Seductive Sedona

Let's stay in the western states for a while. Jeep tours are a great way to explore the gorgeous red rock environment of Sedona, Arizona. I enjoyed this trip with a college roommate many years ago, during a visit to her Phoenix home. It's a truly magical place. 

By 9 a.m. morning’s chill has already begun its surrender to Arizona heat. Beyond the parched earth and scrub grass, vistas of pastel rock jut into the pale spring sky. Several jet streams gradually fade, becoming indistinguishable from high cirrus clouds.
 
The aroma of wild sage filters through opened car windows. When we reach Sedona, the quaint town has not yet open for the day’s business. We sign up for a jeep tour and then wait in the quiet.
 
The tour finally begins - a bumpy ride beneath blazing sun. Deep red rocks surround us. Through a random rock window, the size of a tanker truck, we view dark green foliage. Striated ‘hoodoos’ cluster together, thrusting hundreds of feet upwards from the desert floor.
 
Heat intensifies and water bottles empty as a stunning chapel appears, its floor-to-ceiling glass wall accentuated with a full-length cross. The chapel occupies a high rock crevice as if it were a natural piece of the millennia-old landscape. A flurry of camera clicks ensues.
 
The jeep heads downward again, large pebbles clinking and popping against over-sized tires. Red rock majesty fades from view as we descend to the now bustling town, craving water, and shade.

​Sedona's four vortexes also draw many enthusiasts. These naturally occurring pockets of subtle energy that come from the earth's surface, exist across the globe. Spiritualists believe this energy also impacts each individual person who comes in contact with it, causing a positive emotional impact that may last for days after exposure.