On some of the days the sky in the desert was an indescribable blue. Have you ever seen such a color? I didn't do any digital tweaking and for once the camera lense captured what I saw against the white bark of this desert sycamore. The green in the center is mistletoe. They must do a lot of kissing in Arizona, because it was everywhere. (Click the photot for a bigger view.)
The mornings were a cool 45 and by afternoon Sedona hills were warming to a toasty 70 degrees. Perfect weather for hiking if you layered your clothes.
We had not been to Sedona, Arizona for almost a decade and I noticed substantial changes starting with the fifteen minute traffic jam to get to the other side of the hill where we were staying upon our arrival. This place in the desert among the red rocks is being loved to death by soul searchers, mystics, retirees, real estate developers, bike riders, hikers (us), rich Californians and tourists from around the world. The year-round population of Sedona is supposed to be about 12,000 but this is followed by the statement that over 4,000,000 tourists visit each year. The city of Pheonix to the south is growing even faster.
In spite of the initial shock we were able to get away from it all and find some restorative hours studying the flora and fauna each day. We packed light lunches and extra water and always found a challenging or not-so-challenging trail to fill our day.
I still have over 300 photos to sort, but will not post them all here.
I wish I could see them all :) I've always wanted to see Sedona, it's awesome looking!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are beautiful. I have not been to Arizona - El Paso was as close as I got.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see some of them. That blue in the top photo is wonderful. I was in Sedona and Phoenix about 6 years ago, and I liked that area very much, especially Oak Creek Canyon.
ReplyDeleteIve heard so much about it from "seekers"...tell me more, show me more!!
ReplyDelete