The landscape around Sedona is impressive, and there are some nice trails, but I wasn't too excited about it this time around. It's very touristy. I think my favorite spot was the Sedona Wetlands Preserve which is part of the Wastewater Treatment Facility. The birds didn't seem to care where the water came from.
I loved the long bushy tail on this Arizona Gray Squirrel.
I think my best find was this striped oak-apple wasp gall. These wasps lay their eggs in oak leaves and cause these galls to form where the wasp larva develops. Most galls I see are drab green or brown, but this one is quite striking with the red stripes.
We usually try to avoid driving in the dark, especially in the mountains, but we miscalcuted this time. We probably should have taken a chance on the one campground sign we passed, but we didn't know anything about it or even whether it was open. I had in mind a campground near Prescott that we'd stayed at in the past but when we got there it was full. A second campsite was closed. By this point we were tired and impatient so we picked a hotel. We lucked out with Forest Villa Hotel, which was not too expensive, and had a nice lobby where we could unwind over a glass of wine. And the Highlands Center for Natural History was nearby for us to go for a walk in the morning.
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