Camp Verde, AZ
May 7, 2015
The weather here in Sedona comes in cycles. Three days of rain and thunder storms, a day of strong gusty winds and then a few days of pleasant sunny weather.
Yesterday was the sunny day so off we went to explore Red Rock State Park. Red Rock is a Center for Environmental Education located just outside Sedona city limits on Highway 89A.
The nature preserve is situated on 286 acres surrounded by a ridge. Oak Creek meanders through the park which offers a rich riparian habitat for plants and wildlife. There are miles of trails throughout the park to enjoy.
Pictures of Oak Creek have been in many of my posts with its very clear running water. Imagine my face when I saw it yesterday.
For a split second we thought we were back in Georgia. It rained so hard Sun., Mon., and Tues. that it flooded and turned red and secondary bridges were washed out on several trails.
As we approached the main bridge it was full of birders...my heart skipped a beat!
What would we see today?
Kisva Trail follows the creek. The trees were tall and made a thick canopy of green. We heard birds, running water, and the breeze.
One bird that stood out in the crowd was the Summer Tanager...what a beauty!
Next, we turned left on Eagle's Nest Trail and headed for the ridge.
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| Cathedral Rock |
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| Pinon Pines, Arizona Junipers, and Prickly Pear lined Eagle's Nest. |
A mule deer and her 2 babies were the only wildlife for the day.
1. On five consecutive days create a post using a recent or past photograph in black and white.
2. Invite another blogging friend each day to join the challenge.
Today I invite Amanda (watsonswander.com) to join the challenge. Amanda and her husband Tim travel the country in their renovated Airstream. Currently they are visiting beaches along the east coast. One of those beaches is one of my favorite places...North Carolina's Outer Banks. Check out the shells they found!
Until next time, happy days and happy trails!
You definitely have some more great photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bizarre change in the creek! The summer tanager is beautiful and hard to miss among the green!
ReplyDeleteVery cute shot of the squirrel!
You guys got all that rain and we didn't get any down here in AJ. Love that beautiful red color on the tanager.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of us are experiencing the same weather out here. We had a nice day yesterday all day long finally:) But don't worry, our little hike today was stopped at 1/4 mile and then we were subkected to rain, snow, and sleet! Back to the bad weather til Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThat is one red creek there! But it looks like you got in a nice hike:) I'm not a birder but I do appreciated the brightly colored birds. That Summer Tanager is beautiful:) I love your view photo with the bird in flight!