Sedona and The Desert (Day 11)

On my Grand Canyon tour, Steve the tour guide and I spoke a bit about my vacation and he told me that it would be well worth the extra hour's drive to see Sedona on my way out of Flagstaff. Several people at home had said the same thing, so I determined to drive through there on my way out. Then, thankfully, I spoke briefly with Jason, another tour guide, who explained to me that I should not take 17 south, but rather that I needed to take Route 89A, which would be the more beautiful of the two drives. He wasn't kidding. I looked it up later, actually; the drive itself is known as the Oak Creek Canyon scenic route, and it is listed as one of the top 5 scenic drives in America. I'm running out of new words to describe scenery - breathtaking, awe-inspiring - take your pick. But if you ever get the chance to be out west, don't miss driving down 89A into Sedona. The drive begins fairly levelly, through a lush Ponderosa Pine forest (upper left). Slowly, the road rises in elevation, and then before long it turns into a a very steep, sharply winding road (above, right). No more than 15-20 mph is possible even if it were permitted along the way, and I found myself gripping the wheel white-knuckled and heart racing as I made the descent into Oak Creek Canyon. Once down at the bottom, I was able to pull over to take a few pictures (left).

From here on into Sedona, the drive gets, if its possible, even more amazing. As the short drive progresses, the famous red rocks come into view. I'm sure I've seen these formations before, in movies or on postcards, but there is nothing like seeing them in person. I got lucky, too - I imagine the landscape would be beautiful in any weather, but I happened to hit Sedona mid-morning on a clear day with crystal blue skies. It was all color - the bright green of the vegetation, the bright red of the rocks. I think if anyone were to ask me what is the most beautiful place on earth, in my limited experience right now I might have to say Sedona, Arizona. Below are a few of the pics I took of the Red Rocks:

I was truly sad to leave Sedona and Northern Arizona behind. I felt like for the last several days I had been given a gift, like I had VIP pass to nature's greatest art show. From the drive through New Mexico to the Grand Canyon to Oak Creek Canyon and the red rocks, I have seen more true beauty than I can really absorb. Which explains, I guess, why the rest of my day was such a downer. Once I left Sedona, I got onto 17 headed south toward Phoenix, and from there headed west on 10 toward California and Palm Springs. The drive is almost entirely desolate, desert wasteland - the only changes in scenery come from beat up old (some abandoned) motor homes, cars and the occasional store or gas station along the route. I took several pictures, but I won't post them here for fear that I will bring everyone else down, as well! Suffice it to say, the air became hazy and thick as I left northern Arizona, the large cactus that dotted the side of the road looked to me as though they were mimicking a rude hand gesture, and the whole emptiness of it made my heart sink.

Despite the gloom of western Arizona, it was pretty cool getting to California. I was stopped at a checkpoint and asked by a very kind police officer where I was coming from. I told him, and he explained to me that in California they need to to agriculture checks - to make sure you're not bringing any fruits or vegetables in. I told him I wasn't, and he had a look inside my car before pleasantly wishing me a good trip and waving me along my way. About an hour or so thereafter, I arrived in Palm Springs, which was a bit of a relief, at least at first - there are palm trees everywhere that line the clean streets, the buildings are almost all entirely of that soft-pinkish red adobe-like construction; it truly looks to be an oasis. But when I stepped out of the car I nearly fainted immediately from the intense heat (I am told it went up to 114 yesterday.) It was simply too hot to do anything. I think I still also had a bit of a heavy heart, so I spent the evening in the hotel planning for the next step in my adventure - the California Coast.