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Friday, 01 April 2005 16:00 |
 Okay, what can I say about Sedona?
USA Weekend rates it as the most beautiful place in the United States and I believe they are right. The beauty of this place is astounding and we have decided that it is worthy of many visits, this one being our first. Today, in Camp Verde, the overnight temperature was around 10C and this morning it was pushing 19C by 11:00 AM. We are still having beautiful weather, the clear blue skies and sunshine seem to be following us and we have no complaints at all. We started our day in the well-equipped exercise room before breakfast and then we took our time getting ready to explore the area. We met our next-door neighbours, a couple from Ohio here on vacation and got some suggestions of places to visit in the area and some "must sees". By 1:00 we were driving north on Hwy 17, towards Flagstaff on our way to Sedona. Being a Saturday, we knew there would be a big influx of tourists so we decided to make today's visit primarily a driving visit with the "on foot" exploring put off for later in the week when things should quiet down a little. We exited at Hwy 179 and within a few miles we began to see what all the fuss is about and it took our breath away. As we proceeded through "Red Rock Country" things became more and more beautiful and by the time we reached Oak Creek, five miles south of Sedona, we didn't know which direction to look in to see the most spectacular view.
Once we arrived in Sedona we decided to park the car after all and walk around the town for a while. There were hundreds of tourists doing the same thing but we enjoyed our stroll and confirmed the decision to return during the week when it was less busy. We then continued driving northeast on Hwy 89A, 16 miles to Flagstaff, which sits at a much higher elevation and by the time we reached there, the temperature had dropped from 22C in Sedona to 16C, quite a difference. We could see snow on the ground in the forests around Flagstaff and on the mountain peaks in the distance and it made us thankful that we were staying in the warmer Verde Valley. Our day was literally "awesome" and we are thankful we are here for five more days. 
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