A Woman Named Sedona

Arizona has a small town that is literally filled with magic. There’s something very weird going on in Sedona, and everyone seems to knows it. The local maps label “vortex” locations, and you can book a UFO tour with guaranteed sightings. It's a beautiful place and one of the most unique that I have visited.

Here's some photos from my visit:

I travelled to Sedona this year with my wife and we stayed in our car (I built a bed in the back and it that makes "camping" comfy and affordable). It was a refreshing bit of outdoors and a welcome break from staring at a computer. At an elevation of 4500 feet, it is simultaneously hot and cool. It's high enough that it doesn't have the usual large cactuses that cover the rest of Arizona, but you can find them if you look.

There is a spiritual energy in the town - lots of meditation and yoga retreats but it is also known for being a place where old western films were shot. John Wayne, Robert DeNiro, and Rock Hudson all shot movies here. The pubs have a cowboy and ranching vibe. The town was actually named after a real person - Sedona Arabella - who became the wife of the first postmaster. His name was Theodore Schnebly, so thankfully he was selfless enough not to name it after himself. Schnebly, Arizona doesn't quite have the same ring to it. She was an entrepreneur (started the first general store in the town) and used the funds to build a chapel and run Sunday schools.

I have been lucky enough to be spending a "pretirement" year where I travel and see places around the world while working on projects that I love and focusing on writing. I didn't see a UFO or feel a vortex, but I did feel closer to nature there than most any other place I have been and the stars were beautiful.

I hope that Sedona can remind us all to live a little more mindfully and focus our attention on the things that deserve it.

Further Reading:

https://www.arizonahighways.com/article/woman-name-sedona