Sunday, February 18, 2007

During our online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your travel questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't get to last week.

Baltimore: I'm going to Sedona, Ariz. Any suggestions for activities or hikes that don't involve Southwestern-themed arts and crafts and shopping?

Aside from exploring Sedona's red rock formations by foot or heading north to see the Grand Canyon--a two-hour drive, or faster via helicopter tour-- Oak Creek Canyon is a must-see. With jagged rock formations, switchback hikes and swimming holes, it's an ideal getaway just 30 miles from Sedona.

The city is also a spiritual place where you can have your aura cleansed, chakra balanced and soul healed. Visit Cathedral Rock or the three other vortices, where energy emerging from the surface of the Earth is said to be especially strong at these spots, making them highly spiritual places.

The Chamber of Commerce's Web site ( http://www.visitsedona.com/) includes the guide "102 Things to Do in Sedona." More info: 800-288-7336.