SEDONA

Hello everyone. I hope you are all happy, healthy, and enjoying the day. I thought it would be nice to write about something other than a National Park again. So this is going to be about a wonderful, beautiful, and somewhat quirky little city in central Arizona, Sedona.

First of all, the four of us were completely in awe of it’s spectacular setting in the Verde Valley. Red rock formations completely surround the city. The color changes as the day gets older and nighttime draws near. I cannot accurately describe the color and changing faces of the red rock formations. We encountered the mountains, hills, and mesas of red rock for more than 20 miles before reaching the city. We just kept saying wow! That drive alone was worth the trip to Sedona. Luckily we stayed for five nights, and never tired of the beauty of the surroudings we were in.

I said the city is somewhat quirky. But I mean that in a nice way. It is centered on it’s art and spiritual communities. There are art shops on just about every corner. Restaraunts abound. Schools, classes, and tours of different art forms are easy to find. That is not unusual. Many tourist towns have these types of attractions. These, however, were largely focused on southwestern culture and history. A good portion centered on the Najavo people and the history and beliefs of that indigenous Nation. We all very much enjoyed experiencing that.

But what may make Sedona stand out from the rest? It has strong bend on different types of spiritual beliefs. Many are drawn to the energy vortexes which are believed to be present. Others to the Buddhist temple. Still more come here for the closeness to nature and the calm presence of the surroundings. I give no bias hopefully in what I am writing. I really enjoyed our time there. To prove my point about the quirkiness though, here are a few shops and services that you can find in Sedona.

Sedona Spirit Journeys & Vortex Tours, Sedona UFO Tours, Vortex Yoga Hiking, Crystal Gratitude, Soul Stone Vibrations, Psychic Readings, and the Chakra Shop. I could go on with this list, but you probably get the idea of the amount and different types of spiritual beliefs that are alive and well here. But I have saved the best one for last, at least I think so. Past Life Regression!! Really. Oh well. Live and let live. Even if it was in a past life!

And there is shopping. Lots and lots. And lots! The Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village is an amazing assortment of art, clothing, jewelry, and restaurants. We spent the better part of a day there, and of course, some things were bought. But, this is a trip celebrating two anniversaries. There has been, and will continue to be shopping. The End.

Here are some pics I hope you enjoy. The picture of The Tlaquepaque sign will be followed by pics of different stores, wall art, and the environment suurounding the shops.

And so we continue on with our month on the road. I’ll post things about the Grand Canyon NP and the Petrified Forest NP soon. We have already been to them both, but I thought this posting would be fun and interesting for you to see now. It was fun for me to write. Stay smiling.