658. Sedona and Red Rock Country

Where: Sedona, Arizona
When: June 26 - 27, 2011
With: Rachel, Melissa, John

#tbt

After leaving the Grand Canyon, it was time to head south towards Sedona to meet up with Melissa and John. The landscape as we drove changed drastically, from the flat, desert-like lands surrounding the deep crevices of the canyons to dense forest and winding roads through large mountain passes. And then, as if by magic, we were suddenly in Red Rock country, and sprouting up all around us were..spires of giant red rocks (I'm not sure what else I was expecting.)

It felt a bit like being on Mars. The rocks were so red and so oddly formed. The way they hovered behind us in the rearview mirrors as we drove along was just otherworldly. They made all kinds of fun shapes that have earned them fun and memorable names. My personal favorite was Snoopy rock, as it looks like the famous beagle asleep on top of his dog house.

From our hotel room, we had one heck of a view of the landscape.

When we got in, we decided to relax and lay by the pool to unwind after our long day of driving. Looking around, we enjoyed the view the setting sun made of the rocks, burning red in the fading light.

The next morning, we woke up early to try to squeeze in a hike before the Arizona sun became too brutal. Our destination was Bell Rock (shockingly named so due to its bell-like shape).

Climbing up was like being on the world's best jungle gym ever. The path is a bit "choose your own adventure" and there's a bit of actual climbing involved. Scrambling up to the top made me feel like a little kid at recess. As we climbed, we got a great view of the rest of the surrounding area. 

Hiding in the shade - almost at the top!

When we'd gone as far as we felt we could go, we looked back and were surprised how far up the bell we'd gone.

Some motivation to stay on the trail.

Hiking back down.

Feeling accomplished. We made it about 3/4 of the way up.

We then had a hike around the base. While the hike was flat, it was so much tougher due to the heat. By this point, the sun was starting to work its brutal magic and water was running low. It felt like all the water had been zapped right out of my body. Maybe it was one of the may energy vortices said to be centered at Bell Rock?

On the other side of Bell Rock. Already out of water, and only half way around the base.

6 months out of the year, this is a raging river. But in the summer time, there isn't even a trickle. It kind of looks like how the inside of my mouth felt. 

The rock that looks like a loaf of bread.

Starting to lag behind...visions of skeletons in the desert coming to mind. Where...is...the...parking lot?

For all my drama, I did make it through the 2 hour hike and managed to keep it together until I reached water and shade. We decided more hiking would need to wait, at least hiking in direct sunlight, so we headed into the Red Rock State Park, for a more shaded hike around the area...

It started off looking like more of the same, but eventually the trees closed in, there rivers started babbling, and we had a nice stroll in the shade.

My afternoon soon came to an end, and it was time for me to drive back to Phoenix for the red-eye back home. As I drove through the landscape with the red rocks around me, I couldn't help but stop and try to take some photos along the way.

As the sun was setting over the Arizona landscape, I had to stop, along with several other highway drivers, to enjoy the view and say goodbye.