Red Rocks and Chicken Point

Yesterday was our last day in Sedona and we had a blast! We met 2 folks that grew up and went to high school with my family as we were coming off our last trail. The conversation started when we commented on their 75th Anniversary Edition Jeep and the Pittsburgh sports logo in the back window.

I can't remember if I mentioned that one our first day Michael met a woman who grew up with his mom & went to school with his aunt. Crazy coincidences considering each of the towns has a population of just a couple thousand - at best!

We started off with a simple breakfast at the hotel and headed over to Red Rock State Park, which is on Red Rock Loop Rd. off of 89A. They have a 5 mile loop trail system that goes up to the House of Apache Fire (not open for touring) built by Jack and Helen Frye in 1947 as a retreat from the hustle and bustle of corporate life.


It appears they are doing some work on the house and I am hopeful they will be opening it to park visitors - I would love to see the inside and imagine life there. You can read about the history of the house here - it's supposedly one of Sedona's best love stories!

The trail system isn't regal, but you do get some good views and I would recommend it for families with young children. On a cool morning it was a nice start for us and we did run across a family of mule deer out for breakfast.

Stopping point along one of the Red Rock State Park trails. 

Once the weather warmed we headed over to Little Horse Trail, a 2 mile hike up to Chicken Point that offered great perspective back over Oak Creek Village. About 1.5 miles in we took advantage of a flat sunny rock and soaked in the warm sunshine.

I would consider the hike moderate in difficultly but with some portions where you need to watch your step - and your balance. The 4 mile round trip took us just over 2 hours to complete.

We passed a number of mountain bikers on this trail - and on other trails - more than we have ever seen hiking in Sedona. We speculate that this is due to lower foot traffic this time of year. We both agreed that they are way braver than we are to attempt some of the twists and turns along the edges.

Between hiking and dinner we went on a quick walk through Tlaquepaque, which was decorated for the season with a large Christmas Tree and beautifully strung lights. Tlaquepaque North was open for business this trip and they have a cute kitchen store and a few other stores already set up.

We had to skip Elote this year, though it continues to be our #1 recommendation for dinner. 

I did not post yesterday because after a good dinner at Barking Frog Grille we decided to relax for the rest of the evening. This also included an 8:30 bedtime, which is really the norm for us anyways! Why change for vacation - especially in a town that goes to bed early and boasts such beautiful sunrises?

If you are looking for affordable lodging we also suggest the Days Inn in the heart of Sedona. It's clean, offers enough for a small breakfast (oatmeal, bagels, yogurt and cereal) and all areas of town are easily accessible. We've stayed here on all but one trip and have never been disappointed.

We will be boarding the plane for home shortly and, as always, have enjoyed sharing our trip with you! 

New Experiences & Old Favorites

This morning started with breakfast at Red's, the restaurant at Sedona Rouge Resort. A brand new spot for us and a good one - not only because of the company. Small but diverse menu and despite the resort name my hiking attire was welcome. (I'll admit it, I was nervous)

We met up with a colleague of Michael's and his wife and spent a couple of hours discussing our mutual love of Sedona before heading off to Baldwin Trail. Jim and his wife visited Sedona together once, fell in love with the place, visited a few times and then jumped right in and bought a house in 2014. They haven't regretted it yet.

The Baldwin Trail is one we hit every time we head this way, and all but 1 we've gone up to Cathedral Rock. That was our very first hike together and it remains our favorite to this day.  We packed a lunch of tuna, pretzels, halos and trail mix that we enjoyed at the top.

See that space between the rocks....that's where we're headed!

You never know who you might run into on the trail.......

Stopped for a selfie

Counting lunch it was about 3 hours out and back for us. 4 miles round trip with a few strenuous spots but the payoff is worth it.

After lunch we drove by the Chapel of the Holy Cross, stopped at our favorite "junk store" - which isn't that - and swung into the Hike House. A must stop for anyone but especially those who haven't been here in the past. Great staff with insider knowledge about the best hikes and trails to hit.

"Uptown" Sedona is probably our favorite hangout. It's mostly chintzy store after chintzy store but the people watching is top notch and souvenir t-shirts are easy to come by. We walk up and down the streets at least once a visit and that was the end.

The best local we've met to date is Zeus. Zeus is 11 years old and has to wear goggles to help with an eye condition. He was awesome.

Dinner and beer at Bar 1902 capped the night and then it was back to the room for a nightcap and a little rest. (FYI: Bar 1902 is actually the bar at Whole Foods) It's amazing the number of people we meet here that have a story similar to Jim and Paula's. The guy behind the counter at Whole Foods that was building Michael's sandwich moved here 4 months ago with his wife from Denver. He said they are completely different - and better - people for making the move. They had visited once prior.

See ya tomorrow!

Snow Day!

Today we headed north...but first, a stop at Coffee Pot. If you've followed any of our other trips (or talked to us for that matter!) you know this is our favorite stop. In the "off-season" there is no wait (even waiting until 8:30 a.m. to go) and the coffee is still hot.

We drove through Flagstaff ("Flag" if you're a local) and took scenic AR525 through Crater Volcano National Monument and onto the Wupatki National Monument. There really are no words to describe what we saw, so I am just going to share our pictures. Which, honestly, do no justice. For $20 it's worth the drive.

Our first stop was Crater Volcano....there are several short easy trails to walk. There are a few more strenuous trails we plan to hit on our next trip.

 

The twists and turns of the tree trunk (pictured above) are the trees natural ways to adapt to the volcanic landscape. As the roots struggle to find water and nutrients the trunk twists and turns to make itself stronger against the wind and to increase its ability to hold water.

Our 2nd and final stop of the 36 mile drive was the Wupatki Pueblos...I have never seen such diverse landscape as what we see in Northern Arizona. Mountains blanketed in snow are side-by-side with cinder cones and ashy mounds of barren hills. There is red rock, sandstone, thick pines and dry, sandy land. It's something new around every turn.

After we finished at the monuments we stopped at Lumberyard Brewing for lunch and a local beer...and I got carded! WHAT?!??!?!

Seriously, though, I recommend the Lumberyard Red...a good smooth lager that's not too light and not too hoppy. Perfect with my soft-shell crab BLT. 

If you make the trip avoid Interstate 17 and head back to Sedona via Hwy 89A. The red rock views are beautiful and sometimes you'll catch the sky just right (see below).

We eventually made it back to Sedona, stopped at our favorite hideaway O'Looney's, which we are convinced is the locals hangout. After just one drink there we headed over to Famous Pizza and Beer which might just be our new favorite casual spot. Great beer selection there - best we've managed to find in Sedona - and pizza by the slice.

Peaceful Beginnings and 100 mile views

After this mornings update we headed to the Amitabh Stupa Peace Park near our hotel and spent a little bit of time sitting in peace and thinking about our intentions for the day.

Once we left the peace park we drove the long way around to Cockscomb trailhead, where we linked into Aerie Trail and finished a 5.5 mile hike. It was a beautiful day to be out and about on the trails.

If you decide to try this hike on a visit & aren't in a 4WD I would suggest avoiding the unpaved road I chose and taking the shorter, smoother route. Our Nissan survived but I wasn't sure we were going to. Lucky for us, Michael was driving.

The air here is so clear the sky appears to be a different shade of blue here that I have ever seen in any other part of the country. Minimal development and pollution combined with minimal humidity keep the air clear, crisp and clear.

Since we had a light lunch on the trail, and happen to love Jerome, we decided a trip to the Haunted Hamburger was in order. We hit the paved road and headed 30 minutes west. A drive through Old Town Cottonwood and up up up the hillside landed us in a dining room that overlooked the snow capped San Fransisco Peaks (which are actually 50 miles away in Arizona).

We also hit some construction along the way. Keep Left? Keep Right? Both?

One more picture to share....because I just love it!

We're at it again....

After a little less than 10 months since our last trip we rolled into Sedona last night sometime just before midnight. It was the first time we ever entered the red rock in the dark. We were a little disappointed that the timing might result in a boring drive in and were happy to find it to be the exact opposite....the looming silhouette of the rock against a clear starry sky was breathtaking. Maybe even more so than the daylight view we've come to look forward to. {or perhaps I am biased because this time of year there are also lots of white lights and decorations headed into town}

We started yesterday with a few hours at work but quickly headed to the airport and were off on our way.

Landing in Phoenix around 1:45 mountain time our first stop was the Desert Botanical Gardens.  The cactus plants were our favorite of the winter desert landscape - some turn a beautiful purple color that we hadn't experience on any of our spring or summer trips. We are now members of the Garden and were excited to learn about the reciprocal agreement with gardens across the country, including Garvin Gardens in Hot Springs.

We loaded up the car at Target with our hiking and food essentials and then headed over to Helio Basin Brewing Co. to meet up with friends Mike and Kathy. Kathy is a Pittsburgh girl too, and Mike went to high school with Michael in Alexandria (small world, right?).

Kathy's brother (Mike #3) recently opened Helio Basin with his college roommate and we enjoyed swapping stories over dinner and a few craft brews. We even got a chance to meet the owners and see where the magic happens. If you're in Phoenix we definitely recommend stopping by!

Today we're off to buy our park pass, see the Buddha and hit a yet-to-be-determined trail. More later!

Home Sweet Home!

Friday we wrapped up our vacation by spending the afternoon in Surprise, AZ at the Surprise Recreation Complex.  The Royals were hosting the Angels & the seats were perfect! I even got a $3 beer thanks to a Cody Decker home run in the bottom of the 6th. 

Friday night we went into Scottsdale for dinner at Culinary Dropout with one of Michael's old high school buddies and his wife (who is also from Pittsburgh!).

We got home less than 24 hours ago and are already discussing next years trip. We'll see you again soon, Arizona!

We hope you enjoyed our trip! Thanks for following!

Creek Beds & Mountain Tops

Thursday took us to the southern side of Sedona and our other favorite spot along Oak Creek. For the first time, we caught sight of two deer on the drive in. The pictures are grainy at best, but if you look closely you can see them both (the 2nd is a buck).

We were the first to pull into the trailhead in the morning and had a quiet hike along the Baldwin and Templeton Trails.

From there we went up Cathedral Rock, where we laid in the sunshine and took in the views. This was our first hike when we first visited Sedona in 2011 and it remains our favorite.

(That's Michael in the white shirt - I didn't care much for walking on the ledge so I took the picture instead!)

This hike can be challenging at times, but it's beautiful start to finish. On the way back down we found a rock to eat lunch on before heading back out.

The afternoon took us to the Buddhist Stupa, located back at the base of Thunder Mountain. A spot we did not know existed until this trip, but a great place to go regardless of faith. There were many there to meditate, send up prayers and enjoy the peacefulness of this sacred spot.

Happy Trails!

Wednesday was all about the trails. We started our morning at the Pink Jeep Pick-Up while our tour guide, Shan, heated up the open-air jeep and got us ready for a 3-hour tour to the Ancient Ruins.

Shan's family has ranched in the Verde Valley for 140 years, his godfather is an Apache Medicine Man. While the ruins we visited today were Hopi and not Apache, Shan brought this man out to see the ruins not long ago and see what his thoughts on the petroglyphs and structure were. While quick to point out this is all speculation, since these dwellings are from well over 500 years ago, the differences in the interpretation was fascinating to listen to.

The banks of Oak Creek are often a go-to for us. Oak Creek is the namesake of Sedona's Oak Creek Canyon and the heart of the town. Today we went down the Huckaby Trail (a relatively short hike to a local swimming hole) and found a flat rock to enjoy for an hour or so.

After our final hike we took a drive up through West Fork, coming down 89A from the North. Spectacular views and a must-drive for anyone visiting for their first time (or every time). 

Dinner was at a new (at least for us) 89Agave restaurant, which we were lucky enough to hit right about sundown so that the light off the rocks was just perfect.