Exploring Verde Valley, Arizona

December 16th, 2017

Saturday – December 16, 2017

There’s so much to see and do around Sedona, Arizona.  It’s a vibrant community of almost 11,000 people energized by 4 million annual tourists. Cool and clear weather enticed us to explore the area around Sedona known as the Verde Valley.  We drove west to a village called  Old Town Cottonwood and found Larry’s Antiques & Things.

A large sign informed us that Larry’s includes three acres of “collectibles” inside and outside many large rambling buildings.  We could have spent several days perusing Larry’s collections of endless stuff.

After a while, we drove a short distance to Clarkdale to see the Verde Canyon Railroad Station.  Some other time we’ll take the train through the scenic region.  We followed a sign on the road to the Tuzigoot National Monument which is a pueblo ruin built by the Sinagua people between 1125 to 1400.

Jeff used his senior citizen National Parks Pass to gain entry to the historical site and we climbed up to the top of the hill to see the former Native American community.  There was a fantastic 360 degree view of the entire valley.

We continued west and followed signs to the town of Jerome.  We drove up the twisty winding road around hairpin turns to the top of the mountain and saw a small sign telling us we were 5246 feet above sea level.  Another mile-high city?!  Jerome had been a copper mining town and was built on the side of a mountain.  All the houses had endless amazing views.

Since it was getting late, we turned around and went back toward Sedona.  We stopped at several overlooks or roads which had good views of the spectacular red rocks.

Many visitors go to Sedona to take advantage of the wide assortment of outdoor activities like hiking, biking, camping, boating, and fishing.  A specialized group of tourists go to Sedona to be energized and inspired by the “mysterious cosmic forces which emanate from the red rocks.”  There are supposed to be five “vortexes” of energy for the believers.  Nonetheless, the scenery is incredibly spectacular!

We drove through several residential neighborhoods and marveled at the architecture of the homes just below amazing rock formations.  If I lived there, I would spend a lot of time watching the light change across the rocks and take too many photos…..

The rock formation in the photo below is called “Snoopy.”  It’s supposed to be Charlie Brown’s dog, Snoopy, lying on top of his dog house.  (Snoopy’s round snout is on the left.)

 

Comments are closed.