The is the beginning of the canyons portion of the tour. The drive out of Phoenix changed quickly when the elevation of the road rose suddenly. The temperature dropped and the vegetation changed. There was a lot more green, more farms and more storms. All around us we can see storm clouds with curtains of rain far away with occasional lightning. The sky was therefore cloudy, not ideal for photographs, but can create interesting compositions.
On the way to Sedona, we stopped by the Montezuma Castle, which is essentially an ancient apartment style building carved into a cliff surface. There was nothing more than a short walk to the site and admire it from below, but interesting to note that the Southern Sinagua people who built took the natural contour of the cliff into account when designing the buildings, and included the concave facade as a part of the design.
Another site was the Montezuma Well. This is a round lake fed by underground spring. The water is crystal clear and the endless supply of water creates lush vegetation at where the water runs off. It was a pleasant surprise to find a paradise-like environment as we walked from the top of the lake (desert-like) to the bottom where the water escapes ( green with lots of vegetation). It’s a wonder what water can add to the environment.
Driving to Sedona was a short and pleasant one. We climbed above 4000ft on I-17 before veering off towards Sedona. The drive was of course scenic, and the canyons were before our eyes in no time. Before we got to Sedona, we stopped by a chapel that is built into the rocks of the canyon. It’s a simple structure, using the cross as the main theme plunging into the rocks and looking out into the canyon.
Surrounding the canyon are, well, wealthy large mansions. Green lawn in the middle of the desert with 4 garages and a big poodle running around in the yard. What a life! What a contrast to the run down establishments of the local Indians.
Sedona is nothing more than a tourist trap with resorts and shops. We were looking for a place for dinner wondering what’s the local specialty…. Sports bar/grill…. Steak house….. BBQ….. Korean vegetarian???
Anyways, Arizona is quite a state. Harsh environments, but this is a proof that with money, anything is possible. Just don’t ask “why”.
1 comment:
a ma zing!! it looks like some of these are HDR... what range of shutter speed are you using?
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