Sedona, AZ

Sedona, AZ is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino County and Yavapai County.  The main attraction of Sedona is the stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona.
The sunlight on the red rocks makes hues of orange to red depending on the time of day.  Sedona was established in 1902 when a post office was placed there for the Oak Creek area.  It was named after Sedona Anabell Miller Schnebly who was the wife of the first postmaster.  It was in celebration of her hospitality and industrialism.  Sedona sits at 4500 ft above sea level with mid winters and summers.  The famous Red Rocks are made of thick layers of red to orange colored sandstone found only in the Sedona area.  The sandstone is a member of the Supai group and deposited during the Permian period.  The population in 1902 was 55.  By the 1950's it jumped up to 155 and in the 1960s parts of Sedona still did not have electricity.  Sedona tourism began slowly in the late 1950s but really took off in the 1980s and 1990s.  The city also grew with the tourism and people moving to the area during that time.  The population today  is 10,031 with a median income of $44,100 and a median age of 50.  Sedona is a popular place for the movie industry and over 60 movies have been made in Sedona.  Some of the movies were: "Johnny Guitar", "Angel and the Badman" and "3:10 To Yuma". 
Sedona is one of my favorite areas and it seems when you mention Sedona to anyone they are in agreement.  It is beautiful as you walk around town and simply look up and see the red rock formations.  We were there again yesterday and it was raining.  The rain and low clouds put a whole new look to the red rocks and I am glad we got a chance to see just how the lighting on the red rocks do produce the colors.  They were still a beautiful sight with the way the clouds covered the rocks.  I have posted pictures and have finally found a famous rock formation that I could not see until yesterday, it is  Coffee Pot Rock.  Everytime we drove through town I would look for it but it wasn't until yesterday when the clouds were hiding most of the rocks that it came into view.  It does look like a coffee pot.  We did a lot of window shopping and two things that you will defineately find in Sedona are turquoise jewelry and dirt t-shirts.  I love turquoise jewelry and went into every shop looking for a particular style of ring.  I had a ring several years ago that I purchased from a Native American just outside of Grand Canyon National Park that I loved.  It broke and I have been trying to find one just like it because I loved the design.  I have looked all over since I have been in the area but no luck.  The dirt t-shirt are t-shirts that are died with the red dirt of Sedona.  The TV show, Dirty Jobs, covered it once and they are neat looking t-shirts.  It was fun to walk around Sedona and look at all the art that Sedona offers.  A week or so ago we did have lunch at one of the "touristy" restaurants.  It was called the Red Planet Diner and it has an alien theme.  The Red Rocks of Sedona are also famous for attracting UFOs.  Something about the magnitism or something.  Anyway, the Red Planet Diner is suppose to have the best Hamburgers in Sedona.  The decorations inside and outside of the diner are great and keeps within the theme.  Oh, and the hamburgers were good!  I will miss the Sedona area but we will return soon to spend more time here.
Tim is feeling so much better.  He has finally begun passing the stone and feels like his old self.  Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.  So, because he is better we are on the road again and heading south to Sierra Vista, AZ which is about 30 miles south of Tucson.  We will be there for four days and will be checking out the surrounding area.