Fay and Boynton Canyon,Sedona, AZ

When we left Monument Valley, Utah, we drove straight to Flagstaff and got there around sunset. We checked into the hotel and found a restaurant for supper.  The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant there is laid out exactly the same as the one near us and we sat in the exact same booth we usually get in London!!

We drove away from the desert valley and into prairie grassland that slowly grew into forest (this time the Coconino National Forest) once we passed the San Francisco Peaks and SnowBowl area.

At the Desertview lookout in GC, we had met a couple from Texas who told us all the scenic hotspots to hit in Sedona.  One of them was taking the Oak Creek Canyon highway to Sedona.   It was everything they said it was!   Fun hairpin turns, campsites and creeks right beside the highway....and no places to pass.  We usually get quite a following on routes like that one :)

This nice couple also recommended the fantastic Tourist Info office in the town...and that was our first stop.  We got several maps for hikes...there are so many, and after a long week of terrible coffee, I asked for directions to the nearest Starbucks!! Such. A. Great. Cup. Of. Coffee.

We headed first into Boynton Canyon, a 6 mile round trip hike.  As we headed out onto the trail, we heard this beautiful, haunting flute song....and eventually spotted someone sitting on the top of one the nearby spires.  Soon after, the sky became threatening and we decided not to get caught on the trail in a rain storm and headed back in.  Hike smart!    We got in the car and headed to Fay canyon instead which was close by.  It did rain, but only for 15 minutes and it was a mere drizzle.  Not even enough to keep the dust down.

Hiking a canyon was so different than being on the rim looking down, or in the desert.   I LOVE the forest. You don't see as much from the canyon floor, looking up through trees, but I love being surrounded by texture!!   I love those details in God's amazing creation!! 

After the weather cleared we did go back to Boynton Canyon and hiked the whole trail...and spotted mule deer and a bunny!  It was almost suppertime and we drove into town for a bite and headed out to Airport Mesa for the sunset.  I got a few photos and was so ready to go, after days and days of amazing scenery. How could you get tired of this?!  And then I looked behind me and saw how dark the sky still was....and my beloved drove around and around until we got a nice clear view of this mountain....   And isn't life just like that sometimes?   You get tired of the road, even of the great work you are involved with, and then God sends His special Light onto your path...and it is Awesome....all over again....in the place you least expect it.

This was one of my favourite days. 

Next stop...Last day....Sedona!