Sedona freakin’ rocks!

 Barbara, Amanda and myself not only hit up the Raw Spirit Festival in AZ but, we had heard so much cool stuff about Sedona that we couldn’t leave without seeing it. We only had a single day to check it out, so we made the most of it!

Montezuma's Castle

 The first place we checked out was Montezuma’s Castle. There we not only got to see and be in the presence of an amazing remnant of civilizations of the past but, we also met some of its present inhabitants. Like this cute lil’ mamajama.

Here lizard, lizard, lizard...

I also got to meet the Mesquite tree. This majestic beauty is  responsible for that wonderful drool inspiring BBQ smell , but more importantly (to me) it also produces a fruit that resembles a pea pod. This mesquite pod was ground into a meal by native peoples and was a staple of their diet. Now mesquite meal is a popular addition to many raw desserts and smoothies for it’s tasty caramel’ish flavor!

Me and the Mesquite Tree :0)

 Next we headed out in search of vortexes at Bell Rock. For those who haven’t heard of the vortex phenomenon what it is, is basically spirals of energy emanating from the earth at various areas around the gorgeous ginormous red rock formations in Sedona. These spirals of energy have been known to cause interesting reactions when people are exposed to them and tree’s growing nearby even begin to take on a twisted form, seemingly growing with the flow! On our trek up to Bell Rock our friend Barbara experienced some funky vibes from the area and I definitely got chills when walking through the same path she had been on. But, what was even cooler than vortex hunting was the amazing view that surrounds you at Bell Rock. It literally looks like you’re walking on Mars with the red rocks and silt beneath your feet and the plant life is something else! 

Chillin' with the infamous agave :0)

 The agave plant (besides being one tasty vegan sweetener for raw desserts)  has one ridiculously huge flower stalk when it decides it’s time to go to seed. The flower stalks are so massive and solid that they can be used as a walking staff! Check out this one …

This lil' agave plant had a flower stalk at least 14 feet tall!

 Bell Rock was amazing but, as much as we wanted to hang out their all day and lift up all the rocks in search of critters (well ok that’s what I was up to!) We needed to get moving. Just then it seemed my search for desert critters finally paid off…sort of. I lifted a large rock and saw what I thought to be a small scorpion clinging to the underside of the rock …well I was half right. It was actually the exoskeletal shed shell of a scorpion left behind from a presumably now larger scorpion. Oh well still a neat find!

Wonder where the lil' guy that left this behind went...

The doorway to rawesomeness...

Nori Nachos with Southwestern style salsa! *Oh yes!*

Thai Spring Rolls! The wrapper was made from young thai coconut meat blended with spices :0)

The Collosal Platter of Falafel, My kinda dish! :0)

The Sea Star Cilantro Salad. Loaded with nutrients and flavor, perfect combo!

                                                                                                                                      

 Everything was amazing and ya know I had to load up some of their raw chocolates on my way out. It was like being in a raw version of Munson’s Chocolates, (one of my fave chocolate places as a kid/teen)! If you’re in the Sedona area you’ve gotta check this place out! I’d recommend it to anyone…raw or not!

One of the masterminds behind those raw masterpieces at Chocola Tree, Chef Illip :0)

 Our last stop in Sedona was an amazing view of the sunset over the city a great way to end a great trip!

 To all you lucky mama-jamas livin’  in or near Sedona…rock on! Peace and love everyone :0)