walking in warmth

We didn't have any set plans today; we just wandered, from Red Rock Loop Road to a drive up Oak Creek Canyon and a walk up the west fork of Oak Creek.

Stopping at Red Rock Crossing solved yesterday's mystery of how people got to the spot across from us when we walked to the end of Verde Valley School Road. We followed a trail to the same rocks that we saw from the other side yesterday. The rocks span the creek but we didn't try to cross them. Denise figured we would get very wet so we stayed on the shore.

We hopped back onto Red Rock Loop Road, stopping pretty quickly when we saw this interesting figure by the side of the road. I just knew Denise would stop!

After finishing the loop road we headed back into town, going through the very touristy area of Uptown Sedona in order to access Oak Creek Canyon. Phew! I was glad when we were through that area (even though I knew we would be coming back that way too...). We stopped at Slide Rock State Park to walk and to watch all of the people in the water. It was warm today, probably in the upper 70s, but Denise didn't feel a need to jump into the creek. Besides, she knew that she wanted to walk another trail...

Next stop was the West Fork of Oak Creek. The trail follows the creek and crosses from one side of the water to the other. There were rocks in the water that could be used as stepping stones. Sometimes Denise had to look hard to find what she thought was the best route across (and on top of) the water. Denise really liked the reflections of the trees in one spot along the trail.

After driving back down Oak Creek Canyon we headed back to the south to do a little more walking among the very red rocks.

--- Rover