My wife and I vacationed in Arizona for a week in late August 2005. We flew to Phoenix, rented a car, and drove north to Sedona (about a 2.5-hour trip). We stayed at a small resort just south of Sedona. The scenery of the desert southwest doesn't appeal to some people, but it does to us - the desert may appear empty and stark, but it's just those qualities that make it awe-inspiring and even seem a little magical. However, there's no denying the beauty that presents itself when you turn off the Black Canyon Freeway (I-17) at Exit 298, drive north up Route 179 a few miles toward Sedona, and suddenly find yourself in the middle of red rock country. "Awesome" sounds trite. "Stunning" is too weak. The giant red rock formations found all through the Sedona area will make you think you're on another planet - they'll take your breath away. They'll knock your socks off. The photos posted here are mostly of the red rocks. We photographed them from the ground and from the air (the second day we were there, we took an early-morning hot-air balloon ride). Unfortunately, no picture could truly do justice to that otherworldly landscape. Later in the week, we drove to the Grand Canyon, where we took a helicopter ride over that amazing piece of the Earth's crust. Photos of that trip will be posted soon in a separate article ("Grand Canyon_August 2005") on this site.