This time, I went to the far (southern) end, where an abandoned gypsum mine sits right below the rim:
The drive on those desert roads isn't hard, and the gypsum mine is a good launch site for the Inspire drone: I flew it for several minutes, so this is a very brief clip from the flight:
Driving from Flagstaff South through Oak Creek Canyon, we go over the Midgley Bridge. I wanted to fly the drone, but the wind was up in the canyons and the light was from the wrong direction:
One of the beautiful spots in Sedona is the chapel of the Holy Cross, whose design was by an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright.The Chapel is built in an alcove of huge sandstone cliffs, a gorgeous frame for the design. I wanted to fly the Inspire here, but was originally denied permission by two of the volunteers who protect the site by monitoring the visitors.
After I explained to them that my flight was purely non-commercial, they very kindly let me launch. Again, this is a short clip from a long video that I'll edit when I get home:
Sedona tests an interesting theory about both settings like this valley and, say, zoos. In both cases, we sacrifice a small number of attractions by surrounding them with visitors and/or residents. The hope is that this proximity and publicity will generate stronger support for preserving all the others.
In Sedona, we have towering sandstone formations dotting a large landscape, with roads, homes and even highways everywhere between them.
In the next few days, I'm hoping for clear skies and lots of flights. The Red Baron bids you a temporary adieu...
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