April 13: Sedona, Arizona

Wednesday, April 13th - Travel to Sedona, a Chapel, a Hike and a Sunset

We left Tucson at 8:30 AM and arrived at the Rancho Sedona RV Park around 1:00 PM. When making plans, we almost stayed in a military campground in Flagstaff, but the RV reviews about the campground were mixed. Thank goodness we selected Sedona instead or we would have missed out on a truly spectacular experience.

Driving into Sedona surrounded by red rock mesas and rock formations was breathtaking. I had been here probably twenty years ago with a tour group during one of Don's trade shows in Phoenix, but Don had never been to Sedona. It was fun getting to the town with Don pulling the camper, as there are at least eight round-about traffic circles to navigate. Okay, it wasn't that much fun.

The campground was full and our campsite was tight and expensive, but rather picturesque. The landscaping at Rancho Sedona around each campsite, as well as in common areas, was very well done. Flowers were in bloom all over the place, and I especially enjoyed seeing the violets and lilacs. The flower thief struck again with some lilacs, my favorite flower, ending up in our camper.

After setting up camp, our camp host suggested we go see the Chapel of the Holy Cross and then take a hike out to Cathedral Rock. The Chapel was designed by a sculptor, Margurite Bruswig Staude, with help from Frank Lloyd Wright. Cathedral Rock is one of the most photographed rock formations in the world. So off we went.

In 1932, when Margurite Staude was in New York City, she looked at the newly constructed Empire State Building from a certain angle and thought she saw a cross down the middle. She then wanted to build a structure with a cross at the building's core in order to "glorify her creator" and as "a thanksgiving for all her family had received." She looked around Europe for a location, but after vacationing with her husband in Sedona, she realized this was the place. Frank Lloyd Wright helped her with the sketches of the building, as Margurite had been one of his former students.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built into the side of a red rock mesa, which like many of Wright's projects, blends harmoniously into the surrounding landscape. As you approach the Chapel and look up, you know you are about to see something very special. The winding road took us up to a parking area and from there we walked up a curving walkway to enter into the back of the Chapel. The weather was a perfect blue sky and sunny day, and the early afternoon shadows made the rock colors "pop." Entering into the peaceful Chapel a few days before Palm Sunday lent itself to a quiet time of prayer and thanks. I lit a candle in memory of all our loved ones and said prayers for our friends and family.

A few miles from the Chapel was the trail-head for Cathedral Rock. We grabbed our hiking poles and followed the trail until the point where we would be scrambling on hands and knees to climb higher. The wild rock formations and colors were fascinating and we couldn't believe our good fortune at having such a pleasurable afternoon hike, with zillion dollar views, after a day of travel.

Sundown wasn't far off by the time we returned to the truck, so we headed over toward the airport which supposedly was the best place to view sunset in Sedona. At another trail-head near the airport we met a local man walking his dog. He kindly said, "If you want the BEST view, hop this guardrail and follow the trail to the 3 water tanks and find a good place to sit." We pulled out our Crazy Creek Chairs from the back of the truck and climbed over the guardrail. After a half mile trek, we found two level spots and settled in to wait for sunset. We were rewarded.

Hiking back to the truck with evening shadows closing in, we realized we were starving. We found a local haunt, Oak Creek Brewery, and had fish and chips and a microbrew. Yummy way to end a perfect day in Arizona.