Sedona 2008

 My first full day in Sedona was really a “get acquainted” day but it was full none the less.
I was up early and after taking pictures of the mountains and resort in the early morning light, I headed over to the concierge to get some advice on the best places to go and things to do. They were terrific. I asked if the Hot Air Balloon rides were available but they were all booked. They said there was a big Hot Air Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, NM but I figured there was enough to do in Arizona without trekking off to a neighboring state.

I headed down to the Chamber of Commerce building and picked their brains there, then found parking in Upper Sedona and bought my tickets for the ride on the trolley.

The Sedona trolley is the absolute best way to get the “lay of the land”. It is a sight seeing trolley with 2 separate routes. I bought a combo ticket so I could see it all! Unlike other trolley’s I’ve been on…Old Town Trolley in Boston & Key West and the Waikiki Trolley in Hawaii..this was not an on / off trolley. This was a tour. We did stop at various landmarks and get off for photo ops but it wasn’t run as an alternate transportation option.

What it is turned out to be was a fantastic overview of the Sedona Area filled with quick facts, myths and general banter. It was a very entertaining ride and I highly recommend it, especially if, like me, you have never been to Sedona before.

The trolleys are Molly trolleys and they are manufactured in Ogunquit, Maine. The trolley office is located in upper Sedona which is the “tourist” section. As I mentioned the trolley does make stops that lets you take pictures. Since I was traveling alone, my fellow travelers were more than happy to take my picture so I would have a memento. They seamed to think I was a bit of a curiosity because of my solo status.

Some of the key stops were Kachina Woman ,which is located at the entrance to Enchantment Resort and is known as a Hoodo (a harbinger of bad luck), and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This is one of Sedona’s most well known landmarks and we made a stop here to allow us to enter the Chapel. We also passed rock formations called the Madonna and Child, Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock, Elephant Rock and my favorite, Snoopy Rock! We were introduced to the legend of the Jackalope and got to see a Century Pant, actually a Desert Agave.

Legend says the century plant takes 100 years to bloom. All of it’s energy goes into producing this once-in-a lifetime bloom. After it flowers, it dies. Native Americans used the plant for soap, food, fiber, medicine and weapons and it is still used commercially in Mexico to produce tequila.

The Trolley also took us through Tlaquepaque. This is a picturesque part of Sedona filled with upscale shops . The streets are shaded and there are cobble stoned courtyards. The area is considered a shoppers paradise offering everything from fine art and jewelry to designer clothing. The whole area is pattered after a Mexican village by the same name.

Once off the trolley and back in Upper Sedona, I explored the main street. There are cement posts all around the area and when you look closely to see what they are about, you realize each one has a plaque with the name of an actor or actress, the movie they were in that was filmed in Sedona and their hand print .Sedona’s own “walk of fame”. There are more shops than I can possibly mention here , all unique and fascinating. I found little chocolate candies that looked like gravel or rocks. Had to get some of those to take home. Many sculptures are strategically placed along the street and in little courtyards.

I loved the General Store which offered a wide array of items you don’t see everyday plus two terrific bear displays!. I’m told that there are no bears in Sedona anymore but you couldn’t prove that by me.

I was fascinated by the a/c system at The Canyon Breeze so I had to eat there. The Canyon Breeze is a fast food type restaurant where you stand in line to place your order then wait for your number to be called. They have seating both inside and out. If you sit outside, which is what I did, the air is cooled by a mist that is periodically released from vents in the eves.

Big Sellers in the T-shirt shops are “Dirt Shirts”, T shirts that are dyed with the red dirt of the Sedona area. The TV show Dirty Jobs actually did an episode on “dirt shirts”. In that show they also featured dirt shirts from Hawaii which has the same rust colored soil. I’ve been to Hawaii twice and didn’t see the dirt shirts there but they were everywhere here in Sedona.

Everyone had a suggestion of what to see or do while I was in Sedona but one thing that kept coming up was to go to the Sedona airport to watch the sunset. They said there were Vortexes near the airport and that everyone gathered there at dusk. So as the day began to wind down, I headed to the airport.

Well, here I am at the Airport Mesa and it does have a panoramic view of the area. I saw a couple of hikers climbing the rocks in back of the mesa and was told they were heading up to the airport Vortex. As the shadows began to lengthen the rocks began to take on a deep red hue. Very slowly the sun crept closer to the horizon and then it was over ! No brilliant colors across the sky, you need clouds for that, just a yellow point of light that was there and then gone. Everyone turned around and headed for their cars. For me, a bit anticlimactic but at least I could say I’d been there and done that. Maybe if we get some clouds before I leave, I’ll try it again.

Tomorrow I’m heading to Williams to catch the Grand Canyon Railroad to, where else, the Grand Canyon and my wakeup call is for 6 am so I headed back to the condo to get a good night’s sleep.
　
Hope you have a good night too.J

http://www.mollytrolley.com/

http://www.sedonatrolley.com/

http://www.redrockrealty.net/chapel.html