Sedona, AZ

We drove to Montezuma's Castle, a treasure among cliff dwellings. It is a 5 story, prehistoric cliff dwelling, several hundred feet above Beaver Creek. It is tucked under a limestone overhang and was home to a band of Sinagua Indians from around 1200 - 1400, before their culture migrated elsewhere. It had 20 rooms and was reached by ladders.

Close by is Montezuma's Well. This unusual sinkhole has been home to the Sinagua,  Yavapai, then Apache Indians during the past 1500 years. It is thought that an underground cavern collapsed creating this well. The water comes from the Mogollon Rim high above the valley, passing through layers of sandstone before reaching its destination where 1.4 million gallons of water flows in and out of the well each day.
 Our next drive was through the Coconino National Forest, the largest contiguous stand of ponderous pine trees in the world to Red Rock State Park it is said. 

Above is Bell Rock. There are many rocks named for their shapes. 

All the red rocks are amazing.

This church is called Chapel of the Hole Cross and is open to all denominations. 

The town of Sedona has become a very classy area with many unique shops. This one was roasting these peppers and had garlands of them hanging everywhere.

We stopped in the Old Town of Cottonwood, which started building their town between 2 smelters under the large cottonwood trees in 1915. Once famous for it's bootlegging, feeding the miners and filming movies it is a best kept secret.