Doreen and Laura's Excellent Adventure: Desperate for cooler temperatures!

Glendale, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ (to sightsee!)

We headed north out of the Phoenix are for higher ground and hopefully cooler temperatures. Cottonwood was just the answer. It gave us a good base to see Sedona, Jerome and Prescott, AZ. The drive through and around Sedona and the Oak Creek Canyon is certainly one of the most beautiful. The red rock formations just pop out at you. Combine them with the green trees and shrubs and you've got a feast for the eyes!

Red Rock formations are everywhere.

Bell Rock in Sedona

Nice picture Laura!

Oak Creek Canyon from the north end at the top of the rim.
The 14 mile drive is alongside Oak Creek as is winds its way toward Sedona and beyond

We contacted two acquaintances of ours whom we met through mutual friends. Joni and Nell live part time in Sedona and happily for us they were actually in town. We met for lunch and spent a nice afternoon with them. Joni took us up to one of the major sights in the Sedona area, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which happens to be very close to their home. The idea of building the chapel was conceived in 1932 but it wasn't until 1955 that building began. It was completed in 1956. Not only is the chapel interesting but the views from it are truly spectacular.

Chapel of the Holy Cross from below.

A winding path leads upward from the parking lot to the chapel.

Nature takes advantage of every sheltered spot.

Probably the biggest home in Sedona and undoubtedly the best views!

Unfortunately we forget to get a picture of Joni but we did get one of Nell. Sorry Joni!

We also went to the old mining town of Jerome, AZ. I believe we last saw it in 2002 and much has changed since then It's now a full blown tourist mecca - full of quaint shops, snazzy eateries, galleries, etc. It's still fun though. One fact I remember because it stunned me. Between the late 1800's and 1953 when the mine shut down, enough ore was taken out of the mine to provide every person on the planet at that time with 13 lbs. of copper. It seems like the mountain on which Jerome sits shouldn't even be in existence any longer.