Arches National Park

On Friday, it was raining in Sedona so it was a good day to drive up to Moab where we will visit Arches and Canyonland National Parks.  On the way, I saw one of the most  "no kidding" road signs ever.  It said, "Do not pick up hitch-hikers near the Correctional facility!"

Here are some pictures from Arches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sedona Red Rocks

Here are some of the last pictures of Sedona before we move on to MOAB - where Arches and Canyonland National Parks are.

 

Oak Creek

Yesterday, we hiked the Oak Creek Canyon trail.  It was waaay different than the other trails that are mostly rocky and sunny.  This trail followed an easy path along Oak Creek for a little more than three miles.  It was fairly flat and wooded as seen here. 

 

It was also beneath towering cliffs and interesting and colorful rock formations.

 

It is hard to capture the scale of the canyon but this photo of Karol shows a small part of the height of the cliffs.

 

Along the way, we had to cross the creek 13 times (each way) stepping carefully on rocks in the water.  Here are some of the crossings.

 

On the way back, Karol was a little ahead and encountered a snake on the trail.  She screamed loudly and the snake scurried off into the underbrush.  A little while later, she saw his friend, rushing to perform CPR on the first snake who had gone into cardiac arrest.

 

Sedona Photos

On our first day in Sedona, we went out taking some pictures.  Our first stop was Cathedral Rock, which is one of the most photographed spots in the country.

 

 

Of course, we weren’t the only ones there.  I took this shot after three other people left.

 

The next day we went for a hike among the red rocks.  We intended to hike for 2-3 hours but missed a turn and were actually hiking for 4 1/2 hours.   The trail was quite steep and rocky in some places but gentle in others as seen below.

Here are some of the views along the way.

 

You can see how far we hiked by looking at the first picture and the same rock formation behind me, below.

 

Sedona

We arrived in Sedona just before sunset on Friday and I must say the views are spectacular.  It’s kind of like the Grand Canyon in reverse – the Grand Canyon is a big hole in the ground while the red rocks of Sedona tower above the landscape. 

Sedona is a small town (about 10,000 residents) that is nestled right against some of the most scenic rock formations.  It was first settled by Anglos inn 1876 and was formally established in 1902, when Theodore Carlton Schnebly, the city's first postmaster, applied for the name of Schnebly’s Station.  But that name was too long for a postal stamp so they settled on Theodore’s wife’s name – Sedona!  You can learn more about Sedona at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedona,_Arizona.

They resort we are staying at is a little old but nice nonetheless.  Here is our apartment…

 

And our balcony.

Here is the view from the balcony.

 

And some other views from the property.

 

While we are here, we plan to spend some serious time at the pool.