hiking in sedona

I mentioned that we had taken a couple of hikes while we were in Sedona. The weather was perfect for getting out and enjoying the scenery. Chuck was in meetings in the morning, so Leah and I went together one morning and the two of them went together one afternoon. If you have not been to Sedona, you should some day. The rock formations are really amazing and this time of year, the contrast to the blue sky is beautiful.

These first three were up by a chapel that is built into the rocks. We did a couple of senior pictures here which turned out nicely with these red rock beauties in the background. Oh, and the beauty in the foreground too. I'll share some of those soon.

                               The fruit left after the cactus had bloomed.

 These are from the next day. Just after we started out, about 8 men came by on their bikes. It was pretty rugged terrain for biking but they were determined. Even after they past the signs that said "no motorized vehicles or bikes beyond this point". At one point, they actually had to get off of their bikes and carry them up some rocks. They continued ahead of us and we never saw them again.

Being a little higher elevation than where we live allows pine trees to grow along with the cactus. We enjoyed seeing the pine cones and smelling the sap from the trees.

                                     The views are great no matter which way you turn.

      What a great old tree that had grown up twisting its way toward the sun.

 There were a couple of these big wash areas that we could imagine must really gush when the monsoon rains hit.

         And a few old century plants with the skeleton of its bloom left.

                                                Another angle.

                                  Ta-Da!  The girl loves to hike and be one with nature.

                    Later on, we stopped to grab another photo as the sun was going down.

It's amazing how the different times of day and the angles of the sun make the rocks look completely different.

These next three pictures are from the Dad and Leah's hike. These were taken with his phone camera. Pretty nice sun rays don't you think?

 We love the light and the shadows on the cactus. Look closely, you can see Leah in the background.

 And the sun was going down. Their hike was by the Oak Creek River. More green than red but they said it was gorgeous.

It was a great weekend and we felt refreshed after spending some time in the warm sunshine and cool night air. It is a pretty area.

Sedona, we will be back.