Our first stop was the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Although I am not religious, I did appreciate the architectural simplicity of the place.
In addition to the views of the red rocks we saw a huge mansion just below the Chapel.
There is a great deal of controversy about it, with some saying its size and style violate the natural setting. I do not agree. To me it doesn't violate the setting any more than the chapel above it does. Each to their own. Hooray for the freedom in this country that allows people to build big houses and other people to install symbols of their faith in the same general area.
Perhaps someday the mansion will be opened as a tourist attraction. It's not as big as Biltmore or the Ringling mansion, but it may be just as interesting, and it's bigger than some of the other private homes we have toured in the last year.
Our friends John and Bev were our guides and drivers. Our next stop was a view point where we could get a close up look at Bell Rock and several other notable rock formations.
From there they took us up to an overlook up by the Sedona Airport where we could get a long view of the red rocks and the town of Sedona.
This is one small segment of the horizon to horizon view. Craig took so many pictures I found it hard to choose among them, but hopefully the few I have posted give you a small taste of the natural wonder of this valley.
You just have to visit Sedona in person to fully appreciate it!
So agree on the big house. Not my thing, but I don't have to pay the water bill either :-) Beautiful photos; there are few places as beautiful as Sedona.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm becoming cynical in my old age (heck, I've always been cynical)..... but that mansion doesn't put me off at all... someday they'll charge $8 a head to show us through it... some of us will pay that and think we're seeing the old west. Just curious.... is that a "one family" home... you know, mom, dad, 2 kids? Heck, I don't think the mother-in-law lives there ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe large mansion contains a 4-car garage and a rooftop conservatory. The home has 8,148 square feet of living space. The land was first sold on 3/23/01 for $286,000. The construction of the home started in early 2003 and finished in 2008. That is a long time for a house that is not even that big. The owner of the home is Dr. Loan Cosmescu, the inventor of the laser that is used in Lasik Eye Surgery. The estate was listed for a short time at $29 million, with an optional mother-in-law.
ReplyDeleteCurious... Did you feel a vortex? I tried to have an open mind about them as we visited the places they've been noted, but nada...
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks for the interesting info on that beautiful mansion Craig. I've admired it on a couple past visits. Glad you had a nice time in Sedona!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about freedoms - who gives someone the right to say one is good while the other is bad... Sedona is on my list of places to see when we do a trip to the south west - thanks for the tour.
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