destination - sedona, arizona | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
PHOTOGRAPHER
E NA
-CHRI T TOP E BUILLET|JEAN- HRISTOPHE UILLET|PHOTOGRAPHER
CHRISTOPHE BUILLET|PHOTOGRAPHER
psst! | summer 2018 11
As far as tours go, any helicopter ride will
absolutely blow your mind, the Verde Canyon
Railroad is extremely relaxing and has spectacular
scenery, and the world famous Pink Jeep Tours are
world famous for a reason (let’s just say, I’ve taken
every tour they’ve offered over the years).
The real jewel of Sedona is the seemingly endless
red rock wilderness, it’s like stepping into an ever
changing painting that is too beautiful to be real.
Hundreds of developed hiking trails that lead to an
array of Native American relics, caves, sinkholes, and
an escape from life and the self you knew.
What about the secret restaurants, the secret trails,
the secret secrets of Sedona? Well, unfortunately,
there just aren’t that many secret spots. As the
“center of town”, uptown, has become a bastion for
t-shirt shops, Sedona branded souvenirs, and tour
companies; the real secret of Sedona is to get away
from the center of things. Yes, there are restaurants
all along the main road, but want a better meal? Go
where the locals live in West Sedona and eat there.
Vortex tours? Pass. They are probably one of the best
promotional tools ever contrived and are packed to
the brim, full of eager people seeking an experience
they could have enjoyed more privately elsewhere in
town. Want to feel close to God? Escape the masses.
The trails are no secret, but if you want to
see something truly different, you may have to
push yourself. Push yourself off the paved roads,
somewhere a bit more remote, maybe something a
little longer and more difficult than you think you
can handle. Trails are well marked, and cell service is
good, so your chances of getting stranded out in the
middle of nowhere are basically zero. You’ll probably
discover that you are able to do more than you
expected, and feel freer than you have in quite awhile.
We’re at 4500 feet and everything is a bit hilly, so a
few sore muscles might be your reminder that you
went a little further than what others were willing to
go. You might even catch red-rock fever and decide
to load up a moving van and call Sedona your home,
or end up here in a seemingly serendipitous way,
as I did…
Coffeepot View
Local resident
Bobcat
Catherdral Rock
Vista Montana Patio
at A Sunset Chateau
PHOTOGRAPHE
BUILLET JEAN- A
HRISTOPHE R
_ CBUILLET|H R
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE