Red rocks

I forgot how beautiful Sedona is. The 23-mile drive along Highway 89A from Flagstaff around and down the Oak Creek Canyon dropping a couple of thousand feet into Sedona rivals many of the best drives in the United States.

Towering trees line the beds of the Canyon’s mountainsides, whose natural springs are said to have healing powers. There are plenty of stop-off’s to get closer to the beautiful rock formations, and Midgely Bridge, is one. The steel bridge that arches gracefully over the canyon is a proper Kodak moment, or a less fussy iPhone moment if you will.

The sun and clouds change the colours of the dramatic cliffs at every tight turn before eventually giving way to the radiant red rocks of Sedona.

The town of Sedona, if a little touristy, does still have plenty to see, but we had no time for a peruse as we had lunch to eat, and we grabbed a stupendous burger at the serenely located Mariposa. If the burger and cold beer was good, the views were to die for.

After Arizona I made the circuitous trip to see old Chicago friends of mine in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They’ve just moved there from California, and it was great to see them, now with three girls under five.

Grand Rapids is in western Michigan on the Grand River and is known for furniture, farmland, craft breweries and a proliferation of coffee shops. It can be bloody cold in the winter, but it wasn’t on this past weekend as we toured the great Fulton Street Farmers Market to expel the lovely dinner and wine from the night before.

My Sedona Travelogue.