Red Rock Canyon Awaits

This is definitely a Bucket List destination.  The physical decor of the natural scenery is breathtaking but huge credit has to go to the elected officials from many, many years ago who had the vision to put in place distinct building codes and restrictions that could be defended against the 'big boy' retailers and developers.

I did not have trouble finding the commercial stores that we were looking for and these included big name places, like McDonalds (for a Kyle ice cream) and high end groceries from Safeway and coffee from Starbucks.  We found them even without their mile high signs in the sky.  In my photo album you will see that signage is restricted to below the roof line, must be mounted on the structure and even the colours of the big boys has been restricted.  The buildings themselves do not look like the ugly box stores of other cities, there are strict height restrictions and blocking the view of the natural scenery is obviously a big concern.  Well done.


All commercial and residential building must follow the theme of the original adobe mountain dug dwellings.  There are no towering obstructions, no neighbours building obstructing stories to wipe out your views and the yards and gardens are all manicured in the theme of the area.  Wow.


The natural beauty of this area is something to experience first hand, so we entice you to plan a visit here.  There is an airport and hundreds of hotels, motels, spas, RV parks, state parks, no services campgrounds and .....The AAA book lists hotel rooms from $49 to $2500 per night !


We are in a beautiful riverside RV park about 12 miles from downtown Sedona.  The big CottonWood trees provide full shade and since it is blooming season they are driving my allergies nuts.  Kyle has swam the river, chased the birds and made friends with everyone.


Today we headed to Cornville and Cottonwood on our way to the Red Mountain Vistas.  Just had to shop at a WalMart !  Bought a scanner printer so I can send you all info from material we collect and of course Kaye can print her coupons.


Our cross country route took us through a long road construction phase (was gravel) where we had the pleasure of being the last vehicle through, so we were given a 'flag' to represent us as the last vehicle and asked to give it to the flagman at the other end.  The other end was about four miles away so it would have been a long delay if we had not showed up when we did.  We told the other flagman to 'smile' for a photo!  I wanted to ask if they had heard of Walkie Talkies or Cell Phones but decided the 'Flag' was the most simple, logical and cheapest tool to get the job done.  So who are the 'smarter' ones?


The next part of our day was stopping at the pull-outs along the road and taking pictures of the natural wonders.  We did a three mile hike with Kyle at one of the stops.  It was a great path, lots of people who all loved Kyle and just the right length for our plans.  


On our way back into Sedona we spied a fabulous tourist trap of artistic beauty.  We needed a place to hide in the shade and have a snack so this became it.  I ended up taking a bunch of photos as it was a mass of high end art with no "made in china crap".   Kaye found a cute cactus wall hanger, I was interested in a hand carved wolf cane but the girls on duty were not authorized to negotiate prices on behalf of the artists on weekdays.  Oh well, their loss.


We then focused on the residential and commercial properties in Sedona. We were so impressed with the building development codes that had ensured that not only would the views of the majestic mountains be preserved for all but that the commercial districts would not appear to take over the natural beauty.


This is truly somewhere you could plan a week long visit and not be disappointed.  Here is a link to the full album of photos from the Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area.