The Schnebly Hill Formation sounds like a military drill, BUT it is a thick layer of red and orange sandstone found only in the mountains in the Sedona, Arizona area. The colors are most prominent in the first five photos, as they were taken yesterday in late afternoon, before the rain came today. The formations themselves look a lot like those in Monument Valley, except their color is more vibrant. It all looks like something you would see in a National Park, and while the mountains are part of the Coconino National Forest, there is no “entrance” or fee…they are simply all around you, wherever you look.
Sedona was named after Sedona Schnebly (there’s that name again!), who was the wife of the city’s first postmaster. Flagstaff, the entrance city to the Grand Canyon, lies 28 miles north, and Route 89A between the two cities is simply gorgeous. Take the time to drive it if you are ever in the region. The remainder of the photos were taken today, in the rain, on Route 179, which, believe it or not, has reviews. It is that pretty, that well-known.
The downtown is literally nestled in between the red sandstone mountains, as though being cradled. It is very artsy and once again, like so many other cities on this trip, there are sculptures on each block. We don’t know whether or not you can see the name on the the Javelina sculpture, but it says, Mamacita de las Flores, Flowered Mommy. The title on the sculpture in the last photo is Birdwoman, but it was too rainy for the birds to be out!
