Sedona

After something like a 9 or 10 hour sleep, I woke up to an incredibly gorgeous day.  Not seeing a cloud in the sky from the hotel room, I figured it was going to be blistering outside - after all, we're talking Arizona!  I soon found out that northern Arizona is very different - especially Flagstaff and points north.  And besides, where was the desert I was expecting?  Does this look like Arizona to you?

Obviously I was guilty of harboring stereotypes, and soon found out that Flagstaff, being at 7000 feet, is actually very nice and pleasant in the summer - I found myself in the low 70s - and gets snow in the winter measured in feet .  There are tons of pine trees everywhere.  Beautiful!  Seemed like the perfect day to go to Sedona, a place I've always wanted to see.  I figured I needed one more night's sleep before having to drive much further to the Grand Canyon.

Looking at a map, the drive to Sedona seems pretty straightforward.  Flagstaff is small enough that you can find the state and interstate highways very easily.  It seemed very easy to get on 89A and drive a mere 40 miles or thereabouts and end up in Sedona.  How much quicker and easier could it get?  And it started very pleasantly like this:

But very soon, my worst fears were about to be realized - treacherous switchbacks; treacherous for me, anyway. If, like me, you're terrified of heights, this is not a good road to drive on.  Yes...you have to drive down that mountain!

                                                           

I had to find the best spot to turn around and get the hell out of there!  I was forced to take the longer, but definitely less heart-pounding, option.  Using a combination of Interstate 17 and Route 179 was almost twice as long in terms of miles, but to me, well worth it.

A couple of tips....first of all, Sedona is at an elevation of roughly 3000 feet (give or take), so it is significantly hotter than Flagstaff.  While Flagstaff was luxuriating in the low 70s, Sedona was pushing into the 90s.  This means you need a good hat with a flap in the back.  Even if you think it looks goofy, trust me, you'll be glad you brought one along.  The dryness means you won't sweat anywhere near as much as you might in DC, so the hat will really keep you comfortable.  The other thing is to bring along a bottle of water with you when you walk the trails.  I'm not normally a big water drinker, and even I found myself chugging away at that bottle every few minutes.

The first word that came to mind on getting the first sight of  Sedona - after I picked my jaw off the car floor - was unreal!  Check out Bell Rock below.

In addition to being a haven for the extremely wealthy, as well as for artists of various persuasions, Sedona is renowned for its "vortexes" (not "vortices").  For one thing, the red soil is due to a concentration of iron, which explains the inordinately strong magnetic patterns in the area - a fact that has been scientifically proven.  But much more than that, a large number of people claim to have had spiritual experiences of various types and depths at specific places in Sedona.  Bell Rock is one of the many vortex locations in Sedona.  Some people say that the twisting of certain trees is evidence of the spiraling spiritual energies that emanate from these locations.

 

I'm certainly not one to question peoples' experiences, but although I went to at least 4 vortex sites - and there are reputed be at least 7, if not more - I felt little more than nicely relaxed.  But I talked to at least five other random Sedona residents who claimed very tangible, repeatable experiences , and a couple of them identified those very experiences as having been the major factor in their relocating to Sedona.  As easy as it is to ridicule such notions, it may be well to remember that this part of Arizona has been sacred to native people for a very, very long time.  Besides, aren't our own religious beliefs based primarily on faith?  Speaking for myself,  I am more than a little envious of those who get that spiritual uplift from the vortexes.

In fact, one of the vortex sites was acknowledged to be so signifcant that a chapel was built right on it, and this chapel is very traditionally Christian.

No matter what you think about the vortexes, it is an undeniable fact that Sedona is hypnotic.  The rock formations have a way of mesmerizing you and drawing you close.  I specifically found Bell Rock and the adjacent Courthouse Mesa totally spellbinding.

It was finally time to head back to Flagstaff, and I don't mind telling you that I had to pull myself away.  It was like going back into the practical world from a fantasy land, but not a fake Disney-like fantasy land - rather a place that seemed to mask an other-wordly reality.

Next episode...the Grand Canyon.

Sedona Pictures