Kachina Woman rock, Sedona, AZ in May
Welcome to ExploreBeyondYourDoor!
EBYD is a blog spot to talk travel and share experiences about places far from home, in the greater Southwest or right in our own backyards.
Yes it's true. My travel writing has been on hiatus but my traveling has not! In late summer and fall of 2015, I enjoyed some great hikes with friends, spent three whirlwind weeks in France in Aug/Sept (more to come on this!) and took several trips to Sedona, AZ.
Ahh Sedona! This magical land of red rock beckons me to visit again and again. Spectacular Sedona has also inspired me to revive my writing in 2016 and share highlights of trips I've taken over the years, during all seasons.
I've included photos from my trips spanning the last three years (organized by season, rather than by dates), proving Sedona is a trip to enjoy any time of the year!
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Winter 2013
Sedona is a great place to visit in the winter. Even though the average daily highs
in January only reach about 55 degrees it's usually sunny, with an
average of 278 sunny days per year!
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Me and Stéphane in Sedona, in January, when he and
his friends visited from France for three weeks. |
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Enjoying the wonderful view with my new French
friend and travel companion, Michelle.
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Stéphane's best friends, (and a couple who share the
same name!) Michel (lft) and Michelle are world
travelers and loved red rock country!
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Winter 2015
In 2015, I was up in Sedona with my good friend, Terish, in early January to enjoy the snow,
hike around Bell Rock and capture some photos.
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A view of Coffee Pot Rock and West Sedona
dusted with a little snow. |
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Yes, it actually snows in the Upper Sonoran Desert
where Sedona is located. Have you ever seen
a cactus covered in snow? |
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A photo of my friend Terish, the
photographer, capturing the beauty
of Sedona in the winter. |
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Spring 2015
In early March 2015, Terish and I went back up to Sedona to see the changing season
from winter to spring. We spent some quality time getting a tour of my
step-dad, Graham's, beautiful garden.
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Spring has sprung for this almond tree and
wild flowers in Graham's garden! |
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Graham led us on a neighborhood hike up to Airport
Loop Trail and vortex. |
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Sedona is a wonderful place for
quiet contemplation.
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Me and Terish on the hike...what a beautiful backdrop! |
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Me and Graham...he was our hiking guide for the day.
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My heart is in Sedona! |
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Summer 2015
Sedona is beautiful during all seasons, including summer. It does start to heat up with rising temperatures into the 80s (and higher!) over the course of the month. Considering I'm from
Phoenix, this is not even close to hot! In May of 2015, I took a trip up to Sedona with
my good friend Larry and his daughter, Ashley, (my "chosen" niece) to
experience the beauty of the red rocks.
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Me and Ashley and a spectacular summer sunset up
on Airport Road.
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Ashley capturing the colorful setting sun shaped as
a heart...can you see it!? |
That same May, I went back up to Sedona for a Writers' Retreat with the ladies from the
Valley of the Sun Writers' Consortium. We had a lovely retreat weekend! It started
on a rainy Saturday and we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere, hot teas and
coffee and excellent food at Indian Gardens Cafe & Market on SR 89A.
This is a must-see when in Sedona!
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Me, Judy, Jane and Joy (lft to rght)
at Indian Gardens. |
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The rain provided a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a
double rainbow in Sedona! (Photo by Jane Van Dae)
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On Sunday of the Writers' Retreat, we had time to write and enjoy a wonderful poetry
reading by my mom, Lee, and spent some of the day hiking up to Kachina Woman
rock in Boynton Canyon. It was a magical day and on the hike is where we met
the Heart Rock man. (There's a good chance you'll meet him too!)
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Joy, Judy and Christina (lft to rght)
in front of Kachina Woman rock.
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We were enchanted by the Heart Rock man, who
played his flute up on the knoll at the end of the
Vista trail in Boynton Canyon.
(Check out the video!)
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The heart rock given to me...what a Sedona treasure!
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Summer 2014
A year before, in July of 2014, my brother Aaron came for a visit and spent some time
in Phoenix and Sedona. There are certain places in Sedona you can visit again
and again, and Red Rock Crossing is one of those amazing places. It is
considered to some, as the heart of Sedona! This area offers famous
mountain views of Cathedral Rock, wooded areas to hike,
relaxing flowing streams, picnic areas to eat
and...it's also a vortex!
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My brother Aaron and me at Red Rock Crossing.
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Graham, Lee (mom), Aaron and me (lft to rght)
with Cathedral Rock in the background. |
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It was a relaxing and fun day with the
family at Red Rock Crossing!
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Fall 2013
I started and will end this blog in the year 2013. As the seasons change from summer
to fall, I try to get back up to Sedona to see the fall leaves. Living in Phoenix, I miss
experiencing the four seasons so I go out in search of fall! One of my favorite
hikes in Sedona, during this season, is West Fork trail. In late October, my
good friend Christina and I headed out to enjoy one of the best trails
in AZ...and one of the top 10 trails in the United States!
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Me and Christina hiking West Fork trail.
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Beautiful fall leaves on the trail. |
I hope you've enjoyed this journey through the seasons for one of the most beautiful places on earth! Does Sedona beckon you to visit and revive your spirit in the red rocks?
If you've been to Sedona before, why not pick a new area to check out? If you haven't been, I encourage you to Explore Beyond Your Door and add this magnificent mountain retreat to your travel bucket list for 2016!
Happy Travels!
~ Chris
