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.

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.

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

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!

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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.

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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.

Buddha Beach along Sedona's Oak Creek

Cairns, or meditation stones, stacked along the shore of Sedona's Oak Creek. This area is also known as "Buddha Beach."

Cairns in Oak Creek

Cairns, or meditation stones, stacked along shallow spots of Sedona's Oak Creek. This area is also known as "Buddha Beach."

Trail to Buddha Beach

Buddha Beach Trail along Sedona's Oak Creek.

Smooth Rocks along Buddha Beach

Cairns, or meditation stones, stacked along shallow spots of Sedona's Oak Creek. This area is also known as "Buddha Beach."

Giant Cairn Tower

Here's a giant cairn tower along the shore of Oak Creek.

This area is also known as "Buddha Beach."

Cathedral Rock in Early Spring

Cathedral Rock, Sedona's most-photographed red rock formation stands in the background. Oak Creek cold water runs in the foreground. This photograph was taken in the spring as the trees were budding new leaves.

Cathedral Rock Towers and Spires

A shot looking up at the red rock towers and spires of Sedona's Cathedral Rock. The tower to the right is known as "The Mace." Rock climbers occasionally climb to the top of this tower.

View from The Top of Cathedral Rock

Here's a shot of one of the views from one of the "saddle" portions of Cathedral Rock. By "saddles," I mean the spaces between the formation's multiple spires.

Fay Canyon View

Here's a photo looking out from a perch in "Fay Canyon." Accessed from Dry Creek Road in West Sedona, Fay Canyon is one of the most popular trails in Sedona. Along the trail, hikers can detour to a natural arch. There's also a unique rock formation that looks like a goblet. At one point, the trail appears to end at the spot where giant rocks dislodged and fell onto the trail 20+ years ago; however, adventurous hikers can continue beyond the rock fall to additional perches and views.

Close Up of "The Goblet" Formation

Here's a photo looking of the base of a rock formation in Fay Canyon, which I call "The Goblet," because it looks somewhat like a goblet or wine glass. Accessed from Dry Creek Road in West Sedona, Fay Canyon is one of the most popular trails in Sedona. Along the trail, hikers can detour to a natural arch. There's also a unique rock formation that looks like a goblet. At one point, the trail appears to end at the spot where giant rocks dislodged and fell onto the trail 20+ years ago; however, adventurous hikers can continue beyond the rock fall to additional perches and views.

Looking Out from A Sedona Cave

Here's a shot looking out over the Secret Mountain Wilderness from a shallow Sedona Cave.

Tourists on Bell Rock

Here's a shot of tourists perched on a lower portion of Bell Rock. Bell Rock is one of the easiest hikes to try in Sedona. One can reach spectacular views very quickly. A hike can be as short as twenty minutes, or you can take all day to explore the formation

Mescal Mountain Overlook

This shot was taken from the top of Mescal Mountain. The Mescal Mountain hike leads to a mesa, or flat "table top" like formation, high above the Sedona wilderness. From this mesa, one can see for miles in all directions. Mescal Mountain trail is not especially popular with tourists, but it is one of my favorites.

Sedona's Cow Pies

Cow Pies is a formation as well as a trail accessed via the unpaved and almost impassable, Schnebly Hill Road. A four-wheel drive is the preferred method for accessing any of the trails off Schnebly, so most tourists elect to take a Jeep tour for these views. The Cow Pies formation is a series of rock formations that resemble "cow pies." One can also access this area via Munds Wagon Trail, but it's a long hike that way -- 5 miles or more one way. In this shot, the clouds are reflected in a red rock depression that has filled with water from a recent rain.

Sedona Red Rocks from A Helicopter

Here's a hot of some of Sedona's red rock formations as seen from the sky -- a helicopter tour. Helicopter and plane sight-seeing tours fly close over the wilderness and rock formations. Some are even able to point out Native-American ruins hidden between the towering rock walls.

Another Shot from Shallow Cave

Here's a shot looking out over the Secret Mountain Wilderness from a shallow Sedona Cave. Similar to another shot in this gallery, but with the light a bit different, causing a glow along the interior rock wall.

Oak Creek Rapids

Oak Creek's cool waters rush along smooth boulders through Oak Creek Canyon. This shot was taken at the end point of Huckaby Trail. The area shown here is a south of Slide Rock Park and Midgley Bridge.

Chapel of The Holy Cross at Sunset

Here's a shot of The Chapel of The Holy Cross at sunset. The Chapel is Sedona's most visited structure, a church building built directly into the red rocks. Imagined and commissioned by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, it was completed in 1957, and "the doors are open to one and all."

Oak Creek Quickly

This is my favorite shot of Oak Creek. Our gallery -- Sedona Green Gallery & Gifts -- sells this wonderful image in a number of printed formats. I love the shadows and textures of the pocked boulders and the rushing water.

Oak Creek's cool waters rush along boulders through Oak Creek Canyon. This shot was taken at the end point of Huckaby Trail. The area shown here is a south of Slide Rock Park and Midgley Bridge.