Kanab Utah to Sedona

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Kanab, UT to Sedona, Arizona

After breakfast on Comfort Inn in the morning we set off for Sedona. After crossing the high desert farm land of Kanab, the road rose climbing toward the Kaibab Plateau. It twisted and turned climbing to 6000 feet. The road leveled and then started down a 6 % grade to the flatland below. To our left (north and east) lay the Vermillion Cliffs – a great escarpment of bright red iron stained sandstone.

We drove along the cliffs for miles taking pictures as we went.  At Marble City we crossed the Colorado River on Navaho Bridge.  At this point the road skirted the base of an escarpement for which we had no name. We sped past roadside stands where Indian vendors hoped to relieve the Grand Canyon bound tourist of his (or more likely her) money, past small houses surrounded with assorted vehicles, wandering cattle, and were delayed by construction. The weather was pleasant at 67 degrees.

Our goal was Cameron, AZ the turning off place for Route 64 to the Grand Canyon. Long before that the landscape became very gray and dismal looking - not attractive at all with little color, a great deal of sand and not much vegetation. 

From there we followed Route 64 to I-40 to I-17 to 89A to Sedona. We didn’t actually seen Sedona until the next morning because our campground appeared before the town did.  Both seemed to be located  at the bottom of a deep canyon. The road into the Oak Creek Canyon was and adventure with hairpin turns, spectacular views, and narrow, winding roads.

Cave Creek Campground was very pleasant with widely separated camp sites under very large trees set in a grassy meadow.

The Vermillion Cliffs of Kanab, Utah

The open road again

                                                                                 Into the Ponderosa Pine forest again.

View from the plateau looking north

Into the Valley again

Roadside vendors waiting for tourists

Grand Canyon Views

The Photographer

Campsite at Cave Creek Campground