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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“Vortexes and Pink Drinks” |
Driving into Sedona from Phoenix through Oak Creek Village brought us past monumental red rock formations set against a brilliant blue sky. The forces that shaped these formations are long gone, their work done millions of years ago. But it was hard to imagine them that morning; hard to believe we were driving under a sea from bygone millennia. Geologic forces uplifted a huge rim, the Mogollan Rim; sand, wind and water carved the rocks and washed away the land around them. The result is Sedona’s famous red rock canyons, buttes and spires, those much-photographed places with names like Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Rock, and Coffee Pot Rock. Driving into town, I could only stare.
Sedona was named for an intrepid woman married to a general store owner in Gorin, Missouri. I’m sure she thought she would stay in her Main Street town and join a quilting club and send her children to the little red schoolhouse. Instead, when Carl Schnebly found himself among the red rock beauty in the Arizona Territory, he determined he could never live in Missouri again. So Sedona Schnebly saddled up her proverbial pony and headed with her husband and two children into the great-unknown Wild West wastelands. Carl opened up a postal agency in their home to distribute mail for the arriving settlers; after proposing the names Schnebly Station, Red Rock Crossing and even Oak Creek Station, he named the mail depot Sedona because the other names were too long to fit on a cancellation stamp. Soon the entire district bore her name.
Our first stop was the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a Catholic church built right into an uplifted formation of rocks. One of the most heavily visited churches in the Diocese of Phoenix, the chapel can be seen from miles on the approach to the town. My parents had once visited it on a trip to Sedona, so I decided to have a look as well. A visit to the chapel can take as long as you are willing to stand and admire the view. We turned onto the road at a directional sign, and wound up the short hill to the Chapel parking area. There were many visitors, all silent and respectful as they entered the nave with its fantastic view of the surrounding valley. Cameras angled and clicked as the interior was captured for photo albums and scrapbooks. Ten or so rows of pews bordered the narrow aisle leading to the small altar. The high interior was dim in the morning light, and the signature window framed the outside vista. I lit a votive candle, one of about 100 available along one long wall. Soft music played familiar hymnal melodies. Returning to the car, I noticed a trail edged with small cactus leading along the ridge, and decided to walk along a see a cactus close up. These were prickly pear cacti, tiny compared to the huge seguaros I had seen in Phoenix.
Finally, we left the chapel and covered the last mile or two into uptown Sedona.
Sedona is where Moab, Utah would go if Moab had money. Hotels like the Amara Resort, Best Western Arroyo Roble, and Hyatt fill the town and comfort its visitors. Perhaps none is as posh as Enchantment Resort, which sits at the bottom of Boynton Canyon just outside Sedona. Enchantment blends into the canyon, and from the rim at the top of Boynton Canyon Trail, the resort all but disappears. JT and I decided to go for lunch. Hungry from the drive up from Phoenix we drove straight to Enchantment, bypassing our own motel in favor of a classy meal. But it was not to be had so quickly. The gatekeeper told us the restaurant was full for at least an hour. So we backtracked about a half-mile and stopped at the Deadman’s Trail parking area to spend an hour or so hiking. Three trails begin at the Deadman’s Trail parking area: Deadman’s Pass Trail, Boynton Canyon Vista Trail, and Boynton Canyon Trail. We chose the Vista Trail, both for the promised views and for the described hiking time of 1 hour. Soon we were hundreds of feet above the surrounding land, viewing the promised vistas from the Boynton Canyon Spire.
A Sedona Vortex site, Boynton Canyon did not deliver its fabled deep earth energy to me, but then maybe it was because I was a bit of a skeptic, and the phenomenon was blocked. Sedona’s “Vortexes” are the stuff of legend. There are at least 5 of these special places in the immediate vicinity of the Town, and several business enterprises are devoted to them. Quite simply, a Sedona vortex is a place where energy flow that exists on multiple dimensions. The energy in the vortex interacts with a person’s inner self.
Lunch at Enchantment’s Grill was one of the most pleasant
afternoons I have ever had. We dined al
fresco on the stone terrace, the steep walls of Boynton Canyon providing a most
perfect backdrop. The Grill’s drink
menu was extensive – over ten different margaritas, and an equal number of
martini choices. The signature drink
color seemed to be pink, both to go with the background rocks and because many
of the drinks included a splash of cactus juice. We spent more on our pink drinks than we did on the accompanying
food. But what a day!
Finally, we made our way to the Sky Ranch Lodge Motel, with plenty of time to catch gorgeous sunset views from Airport Mesa.
previous travel blog entry
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