Sunday, May 11, 2014

Captivating Canyons

Distant Drums RV Resort
Camp Verde, AZ
May 11, 2014

 Canyons just have a way of drawing a person in...and spring in Sedona has been the perfect time to find ourselves captivated by these wondrous deep gorges.



I instantly become absorbed with all the beauty these  wonders of nature provide. Surrounded by massive red rock walls, the light and airy young leaves blowing in the breeze, birds singing and pops of color from wildflowers saying, "Look at me!".  It is a photographers paradise...



Fay Canyon is an easy 2.5 mile in and out hike. At the end of the maintained trail there is a "rock slide" you can scramble. The top of the slide gave us a great view of the canyon and miles beyond...a very nice spot for a snack and water break.


Boynton Canyon is one of those "can we do it again hikes".
 
Its a 6.4 mile in and out trail that has it all...rock formations, lush forest, and thick manzanita lined trail. Only disappointment was the noise from the Enchantment Resort at the beginning of the hike. 
 
 Unlike most days we head out with cloudy skies, the sun never came out. That was a bummer...the wind had a definite chill and we even had a couple of sprinkles.


No blue skies today!





I have admired the lupine on most of our hikes here, but never really took time to notice the leaves.



Birds were singing...it was very hard to find them though!

"Berries for lunch anyone?" Can't id this little gem :(  .

And we spotted a spotted towhee...
 

 What a show...dry leaves were flying as this beauty was scratching for food.


And what an acrobat...
 


Peek-a-boo.....
I couldn't find his name either...I have got to get a bird identification guide so I don't use our internet time searching.

Today begins our last week here. My how the past few weeks have flown by!

Until next time, take care and


 
 happy trails!
 
Up next...Pearl has been busy too!

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos - especially the macros! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cheryl! All the photos were taken with my favorite lens...it's a 70 to 300 Nikon. I do have a macro, but I don't take it hiking.

      Delete
  2. Might I suggest Sibley's guide? It's my favorite. I believe the first one is a black-throated gray warbler, and the Peek-a-Boo bird is a bushtit. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A Sibley's Guide it is! Thanks Judy....I so appreciate your help. Identifying birds is not easy. I was way off as I was looking thru picture after picture of sparrows.

      Delete
  3. You certainly seem to find some great places to hike and capture super pictures along the way. Love the scenery and especially love the birds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jeri...Sedona is full of places to hike and they are all beautiful! As for the birds...photographing them is fun! Identifying them on the other hand is a challenge, but also fun!

      Delete
  4. Gay, I don't mind if you are always drawn to the canyons, for you are also taking us in your hikes through your captivating shots. Beautiful.
    I like the song the spotted Towhee sings.
    I refer to my National Geographic Bird Field Guide, 6th ed every time you ask to id a bird. So far it has been helpful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good morning MonaLiza...thank you so much. Maybe one of these days we can walk thru the canyons together!

      I will include the National Geographic Bird Field Guide when I place my order from Moab...thank you!

      Delete
  5. We did Fay Canyon on evening but I didn't know about the second hike. I'll pin that for our next visit. Thanks for a new hike! I have found that sometimes I get much better red rock color with clouds. The sun at times seems to wash out the color. Can't wait to hear what Pearl found!!! Gotta love the Jeep!! I never looked at the lupine leaves either...very interesting. Glad you noticed them:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You would really like Boynton Canyon Pam...there is a rock scramble at the end too! Way fun! Also there is a "mini" side trail that leads to a vista. When we were there a gentleman was playing a wooden flute from there...it was beautiful!

      Delete
  6. Two of your pics really stood out for me. Loved the red rock one with the greenery, it reminded me of the Painted Rocks Nat.'l Shoreline along Lake Superior, the other one with the blue haze reminded me of the Smokies. Both are lovely. Safe travels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Gayle! The red rock around here is so pretty!

      I do hope you get to visit here next year...

      Delete
  7. Hi Gay, sorry to hear you will be leaving this area. I was wondering if you made it over to Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Where will you be heading next? Beautiful photos of the canyons and birds!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sheila...no we haven't done a lot of things that are on our list...Montezuma National Monument, Dead Horse State Park, and historic Cottonwood and Jerome, just to name a few. We do want to return in the fall. There's just a lot to see here!

      We will be going to Moab, UT for a few weeks and then to Colorado Springs.

      Delete
  8. You have been enjoying some wonderful scenery, we always bypass a few things so that we can return to the area again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure gives you something to look forward to doesn't it George?

      Delete