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!

Sedona Landscapes

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in beautiful Sedona, Arizona now for 5 days . . How time flies when you’re having fun!

We try to come to Sedona once or twice a year, and always enjoy both the scenery and the climate here. This year particularly, coming here has given us a nice reprieve from what has seemed like an especially long winter farther north.

Sedona and the surrounding area are some of Lee’s favorite places to photograph, so of course, one of his main goals when we come here is to add to his repertoire of fine landscape photographic images. And I generally tag along with him on his quest for photo opportunities, to keep him company, and to enjoy the sights and sounds of the local countryside.

Lee’s photography ventures are usually around late afternoon and sunset, when the “light” is more interesting and the longer shadows add more contrast to one’s photos. A couple of days ago, we took a drive out to Long Canyon, an area a few miles north and west of Uptown Sedona, so Lee could capture some late afternoon images.

While he was setting up and conducting his own “photo shoot”, I wandered about and took a few snapshots of my own. I’d like to share these with you, since there are such incredibly beautiful landscapes around here . . . .

Here's the master photographer!

And his loyal companion . . .

As many times as we've been to Sedona, I never cease to be amazed at the beauty and grace of this area of the country.

In my next Blog Post, I hope to show you a little of Uptown Sedona, so please stay tuned!

Ciao!

Sedona Scenes and Memories

It took me a little longer than I'd expected to go through my trip snapshots and ready them for posting, but I guess.......as they say, "better late than never!"

I've tried to pick a few photos that are representative of Sedona and the surrounding landscapes, as well as to show you a few shots of my dear hubby, Lee and me.

Both Lee and I love our trips to Sedona, and we never tire of the majestic red rocks and the unique beauty of the desert. For those of you who've never had an opportunity to see Sedona, which is, in my opinion, one of the great TREASURES of the SOUTHWEST, I hope my little travelogue photos will pique your interest!

I've started off (above) with an Uptown Sedona snapshot....this is the "touristy" part of town, with lots and lots of souvenir, jewelry, tee shirt shops, restaurants, etc., etc.

And another Uptown Sedona shot.....you can see that even the concrete is made with the local red dirt. Many of the large rock formations surrounding Sedona are named for their shapes...e.g., Snoopy Rock, Coffee Pot Rock, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock....and so forth. I'm only beginning to recognize them, after years of traveling to Sedona!




Here's a whimsical pair of pink javelina sculptures in Uptown Sedona. Real javelinas (not pink, of course!) are known to roam the area near Oak Creek Canyon at night. We've even seen them at our little condo by the creek from our balcony! Javelinas are NOT pigs, believe it or not, even though they look like it. Their more scientific name is: collared peccary.





Here I am, having breakfast at the Sedona Airport Cafe.




And here is my husband Lee. He loves to soak up the ambience of the small airport scene in Sedona....having once been (indeed, still is) a small plane enthusiast and licensed pilot.



A typical landscape scene in the countryside around Sedona. I love the gnarly bark of these little cedar (I think!) trees.





And here's one of the many cactus plants around....I'm certainly no expert on desert plants, but I think this is a prickly pear cactus.....you see prickly pear jelly in a lot of the shops around town.




My husband tells me this is a ocotillo cactus. It looks pretty innocuous from a distance, but when you're up close to it, you can see it has inch long thorns! All these desert plants have to protect themselves, I guess.




Moi, soaking up some of the local landscape ambience. That's a Sedona tee-shirt I'm wearing....can you tell I'm fond of horses?



This is a scene from another of Sedona's attractions, the Tlaquepaque Shopping Village....it's a self contained outdoor shopping area that's been in Sedona as long as I can remember. It's nestled down along Oak Creek (which runs through Sedona) and was built to replicate a little town in Mexico by the same name. There are lots of unique shops and galleries, as well as restaurants in Tlaquepaque. Note the cobblestone pavement.




Here's one of several bronze statues in Tlaquepaque.








Me, in Tlaquepaque.




Hubby Lee, in Tlaquepaque. (See the cute bronze frog in the background?)



This was the scene just off the lower balcony of our condo time share at Arroyo Roble Resort (http://www.arroyoroble.com/) in Oak Creek Canyon. It was SO relaxing just to sit outdoors and listen to the rippling of the creek. Of course, this time of year, the cicadas were also singing from dawn to dark. (Growing up in Kansas, I'd never heard of cicadas...I used to call them locusts.) The Arizona cicadas seem to LOVE the huge old sycamore trees that line the banks of the creek.

You can click on the above (or any) photo to see it larger, and actually get a glimpse of the creek....I'll bet you'll ALMOST be able to hear the rippling of the water and the singing of the hundreds (or thousands?) of cicadas!





Lee, on the edge of Oak Creek.




And me, also on Oak Creek.




This gives you some idea of how HUGE some of the old sycamore trees are in the area. That's a sycamore tree on the right (Lee's left) and a cottonwood tree on the left. I understand that sycamore trees can live well over 100 years.

The above shot was taken in Crescent Moon Ranch State Park, near the Red Rock Crossing along Oak Creek, where many a photo have been taken of Sedona's most familiar natural icon, Cathedral Rock.




And here's my humble shot of Cathedral Rock......just taken across the pathway in the park, NOT from Red Rock Crossing.

I'm NO photographer (as you can tell by the fact that the sky in this last photo is "blown out"), but nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed these snapshots. I have certainly enjoyed being able to share them!