Central Arizona

We headed north from Phoenix in an attempt to escape the sun and came to Red Rock State Park near Sedona, Arizona. We hiked some trails for a couple of hours and collected red dust in our socks that may never come out. 

Red Rock State Park, Arizona. More info HERE

We then met up with a friend in Sedona who took us to Jerome, a former mining town turned ghost town turned art community. It was a lovely town built on a mountainside. The old jail from the town has slid more than 200 feet from its original spot. Of course, when I looked about and wondered where it had slid from, both my companions pointed downhill and said, “Not from there.” Ever so helpful.

Sedona was also a nice town, with nearly all its buildings made in the same pink adobe look. Even McDonald's was pink and the Golden Arches were teal green. Sedona is also supposed to be the most psychic spot in the world, with seven vortexes of psychic energy “gushing out of the earth like geysers.” Let it be known that we did not see any energy vortexes gushing forth during our time in Sedona.

While in Arizona, we traveled through Oak Creek Canyon, a lovely 25 mile drive on narrow, winding roads, with sheer red rock cliffs rising on the west side of the road and Oak Creek meandering off on the east side, shrouded by trees. At the northern end of Oak Creek Canyon we found Flagstaff, an oasis in the desert with cool mountain air and plenty of shade trees.