Tina loves the carpeted floors and cozy couches, and our host is introducing us to the spectacular natural wonders of the area, the photos of which do little justice to their magnificence.
"Downtown" Sedona is quite touristy and expensive, and we hear that development has indeed changed the city a great deal since the 1970's, a story that's echoed across the country, it seems. Still, it's a wonderful place to visit before we head to the Grand Canyon on Saturday, and we're thankful to Rick for being our dear friend and Sedona tour guide!
Sedona is so close to where I grew up (Cottonwood, Arizona) that it is basically my home. I worked there a lot, including my first job and doing contract work for the school, library, and several doctor's offices.
ReplyDeleteAs well, I spent time at Slide Rock before it was a state park. That echoes what you say above, how development has really changed the place. I've not actually been to Slide Rock since it became a park, it doesn't quite have the same appeal as wandering off into the canyon to find an oasis: you have to pay for parking. ;-)
Having worked at the homes of engineers and doctors in the area, I can say that there are some homes with views from their living rooms that make you want to stand there transfixed and never move again...
I remember now as well that my father volunteered for the State Park for a summer to do some filming. We lived outside of town near the river.
ReplyDeleteI spent that summer fishing every morning and wandering around the woods. Best summer of my life, hands down. There was this unoccupied home up on a hill overlooking the place we stayed at, and we spent one day driving up to it (in a 4-wheel drive truck) and exploring it. Large, beautiful, and very remote. I'm not even sure what became of it, but at the time I wondered why we weren't living in it, the practica of day-to-day life not yet much of a concern for me.