Sedona

Day 27 Photo Album

September 29, 2009

Following in the footsteps of my past, I drove down to Sedona through Oak Creek Canyon, where I went in 2002.  This time, I had a friend to visit.  As if to flesh out a memory of 2002, the wind picked up speed last night and the canyon was as windy today as it was then. 

The road is very winding and the views spectacular.  At the base of the switch-backs, my friend tipped me off to a spring that gushes water out of two pipes along the side of the road.  Pure water with the sweetest taste you can imagine.  Loads of people were stopped to fill up their water containers.  Lucky for me, I have a capacity for 7 gallons!  My strength must be improving because I lifted the full container into the back seat of my car.

Downtown Sedona is highly packed with extremely expensive tourist stores and was bustling with us foreigners.  It’s a great place to watch people and there are lots of places to park yourself for this pastime.  I had a fudge, carmel, pecan sundae and did it justice. 

The weather was hot, upper 80’s, and windy.  It felt good.

My friend lives in West Sedona, backed up against a greenway.  We took a hike into the hills and I was disappointed not to see any snakes or other creatures.  I ate a juniper berry right off the tree and nibbled on a mesquite pod (I’m pretty sure I’m remembering that one correctly). 

The redness of the earth is startling especially because of the abundance of green.  The contrast vibrates with an intensity that is hard to describe.  Very other-worldly.  I did not see one speck of dirt that wasn’t red.  Anywhere. 

We took in the view to the southwest from a height, then over to a stupa, which is a meditative shrine for Buddhists.  People come to pray while circling the shrine.  The interior of the shrine is filled with prayers that were rolled into cylinders and sealed.  It sits within a notch in the hillside and is a beautiful place to pray, meditate, or simply let your troubles go. 

The sun was setting as we walked and as it came out from behind the clouds, the light looked like morning to me.  It had a crispness and new-day feeling about it that surprised and delighted me. 

For a real special treat, we watched the constantly changing light diminish from the roof of her house! 

Another richly imbued day connecting with someone who has helped me tremendously along my path for many years.