On our way to Sedona, we made a brief stop east of Flagstaff to see Meteor Crater. The crater, which was formed when a meteorite struck the earth about 50,000 years ago, is 3/4 mile in diameter and 560 feet deep.
In the 1960s and 70s, NASA astronauts trained in the crater to prepare for the Apollo missions to the moon. When one of the astronauts tore his suit on a rock in the crater, NASA discovered they had to improve the suits.
Visitors can only view the crater from the viewing platforms at the rim. The property is privately owned, and in my opinion, the experience is not worth the price of admission.
On to Sedona. The campground in town was fully booked, so we stayed in Page Springs Resort in Cornville, AZ, just a few miles from Sedona. Don't be fooled by the name. The facilities were terrible. The only saving grace was it was free with our Coast-to-Coast camping membership. Fortunately, we were gone most days, so we lived with it.
On our first full day, we met up with friends whom we had met in Capital Reef. We spent the morning at Tiaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village in Sedona wandering around the colorful courtyard and enjoying the shops filled with beautiful art.
After lunch at Oak Creek Brewery in the village, it was time for sightseeing and hiking. Sedona is red rock country. You are surrounded with beautiful scenery everywhere you go.
We stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross,
a unique chapel that is built into the rocks.
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| Bell Rock |
Then we headed over to Bell Rock and walked along a path around the rock. Here are some scenes from the walk.
The sun was setting as we returned from our walk, and it lit up the rocks.
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| Lee and I at the trailhead |
On day two we hiked the Boynton Canyon Trail. It's a 2.5-mile moderate hike that passes through deciduous forest until it reaches a climb to an overlook in a large box canyon.
The first part of the trail skirts the Enchantment Resort, a private resort that you can see in the valley on the left. But don't dare to enter, or you will be evicted!
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| Along the trail |
We saw the remains of stone walls built by cliff dwellers in front of alcoves in canyon walls. They were used to store grains.
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| Lee, Judy, and Edd at the overlook |
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| View of the box canyon from the overlook |
On our way back, we took a side trail to the Vista Trail that climbs to Boynton Canyon Spire. This is considered one of the vortex areas in Sedona. When we arrived at the base of the spire, we looked up to see a man at the top playing a flute.
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| Obligatory brewery photo! |
That night we went back to the Oak Creek Brewery with Edd and Judy for pizza and beer. A fun end to the day.
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| Audrey Headframe Park has a 1918 mine shaft on display. |
On day three, Lee and I took a drive to the quirky little town of Jerome. Jerome was a booming copper and gold mining town founded in 1876. Saloons and brothels lined the streets. When gold and copper dwindled the town became a ghost town.
Many of the original buildings still stand and are occupied by artists, unique shops, restaurants, and wine bars.
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| Art (?) installation where an old hotel once stood |
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| Lee's over the shoulder shot |
On day four, we went for a bike ride with Edd and Judy along some of the backroads of Sedona.
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| There was lots of climbing! |
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| At the highest point of our ride. The name says it all. |
One of the special things about travel is spending time with new friends that we meet along the way.
Back in the parking lot after our ride, we met this very unusual couple from Alaska who literally travel the world in his homemade home on wheels.
Time to leave Sedona. Looking forward to our next adventure!
That's all for now,
Lynda
It's a short drive from the campground to the park's West Entrance Station. You can follow Park Boulevard all the way around to the North Entrance Station in the town of Twentynine Palms. When you drive along this loop road, you see a very diverse landscape....Joshua trees, a variety of cacti, and huge piles of boulders.
Near the North Entrance in the town of Twentynine Palms, is another area of the park called Fortynine Palms Oasis. It's a 3-mile round trip hike to an oasis of fan palms. We didn't have time to get all the way down into the canyon, but we could see the palms from a viewpoint above.
