Sedona

If you live here in Arizona, it is the pride of the state. Gorgeous red rocks, mountain streams and lakes, pine trees. Truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. I spent about a year camping out there, back before anyone ever patrolled the area. Early 70’s. The only thing there was Oak Creek and a lone apple cider stand. No state park areas. Parking was just pull over as far as you could, and there were not that many people visiting there other than the Northern Arizona University students and some locals.

There’s a small cave on the east side of Grasshopper Point where we stayed sometimes, always evading the Rangers. By day we would go back up 89A and hit the bars in Flagstaff. We had a band called Rooster and we played in the NAU college bars at night: Shaky Drake’s, Bozo’s Bus Stop, and Zig-Zags to name a few. We could rock and keep the people dancing and drinking, so we were never short on gigs. Once we saved enough, we moved to a rental cabin right on the water of Oak Creek. Probably cost a mint now to stay there, but the five of us managed to stay there for the entire Spring semester. After that, our little caravan moved to a site right on the shore of Mormon Lake where we spent the summer. Singing, dancing, getting stoned every day, partying with NAU coeds. Just like in Ron Howard’s Cocoon, I thought I would never get old, never get sick, never die, and live my life out with the biggest shit-eating grin you ever saw. But nooooooo.

This week I am including a song I wrote about this most magical place and you can access it here.