Red Rock Acropolis
Steamboat Rock (center and slightly more distant formation) and The Acropolis (taller and slightly right of center) as seen from the first bench of Wilson Mountain, near Sedona, Arizona.
Following my first and only visit so far to Sedona, it strikes me that the place name fails to convey the magnitude of the logistical challenges that one will face going to and fro amongst the red rocks and vortices and the establishments in town. I suspect that the locals may have their own set of frustrations with folks like myself who turn up from elsewhere to clog the streets.
We thought that the Wilson Mountain trail might be somewhat less popular than other locations in Sedona due to it being relatively steep, somewhat out of town, and lacking a vortex. Upon arriving at the trailhead, the small, cramped lot was full and there was a veritable phalanx of “No Parking” signs along the main road near the turn-off. Being somewhat mule-headed, I found a spot that looked safe enough to pull off about a half mile down the road where the preventative signage was blessedly lacking. However, this choice then necessitated walking along a road with no shoulder and fast traffic for a half mile with two dogs who could not quite comprehend why we were forcing them to negotiate the thorny bushes rather than walk in the road. Nonetheless, after clearing these hurdles the temperatures were delightful and the views sublime.
As we ascended the shoulder of Wilson Mountain, a close inspection of the numerous Opuntia patches revealed something curious. On some of the cacti, a number of pads appeared to have been eaten from around the margins. I have read that Desert Tortoises may consume Opuntia like this and my perusal of range maps suggests they may live in this part of Arizona at these elevations. Given that these Tortoises spend most of their time underground, it was not all that surprising that we failed to see any of them in action.
Red Rock Acropolis
Steamboat Rock (center and slightly more distant formation) and The Acropolis (taller and slightly right of center) as seen from the first bench of Wilson Mountain, near Sedona, Arizona.
Following my first and only visit so far to Sedona, it strikes me that the place name fails to convey the magnitude of the logistical challenges that one will face going to and fro amongst the red rocks and vortices and the establishments in town. I suspect that the locals may have their own set of frustrations with folks like myself who turn up from elsewhere to clog the streets.
We thought that the Wilson Mountain trail might be somewhat less popular than other locations in Sedona due to it being relatively steep, somewhat out of town, and lacking a vortex. Upon arriving at the trailhead, the small, cramped lot was full and there was a veritable phalanx of “No Parking” signs along the main road near the turn-off. Being somewhat mule-headed, I found a spot that looked safe enough to pull off about a half mile down the road where the preventative signage was blessedly lacking. However, this choice then necessitated walking along a road with no shoulder and fast traffic for a half mile with two dogs who could not quite comprehend why we were forcing them to negotiate the thorny bushes rather than walk in the road. Nonetheless, after clearing these hurdles the temperatures were delightful and the views sublime.
As we ascended the shoulder of Wilson Mountain, a close inspection of the numerous Opuntia patches revealed something curious. On some of the cacti, a number of pads appeared to have been eaten from around the margins. I have read that Desert Tortoises may consume Opuntia like this and my perusal of range maps suggests they may live in this part of Arizona at these elevations. Given that these Tortoises spend most of their time underground, it was not all that surprising that we failed to see any of them in action.