I caught a ride down to Sedona yesterday with a friend who lives there. The 89A going down the Oak Creek canyon is a sight to live for - every time I come down here (which, due to the fact that it remains 70 and sunny while Flagstaff still has snow on the ground, is quite often) I am astounded by the sights, and the power of the towering mounds of Kaibab and Torroweep limestones, Coconino sandstones, and of course the bright orange-reds of the Hermit shales.
Pam drove me to her house on in Sedona proper - just North of the Airport Mesa. I walked up the Airport Mesa Loop for a bit to check out the 360 view of the area. The towns - Sedona Proper, Uptown, the Village of Oak Creek - intermingle with the rock fortresses - Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Cathedral Rock, the Coffee Pot and Thunder Mountain (just to name a few). Just beyond Uptown is the edge of the ~2500 foot sedimentary wall that is the Mogollon Rim, which is the edge of the Colorado Plateau.
Pam's house is a dream - a tiny, one room hippy cottage with a flat roof that is PERFECT for a wandering moose to sleep on. Being about halfway up the Airport Mesa, it has a full frontal view of Thunder Mountain over to Coffeepot rock - stunning.
Knowing that I had a long day of riding singletrack in Sedona ahead of me, I hit the sack early. I woke up a few times during the night with the glow of the bright full moon illuminating everything around me in a dark blue and green glow... in the distance the red mountains glowed in a strange orange-green - much like the color of oxidized copper like the Statue of Liberty...
After ~60 miles of trails through Sedona, I was pretty exhausted. I hung my frame up in a tree next to Pam's house and sat and examined all of her walking sticks that she has collected over the years. I watched a line of ants marching, seemingly aimlessly, up and down an old, twisted and gnarled branch stripped bare of it's bark. Sometimes the members marched in perfect formation, while other times they diverged and conquered their domain in an all-out blitz that resembled a braided river from above.
Pam drove me to her house on in Sedona proper - just North of the Airport Mesa. I walked up the Airport Mesa Loop for a bit to check out the 360 view of the area. The towns - Sedona Proper, Uptown, the Village of Oak Creek - intermingle with the rock fortresses - Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Cathedral Rock, the Coffee Pot and Thunder Mountain (just to name a few). Just beyond Uptown is the edge of the ~2500 foot sedimentary wall that is the Mogollon Rim, which is the edge of the Colorado Plateau.
Pam's house is a dream - a tiny, one room hippy cottage with a flat roof that is PERFECT for a wandering moose to sleep on. Being about halfway up the Airport Mesa, it has a full frontal view of Thunder Mountain over to Coffeepot rock - stunning.
Knowing that I had a long day of riding singletrack in Sedona ahead of me, I hit the sack early. I woke up a few times during the night with the glow of the bright full moon illuminating everything around me in a dark blue and green glow... in the distance the red mountains glowed in a strange orange-green - much like the color of oxidized copper like the Statue of Liberty...
After ~60 miles of trails through Sedona, I was pretty exhausted. I hung my frame up in a tree next to Pam's house and sat and examined all of her walking sticks that she has collected over the years. I watched a line of ants marching, seemingly aimlessly, up and down an old, twisted and gnarled branch stripped bare of it's bark. Sometimes the members marched in perfect formation, while other times they diverged and conquered their domain in an all-out blitz that resembled a braided river from above.
The next weekend, Garrett came and visited! First we played a game of frisbee golf on the course next to my house that weaves through the Ponderosa Pines of Mars Hill. Believe it or not, we aren't the greatest frisbee golfers in the world, so eventually we decided to just hang out at a campsite and share a flask of delicious bourbon.
The next day we went down to Sedona and did a few great hikes, including going to the Wind Caves
The next day we went down to Sedona and did a few great hikes, including going to the Wind Caves
