So going to Sedona from Santa Fe, New Mexico is going from heaven to nirvana. Santa Fe was an artistic haven and Sedona is the most glorious of scenery and spirituality. Just the drive there was incredible. First you will see the rocks at the rest stop in Arizona. Even the rest stop was visually moving. The flat topography quickly changed to a huge labyrinth of switchbacks and plunging altitude. Coming into Sedona at sunset cast a completely different palette on the rocks. As you can see from our photos by the hotel we were in a beautiful setting of red rock and greenery. This place just begged to be hiked. So for the first time we got out our hiking gear, hired a guide and went on the Baldwin Trail to Cathedral Rock. Besides being a visual treat I got to enjoy the rejuvenating waters of stream on the way back to our jeep. Then, just as we thought our trip was over in Sedona we happened across a synagogue set upon a hill with a gorgeous backdrop of red rock. We were so lucky (on a Sunday) for the rabbi to actually be there. Alicia Magal is the leader of this egalitarian synagogue and is a Jewish Renewal rabbi. Debrah knew her and she gave us the best tour of this magnificent jewel in Sedona. After the synagogue we had to stop by the church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built into the rocks. Our final stop in Sedona was the Red Planet Diner. Everything there was “out of this world” from aliens in the juke box to UFOs in the front yard. Sedona was fabulous.
