Maddie's Moments in Sedona, AZ

As last week marked the one-year anniversary of this trip, I thought it would be fitting to chat about my experience in Sedona! The pictures to accompany this blog can be found in my portfolio, under "Landscapes" and "Maddie's Moments in Sedona, AZ."

In the spring of 2022, my family took a trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, which sparked our interest in the American Southwest. That winter, we decided to return to Arizona, this time about 2 hours north of Phoenix.

Originally, we planned to fly out on Christmas Eve, but with a big snowstorm here in Ohio our flight got cancelled. We ended up flying to 4 airports on Christmas Day, Cleveland to Chicago to LA to Phoenix. A long day for sure, paired with a 2 hour drive from Phoenix to Sedona, but it was definitely worth it when we saw the beauty of the area. Sedona is a quaint, spiritual town in the middle of desert, mostly populated by tourists.

We spent our first day hiking, and saw Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross, the Birthing Cave, and Montezuma's Castle. After a long day, we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Picazzo's, a small Italian restaurant in town that I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting, especially people with dietary restrictions!

On day two, we woke up for a sunrise Pink Jeep Tour. This was definitely one of the most memorable parts of the trip and was so much fun. We took the Broken Arrow tour and learned about the geology of the area as well as some local plants like agave (often mistaken for aloe.) Lots of good memories made here and our tour guide was great! After the tour we hiked to Devil's Bridge, Devil's Kitchen, and the Seven Sacred Pools, some super neat landforms!

On day three, we explored inside the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the surrounding area, as well as a little European-style shopping market just outside of Sedona. That evening, we hiked in Red Rock State Park and attended a chakra reading session to honor the spirituality and cosmic energy of the area.

For the remainder of our trip, we fled the impending rain and snow mixture befalling Sedona to Phoenix, hiking around the area and exploring the city. A memorable moment was the Desert Botanical Garden, a gorgeous area with an assortment of local desert plants and picturesque views.

Overall, this trip was a nice break from snowy, cold Ohio and opened my eyes to the geology and culture of a different part of the country. All images can be found in my portfolio and on my instagram if you scroll to December 2022.

Thank you for joining me this Monday morning for my trip recap, I am looking forward to chatting with you all next Monday. As always, suggestions for what to write about are always welcome as well as suggestions for photoshoots or areas you'd like to see!