“Roundabout” by N&J.

Sedona, Arizona (Oct 01/14)  –  “The roundabout capital of the world!” Yes, other than the celestial red rock of Arizona, they certainly love those ‘roundabouts’ (you know, those traffic circles???). They are everywhere. Very likeable. It keeps the traffic flow constant and therefore no ‘idling’.

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The visit to Flagstaff was pleasantly surprising. Who would have thought Arizona would be so lush with trees & greenery. The town itself is really artsy, lots of neat shops, restaurants, and cafes.

The drive into Sedona, AZ has to be one of the ‘top drives in the world’. Twist & turns up and around and down the mountains, the forest on each side, the steady climbs to dizzy elevations. Arriving in Sedona, curious about the renowned spiritual essence that it is known for, only to be greeted by kitchy shops (gemstone stores and psychic readings) & restaurants. Expectations left in question, digging a little deeper the feeling of something more lies in wait. The mountains surrounding the strip mall shopping are magical and hiking to their peaks is a must. Hikes into the Mesa Airport Vortex, the Courthouse and Bell Rock Canyons with their own ‘powerful’ vortex left us tired, yet content.  The first evening on the National Forest land just outside of town would be home for the night.  A pull-out in the desert, beautiful, quiet & dark, except for the ‘almost’ full moon shining down.

Further to the west is a mountainous, almost European-feel village of Jerome. A mining town from the 1800’s, now a ghost town of 400+ people. The road in & out is remarkable. Narrow & winding, a treat for any sports car enthusiast (or any slow moving Westfalia campervan). Checked out a great Mexican restaurant (Vaquero’s Cantina) for some dinner… YUM!!! Making a point of always sitting at the bar, the locals very inviting and stories from both sides shared, made for an exciting evening. As night fell,  a pull-out on the side of the road, almost at the top of the pass a few miles west of town, would be home for the night.

Next day, traveling further along to the town of Prescott (west of Jerome), then returned to Sedona, staying in a National Forest day area (No Camping Allowed). Remaining incognito, Hobbes roof was kept lowered, nothing said about ‘no overnight parking’ except lots of signs warning of black bears habitating the area. The next morning hiked up to Boynton Canyon.

By chance and good fortune the hike chosen would be up to the twin vortex’s that are the masculine (Warrior) and feminine (Kachina) spiritual electromagnetic energy sources between two red rock spires. Sitting high up on the rock of the warrior vortex taking in the serenity of the setting… a flautist named Robert arrived.  He climbed to the top of the warrior vortex and played beautiful Rechi pieces, the sound of the flute echoing across the canyon… peace and renewal. Coming down from the spire he graciously, without want of anything in return, shared with everyone along the path a red sandstone rock in the shape of a heart. Robert went on to say, our spirit radiates from the heart, and when we radiate positiveness it spreads throughout the world.

The energies of the vortex accelerated the transcendence of our intentions to the world, and with sandstone hearts in hand traversing back down the mountain, the spiritual essence of Sedona was realized.

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