Given the record snowfall that blanketed much of northern Arizona on Thursday and Friday, no doubt many in the Phoenix area were eager to head north to explore the wintry landscape. I wanted to photograph the red rocks of Sedona blanketed in snow so Michael and I set off to Sedona in the afternoon.
Sky was gray most of the day but I did get about 10 minutes of blue sky when the sun was setting.
Snow is rare in Sedona, but breathtaking when it happens. Pictures must be taken quickly because the bright Arizona sun usually melts it away by day's end. Almost no resident of Sedona owns a snow shovel; so we were told. We saw many driveways that had not been plowed, though.
Pictures taken from the car while we were driving on Interstate 17.
San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff off in the distance.
The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range just north of Flagstaff and a remnant of the former San Francisco Mountain. The highest summit in the range, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in the state of Arizona at 12,633 feet (3,851 m) in elevation. The San Francisco Peaks are the remains of an eroded stratovolcano. An aquifer within the caldera supplies much of Flagstaff's water while the mountain itself is in the Coconino National Forest, a popular recreation site. The Arizona Snowbowl ski area is on the western slopes of Humphreys Peak.
We saw these signs on Interstate 17. Many people did stop, though. It is dangerous as cars are speeding by at 75 MPH. No, we did not stop along the road to take the pictures on I17. I just set the ISO higher.
Courthouse Butte (5,451 ft.) Apache Name: Ii cháá Nogoles bi Dzil Eagle's Mountain
Lee Mountain (6,592 ft.) Apache Name: De be tíí bi Dzil Sheep Mountain
Bell Rock (4,919 ft.) Apache Name: Che Chi Nadna aa Red Rock Sticking Up
Bell Rock back view. More snow on this side.
Castle Rock (5,248 ft.) Apache Name: Ché hi Chòs Red Butte
Castle Rock and Bell Rock
Courthouse Butte and Ché hi chíí Red Cliffs
Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built into the buttes on Coconino National Forest land.
Rock formations by the Chapel of the Holy Cross
"Madonna and Child" and "Two Nuns"
I can find the Madonna and Child but I'm not sure which ones are the two nuns.
Cathedral Rock
Cathedral Rock is a natural sandstone butte in the Coconino National Forest. The summit elevation of Cathedral Rock is 4,967 feet (1,514 m). Cathedral Rock is usually photographed from Red Rock Crossing but I took the picture from the parking lot of the school.
Snoopy with Woodstock Rock and Lucy Rock
Snoopy is lying on his back.
The profile of Lucy starts at the upper middle section. You really have to look for it.
Lucy is the bigger rock, you can see her on top in the middle of it. Snoopy is the red rock pile in the distance just to the right of the bigger red rock pile if you look really close you can see Woodstock on his nose.
I think it is more difficult to see Lucy in this light.
