Sarahenity: On the road: Sedona

All photos courtesy of Sergio. Isn't he
an amazing photographer?

I've got a really cool scratch-off map in my office at home. It's just like a scratch lotto ticket -- as you travel to new places, you scratch off the gold stuff, and as it tumbles off in flakes you see the areas you have visited in bright color! (Sidenote: I was pissed that I bumped the map, so now it looks like I had a stopover in Afghanistan or something like that).

Anyway -- there was a big fat hole in the Southwestern US, and when I was thinking about a nice short trip to somewhere not too far away for Memorial Day, Arizona was what came to mind. And the more I read about Arizona, the more I was torn about where to go. When it came down to it, we wanted to try something outdoorsy but not just pure desert. Enter -- Sedona!

Sedona is a funky place, and as we learned more about it, we found out that it is a place for spiritual healing, is chock full of psychics and yogis, and appeared to be one of the most beautiful places in the state. We found a nice B&B online, bought some hiking boots for me, packed the 75 SPF, and hopped on a plane to Phoenix on a Friday night.

Sergio and I are great travel buddies. As much as he teases me about being really gold, we travel together really really well. I am in charge of snack-packing and he is in charge of coming up with crazy ideas and keeping me calm. It's almost an even trade. Anyway, we didn't realize the flight to Phoenix was so short, and as we came in to land the sun was just starting to set. We had a bit of a drive to Sedona, but it was cool to see the saguaro "forests" as the sun sank behind the hills.

We stayed at an amazing B&B called the Sedona Bear Lodge. I'm really torn when it comes to B&Bs because while I like the concept, sometimes you get stuck over-socializing or with a breakfast that is less than ideal. Not only was the location of the B&B fantastic (close to everything but not on the town's main road), Miles and Masumi (and their dog Meeko) were the ultimate hosts. Breakfast was something to behold -- it's not often you get breakfast with a dessert (sorbet) course! They were incredibly helpful in helping us find hikes that were a good fit, as well as restaurants we enjoyed and other places nearby to visit. The rooms were immaculate too -- and I'm really picky when it comes to cleanliness!

Sergio with our Pink Jeep.

We only had one thing planned for sure, and that was a Pink Jeep tour. This had come highly recommended by a few folks, and I'm glad we did it, even though I did get a little Jeep-sick. The tour we took, Broken Arrow, was through rocky territory, between little cliffs, up and down very steeps slopes and "stairs," and pausing on beautiful vistas. Our tour guide was a charming and slightly inappropriate gentleman named Duff, but he was very well versed in the landscape, geology, and plants. It was fun to be outside but in the shade (mostly).

Sedona itself is pretty touristy these days -- there is the main drag in town with all sorts of touristy restaurants and shops, which was cool to walk up and down but, unfortunately filled with tourists. "Tourists," in general, are idiots. So that was probably my least favorite part of the trip.

After we grabbed lunch, we spent some time in the shade -- it ended up being the hottest day of our trip! In the late afternoon, we went for a hike along a stream -- most of it was in the shade, so it was nice to get a break from the sun. I saw a big, gross snake (it was grey-ish) and we also saw lots of birds and lizards. At this point I was reintroduced to my least favorite part of hikes -- pit toilets. I get that there isn't running water available everywhere, but I wish I wasn't forced to drink so much water! The hike (more of a walk, really) was interesting because it went past different areas with lots of energy, or what they refer to as vortexes. There were all sorts of brochures on vortexes and their benefits, but I didn't feel any huge jolts of energy or inspiration, unfortunately. We had a nice dinner on top of a mesa near the airport, and after the sun went down it was pleasantly cool but not cold.

Sergio at a vortex.

The next day we wanted to do some more shopping and hiking, and I had high hopes that we would make it to a spa but I hadn't booked anything so we were out of luck. There were some cute little shopping areas with sculpture galleries and whatnot, but other than some postcards I didn't really purchase much.

First thing in the morning we went to hike Bell Rock, and it was really fun! You are scrambling up this huge monolithic rock on what might sort of be described as a trail. It was about ten in the morning, so it wasn't full-sun but it was getting hot fast, so we started scrambling up the rock. Hiking is a pretty new thing for me, but I was pleased that my new hiking shoes were comfortable and sturdy enough to go up and down some steep bits. Sergio is a very encouraging hiking buddy and was not opposed to stopping and resting, so that was nice too.

We took a break in the shade afterwards and checked out some galleries after lunch. In the afternoon, we headed north of Sedona for an afternoon hike in the shade (the photo at the top of the post is from the hike!). The trail went by an old lodge, since burned to the ground, and along a beautiful stream, though it was a little dried up. We didn't hike too far in the heat but I enjoyed crossing the stream a few times. We finished up with dinner at a really nice Italian place, complete with an elderly woman playing a grand piano (and glaring at people). She was really good, though -- she might have smiled a bit more and gotten more tips...

Montezuma's Castle

It was sad to pack up the next morning because we really enjoyed our stay with Miles, Masumi, and Meeko. We had an evening flight out of Phoenix, giving us most of the day to explore on the way back. We spent the morning in Jerome, a funny little mining town stuck on the hillside. You could tell how much the town had grown and subsequently collapsed after the ores ran out. There was a lovely museum in the town that detailed its history, so it was a nice stop. We visited some pueblos next, and I really enjoy anything archaeological, so I had a blast. We went to a pueblo town called Tuzigoot, and then followed with a visit to Montezuma's Castle, a complete misnomer because it was neither Aztec in origin or a castle. These monuments, like most of what we saw in Arizona, were fun and quirky, and there was a small-town, down-home sort of feel in the parts of the state where we were that was appealing (though it is odd to go to a monument and see a sign that says, "Please leave your guns in the car." We're not in Washington anymore...). I found that people were friendly and accommodating and that the pace of life felt a little slower and more relaxed than mine. As we boarded the plane for Seattle, we both remarked that we wanted to spend more time exploring Arizona -- for such a short flight, it felt like a world away!

We're still putting together photos, but I'll post them on G+ soon. Sergio is a very talented (and particular) photographer, but I've come to learn that the end result is worth the wait! Until then, I've included a few more photos below!

xo
Sarah