Take a right
For about two decades I visit Sedona at least once a year. Sedona has gained worldwide notoriety for its vividly contrasting landscape of red rocks, green cactus, and blue skies. Not to mention the views of the stars, planets, and Milky Way at night!! It’s definitely a treasure in the dry landscape of Arizona. But in the past few years I have been turned off by the growing crowds of tourists and the increasing Instagram selfie posts that encourage hiking of the “secret caves.” I’ve even taken a weekday off to decompress amongst the red rocks, arrived at 7 a.m. to find the last parking spot in a huge lot of cars, license plates from all over the USA. Since I’m usually a person who likes to be about the only one on a trail, it’s a deterrent to future Sedona hike plans.
When I was traveling up the freeway to Flagstaff, Arizona last weekend, I saw the exit sign for Sedona. I hesitated. I did miss the amazing views, and I was itching for a great photo of the day. The residual glow of the sunrise was reflecting off the puffy clouds of an ebbing storm on the northern horizon. It would be a great morning for a quick trip through the Oak Creek Canyon! So I quickly pulled off the freeway and prepared to take the normal left-turn to drive up the road to the red rocks. But when I got to the intersection, I decided to take a right.
Take a right?! Am I crazy?? I didn’t even know what was on the right!! But the road was paved and looked well-traveled, so I thought “why not?” I drove for a while to find some great views of the sunrise cloudscape.
It was a brisk 28* when I popped out of the warm car to explore the landscape on the side of the road. The glowing yellow grass, the green yuccas, and the clouds in the blue sky made some really gorgeous photos.
After getting some shots in, I drove down the road to find another version of the Oak Creek Canyon.
Continuing further down the road, I came across a charming campground and day use area that is used for fishing and picnics.
I would have loved to continue down the road and explore the wilderness some more, but it was time to get back to my original destination.
Sometimes taking an unknown turn is the best way to find inspiring beauty in the world.
