Sedona, ArizonaMar 20, 2009
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Sedona Pines Resort (705). Sedona, AZ
View from our deck, Sedona, AZ
Joan's Red Rocks of Sedona
3/20 – 3/26
On Friday the 20th we headed the Jeep north to Sedona, Arizona. We traded a timeshare week for cottage 705 in Sedona Pines Resort. The cottage was a cute little one-bedroom house with a full kitchen and living room, probably about twice the size of our motorhome.
Sedona is the red rock section of Arizona. It is located about sixty miles south of Flagstaff at an elevation of about 3500 feet. It is truly beautiful country. We spent a great deal of time hiking some excellent trails in the area. Check out the photos on our web site (although they really do not do the area justice).
We visited three National Monuments: Montezuma Castle national Monument, Montezuma Well and Tuzigoot. All three sites included remains of Indian pueblos built by the Sinagua Indians around 1150AD. Montezuma Castle was built into a cliff side about 100 feet up the cliff wall. It housed about 50 Indians. Montezuma Well is a natural sinkhole that supplied water for the Sinagua’s farms. Some of the irrigation ditches are still viewable. Tuzigoot National Monument includes pueblo ruins located on the top of a ridge. These ruins housed about 200 Indians. All of these ruins were abandoned by the Sinagua Indians around the early 1400’s, reasons unknown.
We revisited Jerome (about 30 miles from Sedona); an old copper mining town built on the side of a mountain at an elevation of about 5000 feet. Our time in Jerome was spent visiting art galleries. Since the mine closed down the town has been reborn as a somewhat yuppie tourist attraction. The drive from Jerome back to Sedona was exciting. Winds were about 40-50 mph, which started a mass march of “tumbling tumbleweed”. Hundreds crossed the highway during our trip; we only hit (or were hit) by a few.
The resort had some flute players play for the guests a couple of nights. They were quite good. The resort also provided a free breakfast where tour people hawked their tours. At the breakfast, Joan won a picture book of Sedona.
The last day in Sedona we rode the Verde Canyon Railroad. The four-hour trip follows the old ore train tracks through the Verde Canyon. Not as dramatic as the White Pass Railroad in Alaska; but a nice, leisurely ride through beautiful country. After the ride we drove to the town of Cottonwood for a dinner and show at the Blazin’M Ranch. Decent food and good cowboy music and poetry.
