Penny Thoughts

Day 3…Sedona and the red rocks. Rocks LoL. Big rocks.

Almost nothing went according to my agenda for the day and yet it was the best day.

The agenda went off the rails pretty much the minute I woke up and decided not to go into Cottonwood for breakfast. This decision has an impact on Day 4, which we’ll get to later.

Instead I had made use of the breakfast parts of the groceries bought the night before and then headed off a half mile down the lane to the Crescent Moon picnic area near Red Rock Crossing along Oak Creek at the foot of Cathedral Rock. In reality Cathedral Rock was quite a ways away but it certainly felt like I was at the foot.

The peace I found while sitting on the bank of the creek is indescribable. Water has always had a calming effect on me. It’s where I go to unwind, relax, renew. I spent an hour examining the motion of the water; the way it moved in several directions simultaneously, the different sounds from ripple to gush, the power it had while only a foot or two deep.

This meditation was cut short by a massage appointment back at the rental, in a yurt in the backyard. I now want a yurt in my backyard.

Having a massage in a yurt warmed by a crackling fire while soft Native American flute music plays is a little slice of Heaven.

The massage lasted an hour and the following noodle recovery period was at least another hour. Then it was back on the road for more sight seeing and time on the vortex sites of Sedona. But first, lunch at Creekside.

Headed out to visit a vortex site but was rebuffed by full parking lots everywhere. I found myself on the ridiculously scenic AZ179 between Sedona and Oak Creek. Pulled over a few times to get out and take pics, and sometimes just through the windshield because I could stop.

There are not words in my vocabulary to adequately describe the feelings and the wonder when in the presence of these ancient Grandfathers. To pass by them in their quiet and timeless majesty is at once glorious in all the splendor contained in that word, and humbling at how small and temporary I am.

Being unable to sit on a mesa vortex, I decided the best place for me to go was back to my creek. They say all of Sedona is a vortex, and I can’t think of any better place to quietly meditate and recharge my spirit then with the ancient red sands and black rocks along the banks of Oak Creek.

I’m not going to lie, it was so tempting to take a small black rock. But as a wise environmentalist once said, take only pictures, leave only footprints.

Crescent Moon Picnic Site at Red Rock Crossing was my home base during my stay in Sedona and having my feet connect with the earth there was everything I needed to cleanse and renew my spirit.

The park is a lovely space with paved and natural trails and tidbit of area history and nature. A great place to spend some quiet time or launch a hike.

A few more pics and slo-mo water video and then it was time to relax…

The tub was too good not to enjoy a second time. With ice cream!

And so Day 3 came to a close. Day 4 agenda includes packing the car and visiting a few more places in/around Sedona and then off to the Nest, where I stay during the Grand Canyon portion of the trip.

Thanks for reading!