Sunday night, my dad (who was driving from Denver to Las Vegas via Sante Fe) joined me in Sedona for dinner at Oak Creek Brewery. Monday morning I got up and went exploring around Sedona, then took a quick road trip up to Flagstaff and the surrounding area.
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A little bit about Sedona and how the rock formations were created:
Geologically, the area we now call Sedona, Arizona, began about 500 million years ago. For about 300 million years, the land alternated between coastal plains and ocean bottom. Layers of sediments and sand built up over that time forming the banding in the rock. About 65 million years ago, the land was uplifted and volcanic activity caused the formation of the Verde Valley, creating the Mogollon Rim. About 3 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau uplifted. Since then, wind, rain and snowmelt have created Oak Creek Canyon and exposed the layers of sediment (like the Schnebly Hill Formation sandstone) to shape the spectacular red rock formations like Coffepot, Cathedral, Bell Rock and Thunder Mountain, that make Sedona unique and absolutely breathtaking!
Driving around Sedona, I happened upon this tiny cathedral (Chapel of the Holy Cross) built into the red rock. The cathedral was commissioned and inspired by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and was finished in 1957. The views from the sanctuary were breathtaking!
Panorama view of the red rocks from the cathedral.
This next picture is at the top of Oak Creek Canyon (89A) on my way into Flagstaff. See the snow? The road is down below – there are several hairpin turns that take you to the top of the canyon and off to Flagstaff (which is 7000 feet above sea level, while Sedona is at about 4,300). There’s also a nice Native American market where several tribes-people have tents set up with various crafts – mostly silver and turqouise jewelry. I bought a very pretty pair of malachite earrings from one of the ladies.
I did stop in Flagstaff – which was a cute town – it reminded me a lot of Asheville – I walked around some of the various shops. I also managed to get caught by the trains a few times – more than 100 trains pass through downtown each day. By the time you think one train is finished, another will come along going in the opposite direction!! I had lunch and a local brew at Beaver Street Brewery. I will just say that if I moved to 7000 feet above sea level, I would be a very cheap drunk – it sneaks up on you fast when you are not used to the thin air! I’m bummed – I somehow managed to not take any pictures in Flagstaff! 
North of Flagstaff, there is a park called Sunset Crater National Monument. It’s the remnants of a volcano that erupted nearly 1,000 years ago. Below is a picture of one of the lava fields – only recently does it appear that the trees are starting to grow back in. It was really interesting – I saw similar such lava floes all over Iceland. The eruption of the volcano caused the abandonment of various settlements belonging to the indigenous Sinagua Indians.
Heading towards some old Native American pueblo ruins….the desert in the distance appeared to be glowing, it was gorgeous. This is part of what is known as Painted Desert.
North of Sunset Crater, on the edge of the desert, there are some old Sinagua/Pueblo Indian ruins at Wupatki National Monument. These people appeared to inhabit the area in the century following the volcano eruption – as the land became increasingly fertile due to the effects of the volcanic ash.
Ok, so I did take ONE picture in Flagstaff. I was sitting at a light and this made me laugh.
I drove back down Oak Creak Canyon (the best way to admire the canyon is driving south) and back into Sedona. I was able to make it up to Airport Road for the sunset. Apparently EVERYONE in Sedona does the same thing! There was a crowd of people up there, many had brough bottles of wine to sit back and relax as they waited for the show. It was spectacular. I could not decide which photos I liked the best so I am including many of them here.
(There are more pictures if you go to the 2010 Arizona Trip set on Flickr)
