The landscapes shift drastically as you travel from the gentile sonoran fields of greater Phoenix to the red rock towers of majestic Sedona. Yellow and amber hues of dried earth are what you expect in this region of the U.S. and the foothills of Phoenix in early morning and late afternoon, as the sun sets, do not disappoint expectations. It is when you go north and breach the hills that separate these two, not distant, areas that they distinguish themselves though.
Once Sedona’s infamous red rock landscape comes in to view, the only response is awe. It is perhaps one of the most photographed landscapes, yet the images do not do justice to its overwhemingly majestic presence. Deep green sagebrush and pines anchor the low-lying areas and creates the visual contrast to the powdery red earth floor and the chiseled red monuments that tower above.
You can’t help but pick up the scent of arid, kilned earth — you can taste it — with the peppery and aromatic qualities of the underbrush and dried wood. At every bend of the trails that lead towards the peaks you are met with a wave of distinct fragrances whose character is unmistakably SOUTHWEST.
