Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona

Oak Creek Canyon is a river gorge located along the Mogollen Rim in northern Arizona.  It runs between Flagstaff and Sedona and eventually to the Verde River in the Verde Valley.  It is often described as a much smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon due to its scenic beauty.  It runs 12 miles between Flagstaff and Sedona and ranges in width between 0.8 to 2.5 miles.  The depth of the canyon ranges from 800ft to 2000 ft and the elevation ranges between 6000 to 7000 ft above sea level.  Oak Creek Canyon & Sedona are the second most popular tourist attraction in Arizona.  The Grand Canyon is number one! 
As for me, Oak Creek was the place to go to have fun in the water and just relax on a warm day.  There are so many places to dip your feet in to cool off or play in the cool water.   Sliding Rock is a portion of  Oak Creek which is now a State Park.  At sliding rock you just sit on the rocks in the creek and slide down them.  It is fun and cools you off quickly.  When the creek crosses to the other side of the road there is a swimming hole that was deep enough to jump into from the limbs of a tree or the from a big rock.  There are so many beautiful spots along the creek.  When I was in college my roommate, Maureen, and I had a picture taken us the two of us sitting on a huge rock along the creek.  It is still one of my favorite pictures.  The curvy road that leads from Flagstaff to Sedona, Highway 89A, is a challenge in a car or truck.  I watched an RV pulling a car take it yesterday; very slowly.  I rode down that road on my bike when I was in college.  It was fun but a little scarry especially as fast as I was going and if I missed a curb I was going over the rim.  I just remember the feeling of  flying down that road with its curves and then riding through the creek area.  It was fun!  Oak Creek holds some great memories to me and being there again made them seem like they all happened were yesterday. 
We drove through Sedona mostly to take pictures of the rock formations.  We will be visiting the town next week but I noticed how much  it has grown since the last time I was there.  It felt good to be back at Oak Creek and Sedona.  It was a great day!
Today we are going to Flagstaff to visit Northern Arizona University.  I am looking forward to visiting campus and seeing how much the school has changed since I attended it 30 years ago.  Here I come NAU!