I wanted to spend as much time with my friends in Phoenix as I could, which meant I ended up driving from Phoenix to Sedona at night. It was a two-hour drive through some mountains, but any notable scenery was lost in the darkness. As I got closer to the city, my AirBnB hosts told me to follow their directions because apparently GPS doesn’t register their address. Moreover, Sedona is an official Dark Sky community (yes, that is an official designation) which means they preserve the darkness of the night sky through strict lighting codes and ordinances. Needless to say, it was VERY DARK, I was without GPS navigation, and I was trying to remember whether or not I knew how to set up the tent I had brought with me. Much to my relief, I soon found the place, and my lovely hosts got me settled in. They said I came into Sedona the best way, in the dark, and that I should go up on their roof deck in the morning to watch the sunrise. So I did.

I got up at 5:00 AM, excited that I finally got to wear one of the wool sweaters I had packed, and in the pitch black, I climbed the spiral staircase to the roof deck with the aid of my iPhone flashlight. The sky was exploding with stars – more than I’d ever seen on my camping trips in the Sierras! I sat there staring at the stars, planes, and satellites streak by, and I wondered if I would be able to see any rock formations or if they would be too far off in the distance. And then, as the sun began to rise, my head exploded.

I could see the outlines of a few formations, and then (cue full orchestra swell!) there they were: red, majestic, and seemingly just beyond the trees of the property. As the sun rose higher, the sight of them continued to take my breath away.  I quickly got dressed and drove up the Sedona highway, turning into every stop, getting out and hiking in on a few trails to get a closer look.  It was as if my eyes couldn’t get enough. I audibly gasped at the beauty, and a few people on the trail with me simply nodded with understanding. I felt embarrassed, almost ashamed, that all I had was my iPhone camera with which to capture such beauty, while others had fancy cameras with multiple lenses. . But you would have to try pretty hard to take a bad picture in Sedona.

There was Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Coffee Pot Rock, Courthouse Butte (and I could go on and on). As I drove and hiked the paths, I was quite stricken with emotion. The beauty was overwhelming. When I saw the Grand Canyon the first time, I was awestruck, too, but mostly because the Grand Canyon had been so iconic in pictures and film, and I had to keep telling myself that I was not looking at a photo but seeing it with my own eyes! But Sedona was different. The amazement wasn’t merely in my eyes. For lack of a better word, it was in my soul. I kept thanking God for this beautiful place, that I could be here on this trip to experience His handiwork, that I had good working eyeballs so I could SEE these beautiful formations. I was moved to tears over and over, and I can’t explain exactly why.

The Scariest – and Pinkest – Ride of My Life
When I go to new cities, I try to go on walking tours because I hear great stories of the history of the place told through the unique perspective of the guide. Some balk and roll their eyes, saying, “Tours are for nerdy tourists,” to which I say, “Well, I AM that nerdy tourist.” The walking tours I’ve taken over the years in various cities have made each of those trips unforgettable. However, in Sedona, there really aren’t any walking tours.

The town is small, full of clothing shops, Native American art, and a mesmerizing amount of spiritual new age merchandise. The only tours really are Jeep tours, since the place is so spread out.  I picked a tour with the only company allowed to drive back into and onto the rocks. They work with the Parks Service to maintain and care for the trails and wildlife, so they are the only vehicles with permits to go out on the trails.. These Jeeps were seriously retrofitted and seriously pink. I was on a sunrise tour, and our driver/guide, ReRe (pronounced ray-ray), was awesome. She told us that Sedona was named after the the wife of the town’s first postmaster (yup, the mailman), that an overabundance of iron in the sandstone found only in the Sedona region is what makes the rocks red, and that nearly every flora and fauna from prickly pear to tree bark can be and is used in the treatment of all kinds of illnesses (“We are driving through a pharmacy!”).

ReRe drove us over hill and dale out to the edge of the Broken Arrow trail. Then we commenced the photo shoot. ReRe took pictures for us, telling us the best place to stand and which iPhone filter to use, and we did a few fun ones like jump shots and panoramas. Of all the tour guides we encountered, no one took as much care with us as did ReRe. She said, “Why take photos just to remember Sedona? Take photos that you want to frame!” She was the perfect guide and a very caring person. But then … she tried to kill us.

When I said the Pink Jeep Tour company was allowed to drive into and onto the rocks, I mean ONTO ONTO the rocks. The photos can’t convey the angles or the sensations of sitting in the front seat as the Jeep went straight up a rock (seriously – all we saw was sky over the pink hood) and then down a steep rock face (where even the men cried out a bit in fear). Beside the gorgeous up-close scenery, riding in the Jeep tour was like being on a roller coaster, only we weren’t safely clamped down to rails, which made the tour, shall we say… exhilerating? (because to say it made me nearly crap my pants would be crass). I was glad I took it on an empty stomach.

Alas, my 2.5 days in Sedona ended too quickly, and I am determined to come back. As I packed up, bid adieu to my wonderful AirBnB hosts, and drove out of Sedona, I felt again some of the emotion from that first day and wondered what it was that had touched me so much.  I remembered what ReRe had said on our tour. She said, “The Grand Canyon is great, but Sedona is better. At the former, you’re always looking down, but in Sedona, you’re always looking up!” I think that was it. As I drove north, I looked one last time at the majestic rocks, glowing red in the sun, pointing us all to the Creator.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky.
Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities,
His eternal power and divine nature… -Romans 1:20