Sedona has a reputation for attracting crystal-seeking New-Agers (and there's nothing wrong with that), but don't go to Sedona for the vortexes. Go to Sedona for the scenery and the ancient Native American history.
Dan and I set off to Sedona with son #4 and his wife, who had organized a Pink Jeep tour for us, and we spent the day taking in the scenery. Dan bought himself a couple of dirt shirts with Southwest designs on them, and I liked the look of them so much, I had to buy a couple as well. If you aren't familiar with dirt shirts, they're T-shirts dyed in the local mud. They come out a gorgeous russet color (like the one my son is wearing).
 We strolled down the main streets, looking for kachinas for me (Native American dolls that represent different dancers) and cold drinks. I love how the city has ordinances that make developers comply with building designs that blend with the natural environment. Nothing garish or ugly here. Despite the calendar saying it was the end of September, temperatures were well over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Our water bottles came in very handy!
After a stroll through the shops, it was time for our Pink Jeep tour, led by our intrepid driver and tour guide, Jason. We had signed up for the Ancient American ruins tour, and headed out into the bush. We zoomed past celebrity homes and found ourselves into wide open ranch land, surrounded by red rocks. It was stunning!
 The Native American dwellings were built into the native rock using mud brick and rocks. In their day, they would have looked like a somewhat modern apartment building, with rooms built on top of each other. Built high into the native rock to keep away enemies and predators, I could just imagine what it would have been like to live here, off the harsh land. Life expectancy was around 40 years (less for women.) Each clan marked its presence with a shield with an animal icon painted on the rock face. Around us were petroglyphs - paintings of animals on the rocks: deer, coyote, and coatis. Some people think that the natives, by drawing on the rocks, ascribed some kind of magical hold over these animals, as they were food sources, but part of me likes to think that they just liked to replicate what they saw in nature, to their abodes, much like many of us do today.
It was a fascinating tour, although hot and thirsty work, walking to and around the site. I left only reluctantly, although it did mean that I got to see more red rock and bush on the way back to base. I leave some photos of the day for you to enjoy.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
Labels: Arizona, Holiday, Sedona, vacation |
posted by Melanie O. at 
These photos take me back. I loved that area of the States.