“Red Rock Country”
It was June 2001 and my family was fortunate to be vacationing in Sedona, Arizona, affectionately known by the locals as “Red Rock Country”.
This region of the United States had been on my radar for almost a decade having read about this travel destination in the Philadelphia Inquirer – Travel Section, early-mid 90’s.
We drove north from Phoenix to Sedona. Along the way we experienced the Apache Trail, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and Superstition Mountains.
Once in Sedona, we hiked the following areas; Baldwin/Templeton Trails, West Fork, Devil’s Bridge and Boynton Canyon Pass viewing the following 'amazing' rock formations; Cathedral Rock, Airport Vortex, Capital Butte, Camel Head & Snoopy Rock, Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock, Palatki and Honanki ruins.
I played a couple rounds of golf in the Red Rock Valley at Sedona Golf Resort and Oak Creek Country Club.
We enjoyed a sunrise hot air balloon ride over Sedona (our family’s first launch).
Later in the week, we drove to Williams, AZ to ride aboard a hundred year-old steam engine train that took us to the Grand Canyon. At the Canyon we hiked Bright Angel Trail.
Later in the trip, we took a 4 hour drive to Monument Valley (aka "Canyon of the Ancients") located near the border of Utah and Arizona where we experienced walking on sacred Indian burial grounds immortalized by the John Ford “Western” movies of the 50's/60's witnessing; Three Sisters (Lauren nose bleed), Elephant Butte, Camel Butte, The Mittens (Merrick Butte), Artist Point and Spearhead Mesa and The Thumb rock formations that seem to rise from the earth’s floor in the middle of nowhere…...
Sedona, AZ
June 2001