As the last bits of Arizona’s late summer fades, the season for the best hiking of the year in Sedona is just around the corner. Though the sun is still pretty warm during the day, as August fades into September, the chill in the air in the early morning gets more and more pronounced, making it tough to resist the urge to be outside. But who would want to? Whether you are enjoying the spectacular views from out on the trail or exploring the shops, galleries and events, the end of summer promises exciting new fall beginnings in Sedona. Take a look at some of the spectacular views that are just waiting to be discovered!
Sedona's Autumn Leaves -- Fall in Sedona
Sedona’s changing colors are a highlight of the autumn season. The red rocks give a backdrop to yellow leaves. Sunsets glow pink and magenta. Sedona is startlingly pretty this time of year. And, of course, I’ve set out a half dozen bright orange pumpkins in front of the cactus to greet customers. I love fall in Sedona. I’ve taken a lot of photos this year to share with friends and family. Here are some of my favorites.
It's definitely spring in Sedona. Sedona Wonder Gallery & Gifts has our doors open, and the aroma of blooming trees and flowers is in the air.
Welcome to Spring
at Sedona Wonder!
Thunderstorm above golden Sedona sunset.
This past summer, a spectacular thunderstorm blew into Sedona just as the sun was setting. The towering red rock formations glowed red as bubbly gray clouds whirled overhead. The wind kicked up. A rainbow appeared. It was one of the prettiest storms I've ever witnessed here in Sedona, and that's saying a lot -- we get some beautiful storms and rainbows here, especially in late summer during "monsoon" season. Anyway, I was swiping through some old videos on my phone, and I came across this video I had taken during that fine, deep-orange sunset. It occurred to me that I had forgotten to post it. So here it is.
Pumpkin Season
It's that time of year: We set pumpkins out on the store's patio every morning--but we have to remember to bring them indoors every night. Why? Because if we don't, the javelinas will gobble them up. Yes, javelinas wander into Uptown overnight in search of easy food--including pumpkins, jack o lanterns and potted plants. :)
Palatki
The Palatki Heritage Site cliff dwellings and rock art site located near Sedona in north-central Arizona. The site is open to the general public for visits seven days a week. One of my favorite lesser-known attractions in Sedona Red Rock country. Here a few snapshots from my visit this month. Blue sky, yellow leaves--the fall colors are spectacular here.
Early Morning Balloon Ride over West Sedona video. #Sedona
Early morning balloon ride over West Sedona. Part 1. Just a few days before Christmas, I took a balloon ride with my buddies from Red Rock Balloon Adventures this week. Great views of Thunder Mountain, Bear Mountain, Doe Mountain, Fay Canyon, Boyton Canyon, Enchantment, Cock's Comb ... This is a video a pieced together of the occasion. It includes filling the balloon and launching.
South Kaibab Trail: Skeleton Point to Black Bridge. #GrandCanyon
Fun, 2-minute video of hiking the Grand Canyon's South Kaibab Trail. This video shows portions of the trail between Skeleton Point and Black Bridge, the bridge that crosses The Colorado from Kaibab Trail. The best part, in my humble opinion, are the views from the suspension bridge (Black Bridge) over the Colorado River at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon. Enjoy.
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake, epicenter 34.977°N, 111.740°W , 7 miles north or Sedona. 11-30-14
Sedona Earthquake
A minor earthquake struck the Sedona area around 11 pm Sunday night. The rumble and shaking lasted about half a minute. It was a 4.7 magnitude Earthquake. Its epicenter was located at 34.977°N, 111.740°W , about 7 miles north or Sedona, near West Fork hiking area in Oak Creek Canyon. Residents of Flagstaff and other nearby towns also felt the quake. Earthquakes along Oak Creek Canyon are not uncommon; however, this is the strongest to shake the area in recent years. No damage has been reported. 11-30-14
Here are links to the latest information on the quake:
Home surveillance video shows the shaking in Flagstaff
Sedona in Cleveland, Sports Illustrated, & The Jerome "J" Gets A Paint Job,
Sports Illustrated online includes a section called "Lovely Lady of the Day," which recently featured swimsuit model Tiffany Toth in Sedona! Check out this lovely lady contemplating the beauty of the red rocks from a plaza at Pinon Point in Uptown, Sedona. The view here includes Giant's Thumb and one of the best views of Snoopy Rock. Here's the link. (Note, although this shot of Ms. Toth is G-rated, please be aware that a few of the linked page are a bit more sexy.)
Sedona, Arizona is featured this week in the travel section of Cleveland.com, the premier news & info. site for the Cleveland area. Here's the link, which includes excellent Sedona Pics and "what to do / what to see" suggestions. Hope we see some Cleveland folks in the upcoming months!
Jerome's "J" gets a paint job! Volunteers recently added a new coat of paint to the white rocks that form the giant "J" on the side of Cleopatra Hill above the town of Jerome. Many visitors to Sedona also visit Jerome, an old mining town located 28 miles west of on State Route 89A. At the turn of the 20th century, Jerome was the second-largest city in Arizona, as well as the most dangerous. The New York Times called Jerome the "most wicked city" city of the West. The finest hotels between St. Louis and San Francisco were here, as well as dozens of bordellos and rowdy saloons. Today, Jerome is a quirky arts-and-crafts destination with roofless buildings, sloped sidewalks that lead to nowhere, and lots of tourists. Here's a link to The Verde Independent's full article and a dozen pictures of the volunteer work on the "J."
Baby bear pushes her brother off tree. #babyanimals #bears #Arizona
Baby bear pushes her brother off tree. Made me laugh. Filmed at Bearizona, in Williams, AZ. Real baby black bears. SedonaWonder.com #babyanimals
SedonaWonder.com Alien Lizard Man
Made me laugh.
Sedona's Girdner Trail featured in AZ Central. & The Leaves Are Falling!
AZ Central's "Arizona Hike" page this week featured Sedona's Girdner Trail. Here's the link. This moderate, 4.5 mile (one way) hike begins at the Cultural Park Trailhead, where one can glimpse the wood-and-steel "skeletal" remains of Sedona's once world-class outdoor performance center. The trail features lots of cottonwood, willow and sycamore trees. Leaf peepers should plan to get there this week if possible. The leaves in Sedona are changing color fast, and the recent cold blast has them dropping to the ground like potato chips. (I borrowed that line from a friend.) Crunch! Bring your camera!
Christmas Deals Already Starting!
Trails Study Completed. But headline is misleading.
Article from AZ Daily Sun on recently completed Red Rock Trails study. The headline -- "Unhappy Trails" suggests conflicts between trail users; however, the study and full article reveals that there are actually very few conflicts between trail users -- biking versus horseback riders verses hikers. The chief need for our red dirt trails appears to be something much less exciting: continued, long-term upkeep & maintenance.
Halloween & Dia de Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) in Sedona, 2014
Trick-or-treating in Sedona traditionally occurs Uptown, where the majority of tourist-oriented stores and businesses are located. It's one of the few nights of the year when there are far more locals walking around the shops than tourists. Below are some snapshots and videos of the evening.
Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), which falls on Nov. 1st and 2nd, is a traditional Mexican holiday for celebrating the lives of friends and family who have passed away. Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back to Aztec festivals. Sedona celebrates Day of the Dead, like Halloween, with costumes, art and and public dances. Below are snapshots and videos from Sedona's Day of The Dead celebration this year.
Uptown Sedona Trick-or-Treating, Halloween 2014. SedonaWonder.com
Freaky Fire Dancer Shot. Sedona, Day of The Dead celebration. Sedonwonder.com
Sedona Circus performer at Day of The Dead celebration. Sedona, AZ. SedonaWonder.com
Day of The Dead celebration, Sedona, 2014. DiVoM performance. David Vincent Mills, musician. SedonaWonder.com
Day of The Dead Celebration, Sedona, 2014. Fire Dancers!
Sedona Plein Air Festival Begins This Weekend!
Here's the latest notice from Sedona Main Street on this year's Plein Air Festival!
The “10th Annual Main Street Paint Out” is coming to Uptown this Saturday.
Sedona artist, Steve Simon, painting a landscape outside Sedona Green Gallery & Gifts. Steve's work is available at Sedona Green.
The “Main Street Paint Out” on Saturday, October 18 from 1:30 – 4 p.m. is the kick-off event for Sedona Arts Center’s 10th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival, an eight day celebration of outdoor painting with thirty nationally recognized plein air artists from all over the United States. It is sponsored by Sedona Main Street Program to bring together all these artists in one place at the same time. Look for their easels set up all along the plazas and courtyards in Uptown Sedona (N. State Route 89A). It’s a wonderful opportunity to witness the creation of a painting from start to finish within the two and a half hour “Paint Out”. People meet and interact with the artists at work in the open air, as their paintings develop to capture the beauty and charm of Uptown Sedona.
This free event kicks-off the Sedona Arts Center’s 10th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival, an eight day celebration of outdoor painting. The invited artists must be award-winning plein air artists with regional/national recognition and current representation in a fine art gallery. This year, eleven of the artists are from Arizona and the remaining nineteen are coming from California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington DC and Wisconsin. Each year approximately thirty percent of the artists are new to the Festival and this year is no exception – there are 11 new artists this year, both from Arizona and nine of the other states represented here.
The paintings created during the “Main Street Paint Out” will be quickly framed and exhibited for sale from 4 - 5:00 pm at Sedona Arts Center, on the corner of “Main Street” (N. SR 89A) and Art Barn Road in Uptown Sedona. This is the first opportunity to purchase this year’s creations, making it perfect for visitors in town for just that weekend or the day. Immediately following is an opening reception at Sedona Art Center’s Art Barn from 5 – 7:00; it is open to the public and complete with complimentary wine offerings, in celebration of the Art & Wine Theme for this year’s Festival. There you can see exhibits of work that all the painters brought with them, and those exhibits will evolve throughout the weeklong Festival as their artwork is purchased and newly created paintings are added. The Festival has many activities open to the public. Visit www.sedonapleinairfestival.com for all the details.
Visit Sedona Time of year for Arizona residents.
Several Arizona newspapers mentioned Sedona on their travel pages this past week. It's classic "Visit Sedona" time of year for Arizona residents. Many residents of the Phoenix area and southern Arizona enjoy making the road trip northward this time of year to see the leaf colors in Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff and the White Mountains areas. Here are three of the articles.
Oak Creek Canyon Open In Time For Leaf Viewing!
Just in time for prime leaf-peeping season, Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona will open for recreation starting Wednesday.
Read MoreSedona Epic Hikes Video Part 3 (featruing baby bears).
OK, this is a long video. I should have broken it up into 3 vids, but "should of, could of." Anyway, this video features some wonderful Sedona and Sedona-area shots -- videos and stills, featuring The Birthing Cave, adorable baby bears (at Bearizona in Williams, AZ), close-ups of the aftermath of the Brins Fire, the Sedona "Wind Caves", an amazing Sedona double rainbow, a friendly tarantula, and ... well, a lot more. Enjoy.
Third of my Sedona Hikes videos. Features super hikes and "WOW" scenery around Bell Rock, Mescal Mt., Boyton Canyon, Devil's Bridge, V-V Ranch, Montezuma's Well and more. Includes scenic drives along 89A, I79 & Red Rock Loop. Also includes playful, baby black bears at Bearizona Park and a hairy tarantula.
One Thousand Sedona Pics in 9 Minutes!
In this video, we flash-photo travel from Buddha Beach to Red Rock Crossing, along Oak Creek, Up Cathedral Rock to the various saddles between The Mace and other towering spires, along some rock edges ... then on to an epic hike up Bear Mountain, one of the most interesting (and potentially dangerous) hikes in Sedona.
