Fastback To Sedona

A lot of people ask me, since I'm travelling around so much,"what do you do when you have some free time in between shows?" Of course I reply "rest" a great deal.. since it can getting around the different time zones and from a lack of sleep in general. Mostly I get together with some of the guys and eat at a fave restaurant or cafe.. or maybe do some shopping for more things that I don't need and can't use..or maybe try to send a postcard to a certain "you know who" for a particular publication we love to read...but occasionally I do make an effort to go out and see some sights or visit a landmark or two. This past new years eve we did a show in Arizona, and since we had three days off in North Scottsdale Arizona, Mickey the drummer and I, decided we would like to make the journey from our hotel to a place we had visited before in the past. Sedona, Ariz.., a small community a few hours drive due north from where we were staying.

We had no car so we rented one for the day, a new red Mustang GT fastback from the nearest car rental outlet,..thanks in part, to the kind concierge at the hotel, and proceeded to take the highway up to the said tourist magnet.

We left a little later than planned..about 2 PM in the afternoon. The weather was clear and cooler than usual for that time of year, but not overly so..we made it up to the outskirts of the town around 3:30 PM and after some planning, quickly found a place to eat some lunch.. (we were starving!) We found a sweet little Mexican joint and dined on quesadillas and cheese enchiladas..yummmm! A beer was awfully nice to help wash it down.

After some shopping for silly postcards and other novelties, we stopped to view the locale, and we were marveling at the size and beauty of the hills surrounding the town, called "mesas" and apparently named from a local spanish word meaning "table"? Formed many centuries ago before the period of dinosaurs, most of them have individual names as well. There are plenty of these in the area and they can be seen throughout most of the south west..Their colors are very vivid..ranging in hue from subtle yellows to rich violets and crimson, and they seem to vary with the amount of sunlight during the day. The city of Sedona is amply blessed with these fascinating landmarks, and they add much to the charm and mystique of this magic part of the country.

We did a bit of walking and after doing some more research, found out that the area consists of about 20,000 residents which includes a few local aboriginal peoples, with most of the business enterprises being tourism driven .. hmmmm....makes sense.

For tourists there are a slew of outdoor activities to do through the year..hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, horseback trips, photography, bird watching.. (our fave!) and scores of camping areas for travelling families.. there is a bit of history for the area as well..named after the spouse of a local settler, "Sedona" was a well respected and loved person and seemed a natural moniker for the much adored area..basically founded as a stopover for local fruit vendors and settlers on their way to the Oregon and California coast during the wagon train pilgrimages across the great divide. In addition, there is a spiritual feeling to this area and a lot to the attraction for Mick and I comes from this. More notably, there is a growing art community here, which has thrived for the past 50 years. Many local and regional artists are featured in the local galleries with sculpture, painting and mixed media, being styles that flourish here.

We did a one last quick perusal of the town and made our way back to the "great red beast" since the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and the chill of the air at this height ..(almost 4500 ft. above sea level!) was becoming noticable. I had to buy a thick warm jumper to keep my bones toasty!.. We made our way back to the Phoenix area in a few hours blessed by the sounds of an "oldies" radio station, we sang along till we were hoarse..whew!

Such a scenic setting for a lovely, fun day! May you all get to experience this unique part of the southwestern U.S.A...! It's worth the effort! and if you do... say I said hello...!

Cheers and happy travels!

K-Man