OAK CREEK CANYON

After lunch on Sunday, we left the pub and walked back toward the car.  Oops--while we'd been munching and sipping, the sun had slowly been hidden by dark clouds.  That partly cloudy forecast had been somewhat optimistic.  And...it was just a bit chilly--no, it was a lot chilly!  Oh well...we'd brought jackets, which we pulled from the trunk and, like the troopers we are, lowered the top of the car, turned up the heater and...

headed off on a small, but great, adventure!

Well, poop!  The gorgeous rocks aren't quite as brilliant, dramatic or contrasty when it's cloudy, dark and dreary.  However, I was on a mission (photography class homework), so "dull" wouldn't stop me.

The views changed constantly as we drove along.  Red rocks mixed with cream and white rocks are on the left, the right, in front of us and behind us.  I knew how Linda Blair felt when my head spun out of control while BC directed, "Look, there's a good one!"  "You need a picture of that!"  "Look behind you!"  "Did you get that picture?"    In the meantime, I'm trying to remember how to change settings on the camera, then--what settings do I need for this situation--and finally, where's the d*&n#@ "auto" button?

I've never been a geology type person, but I do have to wonder both how and why these rocks formed in this area, composed of these minerals, weathered into these shapes, colored as they are.  It's fascinating I know, but I'd never stay totally alert or awake for the whole explanation.  It's important, though.

Maybe, I'll describe these photos as "brooding" before I hand them in at class.  That would make them look as if I worked very hard for a mystical, mysterious Exmoor-ish atmosphere.  Will it fly?

Just beyond the area of rocks, canyons and peaks, the colorful leaves come into their own.  It's not New England, but for Arizona, it's not bad.  The red tree in the background was so perfectly and evenly red, it looked totally fake.  But it wasn't--I checked. 

This would be a fun place to rent in October.

We soon reversed course and returned to Sedona.  BC travels on his tummy, and he heard the ice-cream shops calling his name.  Then, sadly, we thought our great adventure was over for yet another day.  But, as we left Sedona, the sun popped out of the clouds for just a few minutes lighting up these formations.

This formation looked exactly like a ancient castle crumbling into the landscape.

I can die happy!