Mark and I have had our sights on the Grand Canyon for some time, and my friend Pat’s move to Arizona — and her advance planning — were the push we needed to get going. Like the Swiss Alps, the Rockies and Yosemite, the Grand Canyon is a place to feel the awesome scale and beauty of nature. And I mean awesome in the truest sense of the word. There is nothing more exhilarating for me than feeling small against that kind of a backdrop. Before setting out for the canyon, we flew into Scottsdale where Pat and Bob have settled in a beautifully renovated home. For a couple of perfect sunny days, they showed us around town, arranged a lunch with Lauren whom I hadn’t seen in 24 years, and took us to Pinnacle Peak. The easy hike through that desert landscape was a nice start to the bigger hiking we’d do the next day. What surprised me in Sedona as we approached were the rich colors of the rock. As I told Pat, I always thought those vivid colors in pictures were due to photo enhancement. The pics of Devil’s Bridge, our first hike, give you the idea, and I don’t think the sky gets any bluer and the clouds any whiter than in Sedona. That blue sky sets off the amazing Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into the rock and completed the year Mark was born. And then Cathedral Rock, one of the craziest hikes we did, is nature’s own church-like structure. We hiked to the point where you had to climb with all four limbs to get any higher, and Mark and I slowly ascended to the first shelf. The wind whipped around us up there, and I decided to stay put while Mark climbed on to the next level. His photo of the sole hiker sitting on the ledge shows you the kind of perch you can find on these hikes. Soldier Pass was our last hike in Sedona, and the trails through the Coconino National Forest surprised us with the diversity. I took so many pics of the rugged trails and red rock scenery, the green cacti and other exotic plants, and the sunsets. And I wanted to remember the relaxing hours after the hikes, exploring the pretty shops in Sedona and eating out at fun restaurants. The Mariposa, with its gorgeous backdrop, is one of a kind. And so were our “hobbit houses”, our home away from home.