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!

A Tour and A Hike, Monument Valley, UT

The West Mitten

Petroglyphs!

The Eagle

Sleeping Frankenstein

Other side of Frankenstein

Near John Ford Point

West Mitten - Wildcat Trail

Desert Scrub, up close

This venue is actually one of the main sights we wanted to see in Arizona.  Ironically, it is in Utah.  And while it too was lovely, it probably wasn't our favourite day. We spent just one night and one day. After the sunrise we went on a Navajo guided tour on the valley floor.  The only way to get onto the floor of the valley was to take a Jeep tour....I don't think our little Focus had enough clearance!  The tour was soooo expensive, but we did enjoy the back country section which is only accessible with a native Navajo guide! The dunes are crazy red!!

In the afternoon we hiked the Wildcat trail around the West Mitten monument.  This...we loved.  The shale trail was easy to follow, with white-painted rocks for markers, and easy footing. I love these opportunities to get away from the main attraction and so few people seem to be "out there". 

Near the end of our day, this lovely white haze drifted in and that light is great for photos. It is amazing how much the landscape changes under different skies.  It ended up raining after we left, and we saw snow along the way to Sedona as well.

One of our favourite little unexpected gems was the very informal (FREE!) film museum at Golding's Trading Post.  That was so fascinating! Wish we had stayed here or at least gone here first.  Although it's hard to pass up the sunrise on the balcony in pajamas drinking really bad hotel room coffee.  

Next stop: Sedona, AZ

Sunset and Sunrise in Monument Valley, UT

I'm so excited that you're still following along!!! 

By the time we made it to Monument Valley, the sun was already setting.  We walked straight to the large balcony after checking into the hotel, and watched the sun go down. It was strange not to feel more awe at the sight of the towering rock monuments. To find the sunset just ho-hum that day.  I thought about that later.   How do you sustain  a high level of awe when you are seeing so many places that equal in beauty and sheer size?

Don`t get me wrong...the sunset was lovely. The towering shadows crept across the dessert floor like long fingers getting longer. Fun to try different settings and try some Ansel Adams monochrome type effects.  And then it was done.  This valley, the scene of many John Wayne Westerns, had gone to sleep for the night.

I thought the sunrise would be more of the same.  But it wasn't.  And I love that.  I love the unexpected.  These are some of my favourite photos of the trip!  The scene before me that morning  revealed the amazing pastel dessert sky that is so prevalent in South Western American art.  It is so neat to experience the moments that inspire pottery and weaving patterns.  And the next time you see the art or the pottery, you realize the patterns are from nature itself...because you saw it with your own eyes.   And buying a souvenir for someone else...just wouldn't evoke the same emotion in them as it did in you.  (So just keep it for yourself! tee hee hee)

Next stop: Monument Valley Floor