Sedona
Sedona is as beautiful as ever. We enjoy the red rocks, blue sky, dry plants, and all the hiking that is available. One day we rode the Verde Canyon Railroad. This train took us on a four-hour journey through Arizona wilderness. There is spectacular geology along with Sinagua Indian ruins dating back to 600 B.C. The tracks follow the Verde River north and west of Clarkdale, Arizona to the ghost town of Perkinsville and back (about 40 miles). It was originally built to support the copper industry in the area.
During the week we spent at the resort, the Red Rock Fantasy opened. This celebration has been held for 22 years. Two dozen displays created by families from the Southwest, bring cartoon favorites, children’s stories, and the biblical story to life in dazzling Christmas displays. More than a million lights are used. Proceeds help local charity and community organizations.
One evening we attended a Native American flute concert performed by Wolfs Robe, a world-renowned traditional Native American flute performer and educator. His flute sounds wove melodies and improvisation through nature and Native American culture. He is committed to the preservation of the Native American flute as well as his own ancestral connections. He played a variety of flutes from a bone flute from 600 A.D. and a thunder flute. He explained the “Grandfather” tuned flutes—not tuned to the Western scale but “tuned perfectly for Nature.”
We took hikes most days. We chose two hikes that we have done before and tried out three new ones. All provided beautiful scenery. (We cannot capture it in photos!) On our last hike of the week, the sign at the beginning warned that bears have recently been active. We decided it was time to head to Goshen!