We had a delightful journey around Arizona last week. The weather was ideal, we encountered no obstacles, and saw some amazing scenery. Here are some of the highlights, in no particular order.

Tuesday and Wednesday we were in downtown Phoenix for a Hillsdale College seminar. It included two meals and lots of speakers. One of the best was independent journalist and gadfly Sharyl Attkisson. Here she is prior to her talk, getting photos and an interview for social media.

After the seminar ended on Wednesday afternoon, we drove around town. In the evening, we went out for a nice dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Scottsdale. Wherever we travel, we try to eat there, since they closed the one near our home. It was a clear night, and when we came out after dinner, I gasped at the star-spangled sky overhead. I have a star-identification app on my phone, and took a couple of screenshots of the sky.

Living in the city, you don’t often get such a chance to see so many stars.

On Thursday, we headed up toward Prescott, where we have friends. The drive was quite pleasant. We stopped for a break at a gas station, and while Hubby got a bite to eat, I did some exploring close by.

This was a cute little place that our friend said was her favorite in town. The food was very good, but the band was way too loud for good conversation.

Friday was our real sightseeing day, so we headed out to Granite Dells. We climbed around the rocks and admired the desert landscape.

You might expect the desert to be mostly brown, but we encountered a lot of green bushes on our walk.

Speaking of amazing, my iPhone identified the bush above!

I was taken with this old, dead tree. I liked its bare crooked branches against the sky.

But then, upon closer inspection, I noticed some other features.

The entire tree was full of holes, which told me that woodpeckers might be around. And, lo and behold, there they were!

Here’s the best part.

I think it was a Downy Woodpecker, but my phone didn’t have enough zoom. By the way, all these photos were taken with my iPhone 15 Pro phone.

Here are some more rocks.

It’s weird to think that, millions of years ago, all these desert rocks were at the bottom of a shallow sea.

These were at the last stop in the Dells.

Next stop, Watson Lake. You can see the high-water line on the cliffs across the lake.

Friday night we had dinner with our friends at the Resort. Here are some photos.

Saturday was our last day, and we had all day to get back to Phoenix for our night flight. We had time to take the vertiginous drive over Highway 69A, to Jerome, and then Sedona.

And on the downside…

All the buildings in Jerome, clinging to the steep hills.

On to Sedona!

The red cliffs surrounding Sedona are spectacular. The town is basically a tourist trap, with blocks of gift shops and art galleries. I did spot this interesting vehicle where we parked.

Here are the bluffs along the highway out of town.

Lower right corner is Bell Rock.

Last good photos at a nice rest area.

All in all, a successful trip.