Uptown Sedona

Well, our vacation interlude to the beautiful Southwest is about to end. Tomorrow we head back to Utah.

But, I wanted to make just one more Blog post before we leave this beautiful place, and share a few more snapshots, particularly of Uptown Sedona. Who knows, maybe if you haven't already seen this part of the country, this little travelogue of mine might just encourage you to come see it yourself some day!

Uptown Sedona is the older part of town, and begins at the lower end of Oak Creek Canyon, about 28 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona. Uptown Sedona is centered around a short stretch of U.S. Highway 89A that runs from the base of Oak Creek Canyon to a mile or so west, and is peppered with numerous restaurants and touristy shops (t-shirts, southwestern souvenirs, fine jewelry, clothing, etc.)

The next few snapshots were taken as we were driving east on Highway 89A toward Uptown Sedona.

As you can see, Sedona is nestled among numerous huge red rock formations. Most of these rock formations have names, based on their shapes, although I certainly don't know all of them!

That's Uptown Sedona in the distance.

We're just beginning to come into the center of town, where all the tourist type shops and restaurants are located.

Sinagua ("without water") Plaza is a two level outdoor shopping plaza toward the eastern end of Uptown Sedona, near the entry to Oak Creek Canyon.

The sidewalks and most of the structures in Sedona are apparently made with stucco and cement using the local red dirt, since they're all about the same color.

There are several bronze statues scattered around Uptown Sedona, which is also known for its galleries and community of artists.

Here is Lee standing beside a hot pink sculpture of a mother and baby javelina. Javelinas (collared peccaries) are known to roam about the nearby countryside. We even saw some of these nocturnal animals outside our condo one night a few trips back. They look like pigs, but they're actually not related, I'm told!

Once again, an accommodating fellow tourist offered to take a photo of Lee and me as we strolled Uptown Sedona. This shot was taken at the edge of the sidewalk looking toward the red rock formations to the south of Uptown Sedona.

This and the following photo are also taken from our vantage point in Uptown Sedona, looking toward the south of town. The cottonwood and sycamore trees in the foreground line the banks of Oak Creek, which runs along the south edge of town. The trees are just beginning to leaf out.

It's always a little bittersweet for Lee and me when we're approaching the end of one of our little trips. As usual, we've thoroughly enjoyed our time here in beautiful Sedona, but we're both looking forward to heading back home tomorrow.

And most of all, we can hardly wait to see our dear greyhound, Harley, after being gone for a week!