Since 2001, I have visited Sedona,
Arizona each year as part of an annual road trip to visit
a college friend who lives in Las Vegas. My most recent visit
was in October 2003. During the Sedona portion of the trip,
I kept an online journal (a "blog" to us techie
types :) ) so folks back home wouldn't worry too much. I also
experimented with digital photography--something I had put
off doing for years until digital SLR-type cameras became
available and affordable. Each evening I'd come off the hiking
trails, sit in one of Sedona's many outstanding restaurants
with my laptop downloading photos and writing up the day's
entry. I got a few funny looks, but mostly met some terrific
people, both in the restaurants and on the hiking trails.
I told several people I would let them know when my photos
were available online. Unfortunately, my PDA phone crashed
before I could sync their addresses into my PC. For any of
you who find this page, please accept my apologies for not
contacting you.
This page is dedicated to the memory of my brother-in-law's
dad, Bill Willis, whose astute purchase of a high-quality
digital camera made these photos possible. For more
pictures of Sedona or Arizona in general, visit my
Arizona page by clicking here.
Photos Copyright © 2006 by Donna S. Duncan
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This was kind of an "easy" day, mostly involving getting
my rented SUV, Red Rock pass, and hiking guide. I did, however,
manage to get in a quick trip to Bell Rock Pathway and Red
Rock Crossing. Absolutely, first and foremost on this trip
I want to get a good shot of Cathedral Rock reflecting in
the water at Red Rock Crossing. I've been there several
times, but never quite succeeded in getting the shot I want.
Maybe this year I'll finally do it.
Devil's Bridge is kind of a special hike for me, in that
it was the first real, actual hike I took in Sedona. Prior
to that, it was mostly scenic driving and short jots like
Red Rock Crossing and Bell Rock Pathway. I first hiked Devil's
Bridge in 1999, where I met up with a couple of fellow hikers
who introduced me to another one of my favorite hikes Doe
Mountain. I've since hiked both of these every time I'm
here. Incidentally, that last photo is of a rock formation
that a fellow hiker thought looked like a face. I tend to
agree.
Devil's Bridge (1)
Devil's Bridge (2)
View from Devil's Bridge
Trail (1)
View from Devil's Bridge
Trail (2)
View from Devil's Bridge
Trail (3)
View from Devil's Bridge
Trail (4)
"Face in the rock" at
Devil's Bridge
Note: I mistakenly referred to "Dry Creek Road" instead
of FR152 previously. I have corrected the error in the descriptions
below (but not in the filenames yet).
One thing I wanted to do this time was hike some trails
I'd never done before. I'm not entirely sure I succeeded
with this one. I didn't think I'd hiked Vultee Arch
before, but having reached the end of the trail, it looked
pretty familiar. In any event, I think these are the first
photos I've put online from there at least. By the way,
if anyone reading this happens to know how to hike down
to the actual arch, please let me know. I made it to the
monument site, with the arch visible in the distance. The
hiking guide I bought says you're supposed to be able to
"hike under the arch and even climb on top of it". Maybe
it's a misprint; maybe they meant to say the monument site?
In any case, I did not see any trail at all leading to the
arch, and I looked for probably 20-30 minutes.
After Vultee Arch, I ate a (very) late lunch, then headed
out to Oak Creek Village to catch the pre-sunset shining
on Bell Rock, Courthouse Rock, etc. This time of year, get
there around 4:45, and watch the rocks change colors as
the sun sets behind you. The whole thing takes about 45
minutes or so, beginning with Bell Rock, and gradually moving
to Courthouse Rock, and the others in the background. I
got there a little too late for Bell Rock, but caught Court
House and the others right at the "peak".
Every Sedona hiking guide I've seen
rates Doe Mountain as a "moderate" hike, slightly easier
than Devil's Bridge. Well, I must be pretty out of shape,
because I actually find this hike to be quite challenging
endurance-wise (and except for the last 5 minutes or so,
Devil's Bridge is much easier in my opinion). Yes,
it's a "gentle climb", but it's a gentle climb upward 100%
of the way! This hike is the reason I've not yet had the
nerve to try anything rated "streneous" :) Like I said,
I must be pretty out of shape. However, that said, this
is probably my favorite hike, and well worth every drop
of sweat expended in reaching the top. Not having anyone
with me this time, I spent nearly 4 hours on this hike--a
bit over one to reach to the mesa at the top, over two walking
around the mesa, enjoying and photographing the views, and
a bit under an hour walking back down (at least 20 minutes
of which was spent trying to get a good shot of a lizard
I met along the way. :) ).
I finished this hike so late in the day that I really didn't
have time to do anything else if I wanted to catch sunset
at the airport mesa. So, I drove around Upper Red Rock Loop
a bit, then headed to the airport when it was time. To be
honest, I was a little disappointed with the airport mesa
sunset, even though it is supposed to be the place
to watch sunset in Sedona. I guess I find the sun's "highlighting"
of the rocks along highway 179 in Oak Creek Village to be
a lot more interesting than watching the sun set over the
town. Coffeepot rock lit up pretty nicely, however.
After the exhausting 4-hour hike
and exploration of Doe Mountain yesterday, I decided to
take it a bit easy today. I planned to hike Robber's Roost,
which according to my hiking book, is rated an "easy" hike,
especially with a high-clearance vehicle to drive right
up to the trail head. Unfortunately, despite the book's
assurance that the road to the trail head was accessible
via a "high clearance vehicle", which I was driving, it
looked like it might be a bit too much of a challenge, especially
given the utter lack of people around to assist me if I
happened to get stuck! So, I decided to hike the 1.1 miles
to the trail head (which makes it more difficult to find
- no odometer). Regretably, I never made it to the trail.
I was probably very close, when I had a little misfortune
involving a pair of well-worn shorts as I squatted to take
a photo. Needless to say, I was suddenly grateful for the
solitude, and even more grateful for the change of clothes
I'd brought with me in case I decided to go to the Grand
Canyon afterwards. :) Solitude notwithstanding, I decided
it was probably a good time to call it a day on this one
and plan to return with a jeep next time. (Unfortunate too,
as I was probably less than 5 minutes from where I needed
to be -- I think the first photo below was the location
of the cave). The good news is that I spent a relaxing afternoon
at Red Rock Crossing, and I think I finally got the
Cathedral Rock reflection shot I've been looking for (see
5 and 6 below).
Fay Canyon was a nice little hike
to fill the morning prior to leaving for a day trip to the
Grand Canyon. Most of the trail is very gentle with minimal
climbing, however, the best part--the hike to the arch--is
quite a bit more challenging (e.g. Doe Mountain/Devil's
Bridge level). Immediately after this hike, I departed for
the Grand Canyon, where I stopped along several points before
settling in at Lipan Point for sunset.
My final hike for this trip was a nice, gentle trek along
the first couple miles of West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon.
Thanks to the shade, the temperature along this hike was quite
cool and pleasant, and the view was far more beautiful than
I was able to capture in photos. All in all, this was a nice
way to finish the week.
Note: I have now departed Sedona
and will be spending the remainder of my vacation in Las
Vegas. I don't expect to be doing a lot of photography while
I'm here, but if I do shoot anything interesting, I'll add
it to my web site at a later date.
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