D@vid: 2 Mother Nature: 0

Day Two:  I got up pretty early and had a nice buffet at the hotel, washed the car again (after the dust storm) and hit the road for Sedona. 

First stop, Montezuma's Castle... built in the limestone hillside around 1100 CE (common era) by the Sinagua people.  This 5-story, 20 room dwelling perches 100 feet above the valley floor.  (Click and double click for larger pictures)

From there, I entered into the Sedona area, stopping at Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte.  The most incredible thing about these monuments is that it's hard to wrap your head around the fact that they are what's left... in fact, where you're standing around them is the result of erosion over thousands of years.  As I've said before about the desert, it's not about what's there... it's about what used to be there.  The pictures don't do their size any justice... they're huge.   You can't help feel a sense of prehistoric existence.

After that, I went to the Chapel in the Rocks.  Built in between the red rocks, this is a functioning chapel designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.  It's situated right in the middle of a neighborhood, as are most of the formations.  Imagine looking out your kitchen window seeing this stuff.

That brings me to my last stop... Devil's Bridge, a natural bridge carved by erosion high up off the desert floor.  This hike was one of the more strenuous, especially considering that you can't drive a regular car anywhere near it because of the distance from the surface roads.  Having a 2012 Ford Focus rental, I knew it was going to be rough.  I parked the car on the side of the road and started walking.  The terrain was littered with loose rock and the trailhead was about a mile and a half away.  As I walked, it was one of those things where you think about turning around, but then you get so far and you figure you might as well press on.  Having a huge fear of snakes, I have to admit that it was a stretch for me to keep the anxiety down.  After all, I was the only person around for miles out in the middle of nowhere... if something happened, I'd be screwed.  It didn't help that seeing the movie 127 Hours was still fresh on my mind... so many things went through my head including getting stuck there in the dark (it was around 5 o'clock) or facing a wild boar.  Anyway, I finally got to the trailhead and started up the rocks.  My fear of heights came into play as I pressed onward and upward.  Fortunately, it was overcast, or the 80 degree weather would have been more of a problem.  At a point when I was over it... and was about to turn around, I looked up and there it was.  I went back to the fork in the trail that led to the top and there it was.  I was so high up, I could see the whole valley.  It was beautiful.  Spectacular even.  I felt a nice breeze start and was so overwhelmed with the beauty that I sat down to take it all in. 

That's when the dust storm bitch, Mother Nature, came after me.  Before I knew it, the nice breeze turned into a darkening sky, as I realized a storm was about to hit.  I tried not to panic, but knowing how slippery the rocks I climbed up would get... and how this area flash floods almost instantly, I thought that Mother Nature came back to finish me off.  I quickly got down the .7 mile trail just as the wind started to pick up and the rain started to pour.  I literally ran the mile and a half back to the car, pelted by dirt and rain.  Really?  Two days in a row... some sort of weather episode?

I'm in Flagstaff for two nights and tomorrow I'm supposed to head to the Grand Canyon.  Despite the weather scare, I had a fantastic day.  The ride through the rest of the the park was also unbelievable... and I'll talk more about Flagstaff tomorrow.

I took 164 pictures today and 5 videos... my internet connection is not strong, so I can't upload more.  I'm looking at other alternatives to getting them online.