A red, white, and blue banner proclaims “God Bless Our Firefighters” outside the Center for the New Age in the heart of Sedona, Arizona.  A large sign erected on a residential rooftop reads “Thank You, Firefighters.”

In late May and early June, more than 21,000 acres burned in the Slide Rock State Park and Coconino National Forest areas.  Hundreds of cabins, houses and businesses were evacuated, but no homes were lost.  The Slide Fire occurred less than a year after 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots died fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona.

Sedona’s sandstone red and orange rock formations rise from the desert floor and stand tall against vast blue sky on a clear day.  The smoke had mostly dissipated and the forest fire was fully contained when we got there on Wednesday.  We arrived in time to see Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock, but didn’t get to visit Two Nuns Rock or the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a cliffside shrine of ancient geology, modern architecture and the blessing “Peace to All Who Enter.”

As an indulgence after our ambitious 700-mile three-day trip across desert and mountain terrain to three national parks in temperatures topping 100-degrees with intermittent air conditioning in the rental car, I booked us into the Amara Resort and Spa in Sedona for the final night of our expedition.

The hotel’s hot tub and infinity pool offered a spectacular sunset view of Snoopy Rock (so named for a profile resembling Charlie Brown’s dog sleeping atop his doghouse.) We then enjoyed a relaxing dinner of ribs, ribeye, Sedona Amber and Four Peaks IPA at the nearby Cowboy Grill.

Besides scratching the Grand Canyon off the bucket list, my uncle and I achieved another lifetime first when we signed up to take a yoga class on Thursday morning.  After further reflection Wednesday night, the decision was made to forgo the yoga experience.  Instead we ordered a poolside breakfast of steel-cut oatmeal over caramelized apples and made an earlier start on the 300-mile drive back to Las Vegas.

Next up: Route 66