Sedona

When I wintered previously in Arizona it was surprisinglg warm, in the 80's. This time around it is on the cool side. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the perfect day for a hike in the mountains around Sedona. This town lies about two hours north of Phoenix, just south of Flagstaff. Sedona is famous for the remarkable reddish hue of its soil and the surrounding mountains. Massive formations rise up from the valley in every direction. Brilliant blue skies offset the deep green of the pine forests and the red hills. It is an indescribably magnificent landscape. The pics hardly do justice to the place. After our walk we visited a chapel from which one could enjoy a great view of the area. The Roman Catholic chapel itself is an unfortunate modern, angular, klutzy cement affair that is as ill-suited to the surroundings as a saxophone in a Mozart symphony. It wasn't worth a pic. Sedona has suffered from its popularity with tourists, especially the New Age set (it is claimed that there is an 'energy vortex' here) and the town has been overbuilt. Property values are exorbitant. We stopped for lunch at a Thai restaurant. I had a dish called Tofu Radh Prik. What an odd name.