The first mention of Sedona that ever perked my ears was in Scotland, when one of my friends told me it was the most beautiful place she'd ever been.

When we researched spots to stay near the Grand Canyon, the options were sparse, so we decided on Sedona, about 2 hours south of the Canyon, as our launching spot.

Driving into Sedona right after sun set was like entering a red cave. The rocks we curled around in the slow evening traffic loomed, almost glowing overhead.

The town of Sedona is known for aura-searchers and crystals, and so had a bit of a fortune-teller vibe, spunky and gaudy next to the towers of red rock surrounding the town.

We stayed at the Amara, where we drank cactus juice for breakfast and woke to the sound of Oak Creek bubbling below our window.

The hotel was tucked right under the mountains.

The concierge pointed us toward a few of the hikes I'll share about in the next post, and the Saltrock Southwest Kitchen in the hotel was yummy. We also ate dinner at the very excellent L'Auberge.

Walk woke early a few mornings to catch the rocks' first feel of the sun.

During the days, we visited the Grand Canyon and hiked through the state park. The temperature dropped so much at night that I wore my down parka. Sedona, home of turquoise bolo ties and geodes, you are mysterious and quirky and so perfectly situated.