #99

Time to find the trail and get away from all the jeep roads. Ah, much nicer hiking on a trail.

View from trail

It is very beautiful here and we can see why it attracts so many tourists.

Sandstone butte

Peter on hike

Spring flowers bloom below buttes

As the afternoon wears on, shadows deepen and colors turn from reds to purples.

Sedona backed by sandstone peaks

Our shadows grow in the late sun light

As we turn back towards our campsite, we check out some of the local sights along the way.

Gate to Sedona Creative Life Center

Looks New Agey complete with pyramid

Historic Sedona home

It was a lovely hike. Next time we'll try to avoid the tourist season and stay longer to explore.

Panorama with shadow signature

The next morning we're up early to start back towards California.  Even though we retrace our steps back out of Oak Creek Canyon, it looks different coming the opposite way in morning light.

We begin to climb out of the canyon

Road narrows...

almost to the top