We had a long drive yesterday from our lodge near Zion to Sedona, Arizona. We were all pretty tired as a result of our whirlwind trip, so we didn't get out and take many photos of highlights along the way.

We are on a limited time schedule, so we are not giving many interesting places the attention they deserve. We need to plan a second trip back when we have more time.

The views of Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam are extraordinary. More generally, the change in landscape as we made our way through southern Utah and northern Arizona is shocking. Kanab is a pretty little town with a throwback feel. As we headed south the desert landscape was fascinating, with diverse rock formations.

I must point out a depressing part of the journey, though. A good part of the drive took us through Navajo Nation. It is glaringly obvious, and not a secret, that the US government made sure the Native Americans received the most arid, barely inhabitable lands in the region.

Anyone who wants to argue that the economy is good should take this drive. We passed dilapidated little groupings of rotted trailers that I guess serve as neighborhoods, old, rusted agricultural and construction equipment, and sorry looking roadside stands, mostly abandoned, advertising Navajo jewelry and artifacts for sale.

One empty and partially collapsed commercial building had spray painted on the wall in big, black letters: "America, it's time to pay the rent."

Our destination was the much greener, upscale area of Sedona, Arizona. I didn't know what to expect. It reminded me of areas around San Francisco, green and filled with pine trees.

We settled in to our hotel, then caught an amazing sunset. Again, not many photos, but here are a few:

We then did something completely out of character for our family. We took a combined stargazing/UFO hunt with a guide. Sedona is a dark sky region, so it's a great place for astronomy buffs. Unfortunately the moon was prominent last night, but the skies were clear. Everyone received military surplus night vision goggles to use during the event. If you have never used one, they are very cool. At one point we saw a coyote skulking around pretty close to us.

Anyway, with the goggles you can see stars, planes, satellites, what was apparently the International Space Station, along with other moving objects that our guide explained are "not from around here." He is convinced that alien spacecraft are frequently in our skies.

He was a charming old conspiracy theorist. He regaled us with tales of a lifetime spent hunting UFOs: Roswell, area 51, along with stuff I had never heard of. Other members of the group also told stories. One had just gotten back from a "hunt" in the Australian outback.

We did see this odd, triangular shaped grouping of lights that he was convinced was not of this world. When I got back to the hotel I read the more skeptical interpretation of these fairly common sightings. Still, it was interesting and a hell of a lot of fun. I even got a free souvenir: