The Winter Pilgrimage to Sedona

Posted: January 3rd, 2010 | Author: Roger Ludwig | Filed under: Arizona | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

Cathedral Rock SpiresI understand that in the middle ages people didn’t take vacations. They took pilgrimages. These were journeys, long or short, with a destination of spiritual import. Relic remains of holy men and women were a special draw. Central to the trek was a hope that something divine would happen to them

There was interesting company, too, and a warmer climate, some new scenery and the possibility of new cuisine but the object was a renewal of faith.

It seems that’s the reason that a lot of northern retirees head to Sedona.

People go to Moab to rebel; to Aspen for elegance and grace; to Las Vegas for the rush. People go to Sedona for something spiritual.

I love red rock country. The great walls, towering pinnacles, blue skies with hidden remnants of the ancient ones. Add some rare desert critters and the chance to get warm in winter and I’m ready to go. Fiends who head to Sedona for a warm up every winter couldn’t understand why I had never been there.

Something always kept it off my list. Too posh perhaps. (I’ve always avoided places with a Sotheby’s.) Too touristy. Too civilized. The New Age hype also dampened my desire.

But now I’ve gone, and come back. I’ve even sat in several vortexes. Now I know why people loved Sedona.
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