Returning one hundred and ten miles south of the
Grand Canyon to the Red Rock Country of Sedona has become the last hurrah of our Southwest fall journey. An afternoon spent at Red Rock State
Park here hiking the trails to House of the Apache and Cathedral Rock vista overlooks
was amazing. A short hike along a dirt trail paralleling a stream got us to Buddha
Beach where rocks were stacked into cairns and to a flat red rock area
considered to be part of Cathedral Rock vortex.
A photographer set the standard for capturing red rock reflections in the stream. 
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| Cathedral Rock |
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If you only have time for one cultural site while ever in Sedona,
the Chapel of the Holy Cross should be it. This stunning church -- designed by
sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude (a student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright)
in the 1950s -- protrudes from the red cliffs as an amazing feat. Across from the Chapel down the road is
a palatial home owned by the fellow who invented Lasik surgery.
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| Afternoon sunlight on Sedona's cliffs |
Sedona's visitors often hear talk of vortexes, which are
cyclones of energy that come directly from the earth and can be felt by those
in their presence. These vortexes are represented by the uniquely shaped rock
formations believed to emit energy. All the hype about Sedona
vortexes intrigued us to drive up to Airport Mesa overlooking the city below
for a breathtaking view. It made
for a majestic scene of grandeur before heading home to California. The Red
Rocks are gorgeous, but after Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon - well, its
all degrees of stunning really.
The real surprises came when two javelina pigs
crossed the Red Rock Loop Road as the sun was setting and the sky had a small burst
of colored light refracting an aura.
