Beautiful Sedona

 Driving to the desert town of Sedona was a true adventure in itself, occasionally bucketing it down with monsoons, combined with stunning scenery. A friend from Flagstaff texted me to say that I’d missed the heaviest downpour they’d seen yet, 4 inches of rain in about 2 hours! I loved the freedom of the car when visiting Sedona, it’s a large area and very spread out. 

I stayed with my American friend, Brian, who’s spending a few weeks in Sedona. We did plenty of exploring with the car - he’s house hunting so we checked out loads of nice gaffs. This one had a pretty cool resident...
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZpIaYjHngc

Next morning was a 5AM start, at this time of year it gets roasting hot and often rains heavily in the afternoons, so we started early. 

The red rock sandstone buttes, steep precipitous canyons, and desert landscape were an incredible sight to behold. 

We hiked for just over 5 hours through an undulating rocky quilt of ethereal beauty. Glowing red buttes punching out of the landscape like an invasion of giants, and occasionally stumbling upon a lush green canyon. Sans vegetation, this place would look Martian. 

Hiking is greatly underrated in my opinion, there’s nothing like marinating in the nourishment of nature; it’s good for the soul. We saw lots of lizards, butterflies, and hummingbirds; but sadly, no rattlesnakes :) 

Along the hike, we stopped off at this Bhuddist Stupur, a peaceful rest in the desert heat:
 

Sedona has a real hippie vibe, apparently it sits on ley-lines which give the place salubrious powers. Scattered around you’ll discover art galleries, new age shops, quirky food stores, and restaurants. 

We ate lunch at Chocola Tree - where you can eat EXQUISITE Vegan food. Below: chipotle paneer, mango raita and, red pepper chutney with a variety of veg cakes; Kale salad in the background. The taste? Sublime!

The vegan food really showed how creative a chef can be when cooking with just veg. I believe the human race could do with cutting down on meat consumption, before we burn this jewel of a planet to a crisp; it would be healthier for us and our home if we did. I’ve no plans to move into a geodesic-domed-moss-house in the forest, eking a living as a yoghurt weaver - at least not yet. But you can only draw inspiration from this magical place. 

Next: Jerome..