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| Our travel itinerary this year was completely changed around
from what we did in previous years because of the necessity of returning home
immediately after the contest ended. So we did our extracurricular
activity this year before the contest, rather than after. We flew into
Phoenix, as we have done most often, and immediately headed for the Grand
Canyon, which we were to hike in the next day. On the way from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon is, of course, the
very scenic and very touristy Sedona and Red Rock Canyon area. It's very
beautiful, but it is getting more built up, especially to the south of the city,
where we found more and more little strip malls, gas stations, and construction
along the 10-mile stretch of route 179 between I-17 and Sedona itself.
There is a strong attempt to make these fit into the architecture of the area
with no building taller than one story, but it will be interesting to watch the
extent to which this growth is kept from spoiling the scenery and what makes the
area so attractive in the first place.
Sedona itself, at least the main street with all the shops and
restaurants, hadn't changed much since we were last here in 2004, when we had a
chance for a brief stop on our way TO the Phoenix airport at the end of that
year's trip.
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| OK, so these two
aren't photos of Sedona. They're actually of Saguaro cactus that
only grow in this part of the world and that fascinate everyone who
comes to the southwest and Phoenix for the first time. We saw
these on our way to Sedona, so that's why these photos are here. |
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| A nice photo of the main
street through Sedona and the red rock formations in the background. |
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The perfect contrast.
Beauty in the background, civilization in the foreground. |
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| Where we ate dinner in
Sedona. It was a good meal. |
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| Another street scene, as the sun is
setting. |
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Kendra, Nick, Cody, Leigh Ann, Joe, and
Tyler. |
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| All but one of us in a flash
shot which was then lightened using software. |
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