Trip Journal: Sedona for Thanksgiving - 2016
Monday, November 21, through Saturday, November 26, 2016
Introduction. This is how these things always start. We’re sitting out on the front patio on a beautiful summer afternoon, enjoying the first beer of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Just chatting about the chores that we need to do over the next few days and talking about other upcoming events, like Alex and Frankie coming to town next week, our upcoming trips and the fact that Lynn still needs to proofread the Death Valley photobook. Maybe that’s what got Lynn thinking, since Death Valley was originally planned for Thanksgiving but we had to reschedule. Anyway sort of out of the blue she says that we should look at a trip over Thanksgiving this year. Basically the same requirements as what we tried last year: someplace that is either drivable in a few hours or only takes a direct flight (I’m going for the flight), and has good prospects of having nice weather. So I slip out the phone and Google direct flights from CLE. Not the grand selection that we once had, but still some possibilities, the best of which are Las Vegas (not FOR Las Vegas but as a jumping off point to the National Parks within driving range), Phoenix (perfect for Sedona), San Francisco (Lynn says not relaxing enough) or Orlando (she wants to return to Disney). I did a little more searching on the phone. Looks like the better flight options are on Southwest instead of United to get to Phoenix (my preferred destination option at this early stage of the exercise). Historical weather averages for Sedona for late November show the highs in the mid to upper 60s F with lows around 40, so that’s doable.
After dinner on Saturday, I resumed my research. Yes, Southwest is the best option for flights to Phoenix at $400 each. I found a couple of interesting rental house/condo options in the Village of Oak Creek for less than $200/night. Flights to Orlando were a little less, but booking Disney lodging is a bit daunting; so many options. Where to stay? How much!?! I will need more time to plan a Disney trip. Besides, Lynn says that we night want more time at Disney (not sure I agree with that, but at least that option is off the table for this year). Lynn finally said that she was all in for Sedona. I told her that I had decided the minute she suggested it yesterday afternoon! By Sunday afternoon I had the flights booked and the house locked in. We’re going to Sedona.
I also did some checking on the Web to see what options we would have for dinner on Thanksgiving. The Trip Advisor forums indicated that most stores and restaurants will be open on “turkey-day” so we should have no issues. However, this all became moot once Alex and Frankie, our friends from Sedona, came to Medina for a short visit (they were in the area for Frankie’s high school reunion and stayed with us for a few days as well). While enjoying an afternoon drink on our patio, we let them know that we would be visiting Sedona over Thanksgiving. They were tickled to hear this and immediately started planning the menu for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Looks like we’ll be eating with family after all.
The Plan. Sedona is both easy and hard to plan. Easy because there is just so much to see and do and lots of great dining options. Hard, well, sort of for the same reasons; so much to see and do that it can be hard to choose and certainly hard to resist the temptation of trying to do too much. But we did come up with an outline for the trip:
OK, I think you can see the pattern there! The specific hikes are not selected. We'll sort of play that by ear. We'll have to fit in some shopping for Lynn during the week as well (Garland's and her other favorite shops). One thing for certain is that we want to get plenty of down time and not be on the go every waking moment.
Our starting list for dinner options included The Schoolhouse, Harry’s Hideaway and Barking Frog, but there are other great places to eat in the area, so sure that this list will change. My list of hiking trails and other things to see and do was evolving right up to departure day. Here’s the list of options that I had whittled down to:
Hikes:
Some last minute information from the Trip Advisor forums solidified Doe Mountain as a top pick and also added Little Horse Trail to the list (one I had not heard of previously). Plus I received a very late, weather-driven suggestion from Alex that became a “must do” for Tuesday. More on those points shortly.
So we had a generally plan but not a detailed itinerary but plenty of stuff to fill each day. We basically reviewed our options and updated the plan on the fly each day. For reference, here’s the short version of how things played out and a general map of the area we covered and the points-of-interest:
Introduction. This is how these things always start. We’re sitting out on the front patio on a beautiful summer afternoon, enjoying the first beer of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Just chatting about the chores that we need to do over the next few days and talking about other upcoming events, like Alex and Frankie coming to town next week, our upcoming trips and the fact that Lynn still needs to proofread the Death Valley photobook. Maybe that’s what got Lynn thinking, since Death Valley was originally planned for Thanksgiving but we had to reschedule. Anyway sort of out of the blue she says that we should look at a trip over Thanksgiving this year. Basically the same requirements as what we tried last year: someplace that is either drivable in a few hours or only takes a direct flight (I’m going for the flight), and has good prospects of having nice weather. So I slip out the phone and Google direct flights from CLE. Not the grand selection that we once had, but still some possibilities, the best of which are Las Vegas (not FOR Las Vegas but as a jumping off point to the National Parks within driving range), Phoenix (perfect for Sedona), San Francisco (Lynn says not relaxing enough) or Orlando (she wants to return to Disney). I did a little more searching on the phone. Looks like the better flight options are on Southwest instead of United to get to Phoenix (my preferred destination option at this early stage of the exercise). Historical weather averages for Sedona for late November show the highs in the mid to upper 60s F with lows around 40, so that’s doable.
After dinner on Saturday, I resumed my research. Yes, Southwest is the best option for flights to Phoenix at $400 each. I found a couple of interesting rental house/condo options in the Village of Oak Creek for less than $200/night. Flights to Orlando were a little less, but booking Disney lodging is a bit daunting; so many options. Where to stay? How much!?! I will need more time to plan a Disney trip. Besides, Lynn says that we night want more time at Disney (not sure I agree with that, but at least that option is off the table for this year). Lynn finally said that she was all in for Sedona. I told her that I had decided the minute she suggested it yesterday afternoon! By Sunday afternoon I had the flights booked and the house locked in. We’re going to Sedona.
I also did some checking on the Web to see what options we would have for dinner on Thanksgiving. The Trip Advisor forums indicated that most stores and restaurants will be open on “turkey-day” so we should have no issues. However, this all became moot once Alex and Frankie, our friends from Sedona, came to Medina for a short visit (they were in the area for Frankie’s high school reunion and stayed with us for a few days as well). While enjoying an afternoon drink on our patio, we let them know that we would be visiting Sedona over Thanksgiving. They were tickled to hear this and immediately started planning the menu for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Looks like we’ll be eating with family after all.
The Plan. Sedona is both easy and hard to plan. Easy because there is just so much to see and do and lots of great dining options. Hard, well, sort of for the same reasons; so much to see and do that it can be hard to choose and certainly hard to resist the temptation of trying to do too much. But we did come up with an outline for the trip:
- Day 1 - Monday, 21 November - Evening flight to PHX, then drive to VOC. Late arrival so we'll just unload, unwind and hit the hay.
- Day 2, Tuesday, 22 November - Hike in the morning, chill with a beer in the afternoon then a favorite restaurant for dinner. Since we don't have any supplies yet, we may hit Miley's for breakfast before the hike then the grocery store for supplies after.
- Day 3, Wednesday, 23 November - Hike in the morning, chill with a beer in the afternoon then a favorite restaurant for dinner.
- Day 4, Thursday, 24 November - Hike in the morning, chill with a beer in the afternoon then Thanksgiving dinner at the Warehouse.
- Day 5, Friday, 25 November - Hike in the morning, chill with a beer in the afternoon then a favorite restaurant for dinner.
- Day 6, Saturday, 26 November - Back to PHX for a late morning flight home.
OK, I think you can see the pattern there! The specific hikes are not selected. We'll sort of play that by ear. We'll have to fit in some shopping for Lynn during the week as well (Garland's and her other favorite shops). One thing for certain is that we want to get plenty of down time and not be on the go every waking moment.
Our starting list for dinner options included The Schoolhouse, Harry’s Hideaway and Barking Frog, but there are other great places to eat in the area, so sure that this list will change. My list of hiking trails and other things to see and do was evolving right up to departure day. Here’s the list of options that I had whittled down to:
Hikes:
- Doe Mountain
- Bear Mountain
- Devil's Bridge (can probably do this on one of the above on the same day).
- Templeton Trail (big loop around Cathedral Rock that combines parts of the Baldwin, Hiline, Slim Shady and Templeton trails)
- V-bar-V
- Airport Mesa
- Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock Loop
- Tuzigoot - could combine with a visit to Clarksdale and maybe dinner at Harry's Hideaway.
- Walnut Canyon - maybe further than Lynn wants to drive for this short stay; maybe we’ll incorporate this into the post-Page trip in 2017.
Some last minute information from the Trip Advisor forums solidified Doe Mountain as a top pick and also added Little Horse Trail to the list (one I had not heard of previously). Plus I received a very late, weather-driven suggestion from Alex that became a “must do” for Tuesday. More on those points shortly.
So we had a generally plan but not a detailed itinerary but plenty of stuff to fill each day. We basically reviewed our options and updated the plan on the fly each day. For reference, here’s the short version of how things played out and a general map of the area we covered and the points-of-interest:
- Day 2 – Tuesday, 22 November: Checked out Secret Slickrock in the morning, just so we knew where it is, but we returned later in the afternoon when the light was better. In between we hiked the loop around Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. Dinner at PJ’s.
- Day 3 – Wednesday, 23 November: Instead of hitting the hiking trails, we hiked through streets of Uptown Sedona. Late lunch at El Rincon.
- Day 4 – Thursday, 24 November: Little Horse Trail to Chicken Point followed by Thanksgiving dinner with friends.
- Day 5 – Friday, 25 November: Hiked Doe Mountain and Fay Canyon. Dinner at Serenitie.
And now for the details of what happened each day….
Day 0 - Sunday, November 20, 2016 - Here kitty, kitty… A cold day here on the ranch. The first snow of the season deposited a couple inches of the white stuff, enough to easily cover the grass. Good time to be leaving. Since our winter prep work and the trip packing tasks were done we had a pretty relaxed day. But there were a couple issues with which to deal.
First, Lynn broke the news that she woke up this morning with a tickle in her throat and that it was still nagging her now at midday. She was already popping Zicam but was running low, so I would be making a run to the drug store later to stock up for the trip. No worries as that just means I will also be picking up Chipotle for dinner.
The bigger news was that a new cat decided to adopt us today. I'm pretty sure I have seen this little brown tabby a couple times over the last few days, as recently as yesterday, but as the weather was warm she was not interested in talking to me. Today was a different story. We watched her stop at the front of the barn but the barn was closed so she went around the east side of the barn, but soon came back to the front and took a seat staring at the front door. I told Lynn to call her in. That did not take much. Lynn opened the kitchen door and the cat turned to look (it is about 90 yards from the back of the house to the barn). Lynn called "here, kitty, kitty" and the cat spun right toward the house and came at the trot.
She destroyed the plate of food that we gave her at the back garage door. She warmed up right away. She (I think she is a she) finally felt comfortable with being in the garage with the back door closed. It looked like she used to have a collar as the fur around her neck was worn a bit. By her disposition she is used to people. Looks like she is a drop. We set her up in the garage. She needed a name so I picked Arizona, since that is where we are going tomorrow (I would have picked Sedona but we already have a cat with that moniker). I called our critter sitter to let her know that she has one more cat to care for. Not a problem, as she is an old softie just like Lynn and me.
So other than another cat and a potential cold it was a relaxed day. Finished up most of the packing. Trying to pack for a short trip and not take too much is just as tough a packing for a longer trip. Still plenty of room in my suitcase.
Back to the trip planning, I was doing a little last minute review of hiking options as our plans were not yet firm on which trails we would try. I spotted a trip report on Trip Advisor from SalsaVince who had just returned from Sedona and stated that hiking was his main attraction for the trip. He ranked the hikes he took, which provided some level of validation as he hiked a few that were on my list. Doe Mountain was his top pick, so I will move that one up the list. He also mentioned Little Horse as one he wanted to do but could not fit in. I had not heard of that trail before so I studied it on the Web a bit and it looks like a top contender as well. Maybe a good choice for Thursday morning as it is close to the Village of Oak Creek and just under four miles so it might fit in perfectly for our morning hike before Thanksgiving dinner.
Day 1 - Monday, November 21, 2016 - Going to Sedona. Crisp morning in Medina; below freezing by a handful of degrees as I walked out to the barn to take care of the kids. They are a lot more smoochie in the cold weather as they want to cuddle to stay warm. I sat with them for a few minutes but had to finish getting ready for the trip. The new cat, Arizona, is doing well. She is very talkative, probably a bit nervous, but will come right over to visit when called. I reckon she’ll end up as part of the barn pride in the long run but for now she’s camped out in the garage.
Day 0 - Sunday, November 20, 2016 - Here kitty, kitty… A cold day here on the ranch. The first snow of the season deposited a couple inches of the white stuff, enough to easily cover the grass. Good time to be leaving. Since our winter prep work and the trip packing tasks were done we had a pretty relaxed day. But there were a couple issues with which to deal.
First, Lynn broke the news that she woke up this morning with a tickle in her throat and that it was still nagging her now at midday. She was already popping Zicam but was running low, so I would be making a run to the drug store later to stock up for the trip. No worries as that just means I will also be picking up Chipotle for dinner.
The bigger news was that a new cat decided to adopt us today. I'm pretty sure I have seen this little brown tabby a couple times over the last few days, as recently as yesterday, but as the weather was warm she was not interested in talking to me. Today was a different story. We watched her stop at the front of the barn but the barn was closed so she went around the east side of the barn, but soon came back to the front and took a seat staring at the front door. I told Lynn to call her in. That did not take much. Lynn opened the kitchen door and the cat turned to look (it is about 90 yards from the back of the house to the barn). Lynn called "here, kitty, kitty" and the cat spun right toward the house and came at the trot.
She destroyed the plate of food that we gave her at the back garage door. She warmed up right away. She (I think she is a she) finally felt comfortable with being in the garage with the back door closed. It looked like she used to have a collar as the fur around her neck was worn a bit. By her disposition she is used to people. Looks like she is a drop. We set her up in the garage. She needed a name so I picked Arizona, since that is where we are going tomorrow (I would have picked Sedona but we already have a cat with that moniker). I called our critter sitter to let her know that she has one more cat to care for. Not a problem, as she is an old softie just like Lynn and me.
So other than another cat and a potential cold it was a relaxed day. Finished up most of the packing. Trying to pack for a short trip and not take too much is just as tough a packing for a longer trip. Still plenty of room in my suitcase.
Back to the trip planning, I was doing a little last minute review of hiking options as our plans were not yet firm on which trails we would try. I spotted a trip report on Trip Advisor from SalsaVince who had just returned from Sedona and stated that hiking was his main attraction for the trip. He ranked the hikes he took, which provided some level of validation as he hiked a few that were on my list. Doe Mountain was his top pick, so I will move that one up the list. He also mentioned Little Horse as one he wanted to do but could not fit in. I had not heard of that trail before so I studied it on the Web a bit and it looks like a top contender as well. Maybe a good choice for Thursday morning as it is close to the Village of Oak Creek and just under four miles so it might fit in perfectly for our morning hike before Thanksgiving dinner.
Day 1 - Monday, November 21, 2016 - Going to Sedona. Crisp morning in Medina; below freezing by a handful of degrees as I walked out to the barn to take care of the kids. They are a lot more smoochie in the cold weather as they want to cuddle to stay warm. I sat with them for a few minutes but had to finish getting ready for the trip. The new cat, Arizona, is doing well. She is very talkative, probably a bit nervous, but will come right over to visit when called. I reckon she’ll end up as part of the barn pride in the long run but for now she’s camped out in the garage.
On the way back from the barn I was treated to a lovely morning view. Snow covered the ground while the clouds off on the western horizon are catching the light as the big eye rises in the east. We’ll have a completely different view this time tomorrow.
Checked off the final packing details and collected the garbage and thus the travel checklist is complete. The luggage weighed-in at well below the allowable limit and the Edge is loaded. Time to go to work. Quiet day at the office as most folks are starting to slip into the holiday mode. I caught a break in that my 1:00 telecon was canceled so we could get out a little early, but Lynn still had a couple items to complete so we did not leave work until 1:50, still a little ahead of the plan. Vacation has started.
I guess we’re ahead of most of the holiday travelers as Hopkins is not very busy at present. We snagged a convenient spot in the orange lot and walked through the parking garage to the terminal. Check-in at Southwest was very quick, and security was a breeze. We were through it all quickly, less than half an hour since we left work, so that’s pretty darn fast! Lynn made her usually stop to find a book then we went in search of lunch. Kind of starving since it is going on 3:00 and I’m usually eating lunch about 10:30 (that early morning bowl of cereal just does not stick to the ribs!). Great Lakes Brewing Company was our pick today. A tall Commodore Perry IPA and Lynn ordered a short Burning River pale ale, however the barmaid poured her a tall by mistake so she got a little bonus beer at no added cost.
Checked off the final packing details and collected the garbage and thus the travel checklist is complete. The luggage weighed-in at well below the allowable limit and the Edge is loaded. Time to go to work. Quiet day at the office as most folks are starting to slip into the holiday mode. I caught a break in that my 1:00 telecon was canceled so we could get out a little early, but Lynn still had a couple items to complete so we did not leave work until 1:50, still a little ahead of the plan. Vacation has started.
I guess we’re ahead of most of the holiday travelers as Hopkins is not very busy at present. We snagged a convenient spot in the orange lot and walked through the parking garage to the terminal. Check-in at Southwest was very quick, and security was a breeze. We were through it all quickly, less than half an hour since we left work, so that’s pretty darn fast! Lynn made her usually stop to find a book then we went in search of lunch. Kind of starving since it is going on 3:00 and I’m usually eating lunch about 10:30 (that early morning bowl of cereal just does not stick to the ribs!). Great Lakes Brewing Company was our pick today. A tall Commodore Perry IPA and Lynn ordered a short Burning River pale ale, however the barmaid poured her a tall by mistake so she got a little bonus beer at no added cost.
We had a nice, relaxed wait for the flight at Great Lakes, just enjoying the food and the beer. Lynn had the grilled salad with crab cakes and I tried the creole gumbo with chicken. The gumbo was very good with a great aroma and nice spice. Different, of course, from a southwest dish, but close enough to put me in the right frame of mind for Arizona. Service was fast, efficient and friendly.
We had a nice seat right by the window, looking out over a section of the airport on a very pretty day. The blue sky provided a nice backdrop for the poofy, gray and white clouds. Not really a hint to bad weather, which was very good news for all us travelers. We were overlooking the D Concourse which is just sitting abandoned; no movement and no action. That used to be a bustling area back in the day when CLE was a United hub; a lot of the regional traffic went through there. No one is using it now. Not being a hub does shorten the line at check-in and security but it also greatly limits the number of direct access destinations. Pluses and minuses.
We arrived at the gate just as boarding began. OK, so maybe Southwest is not so bad. Their boarding scheme is less chaotic the United. Lynn and I have boarding positions B29and B28, respectively. We were on the plane in less than 15 minutes. She grabbed the first aisle seat she came to, row 4C. I got a window two rows back so 6A. Pretty easy and much further forward then we would have been on a United flight, which is nice. The safety brief was standard stuff, no Southwest flair the time. The pilot pushed back the 737 at exactly 1610, right on time, starting the clock on our 4 hours 10 minute travel time.
We had a nice seat right by the window, looking out over a section of the airport on a very pretty day. The blue sky provided a nice backdrop for the poofy, gray and white clouds. Not really a hint to bad weather, which was very good news for all us travelers. We were overlooking the D Concourse which is just sitting abandoned; no movement and no action. That used to be a bustling area back in the day when CLE was a United hub; a lot of the regional traffic went through there. No one is using it now. Not being a hub does shorten the line at check-in and security but it also greatly limits the number of direct access destinations. Pluses and minuses.
We arrived at the gate just as boarding began. OK, so maybe Southwest is not so bad. Their boarding scheme is less chaotic the United. Lynn and I have boarding positions B29and B28, respectively. We were on the plane in less than 15 minutes. She grabbed the first aisle seat she came to, row 4C. I got a window two rows back so 6A. Pretty easy and much further forward then we would have been on a United flight, which is nice. The safety brief was standard stuff, no Southwest flair the time. The pilot pushed back the 737 at exactly 1610, right on time, starting the clock on our 4 hours 10 minute travel time.
I received an email from Alex just before switching the phone to airplane mode. He had a hiking suggestion for us. They had significant rain there during the day and extending into this evening, so he told me about one of the "secret" places for reflection shots of Cathedral Rock, Secret Slickrock, and said that might be a good warm-up in the morning. Sounds like a good suggestion except that based on his description the light will be wrong for a morning photo shoot. But we'll figure that out tomorrow. He also mentioned that the rain had caused rock slides on 89A in Oak Creek Canyon as well as a chunk of rock falling off of Cathedral Rock. Also sad news that another member of the meet-up Herd had passed away yesterday. Susan (dawgg) had only made it to the Kanab meet-up, so that was the only time that I had met her, but she was a very nice lady and will be missed.
So the garishly painted aircraft, decked out in purple, orange, red and yellow, was not the only difference noted on this flight. I actually had leg room! My knees were not jammed into the seatback in front of me. Simply delightful. And what’s this? The flight attendants are coming around with a basket of goodies? Take two, she says. Two packs of Oreos, please! Then later they came back around with peanuts and pretzels. What kind of insanity is this! Customer service from an airline!?!
Easy flight. Very little in the way of turbulence. We were cruising at 30+K feet, above a solid cloud deck for most of the way, on a direct line running southwest from Cleveland to Phoenix. We were heading right into a beautiful sunset, but I was on the wrong side of the tube to get the best view. Still the colors that I could see off to the west were stunning, with the top edge of the view starting to transition to black contrasting with the bright yellow and orange layers just above the clouds. Red skies at night, sailors delight, I think is the old saying. And it was smooth sailing into Sky Harbor. We were at the gate six minutes early. From the flight deck, “Thanks for flying with us. God bless you all.”
So the garishly painted aircraft, decked out in purple, orange, red and yellow, was not the only difference noted on this flight. I actually had leg room! My knees were not jammed into the seatback in front of me. Simply delightful. And what’s this? The flight attendants are coming around with a basket of goodies? Take two, she says. Two packs of Oreos, please! Then later they came back around with peanuts and pretzels. What kind of insanity is this! Customer service from an airline!?!
Easy flight. Very little in the way of turbulence. We were cruising at 30+K feet, above a solid cloud deck for most of the way, on a direct line running southwest from Cleveland to Phoenix. We were heading right into a beautiful sunset, but I was on the wrong side of the tube to get the best view. Still the colors that I could see off to the west were stunning, with the top edge of the view starting to transition to black contrasting with the bright yellow and orange layers just above the clouds. Red skies at night, sailors delight, I think is the old saying. And it was smooth sailing into Sky Harbor. We were at the gate six minutes early. From the flight deck, “Thanks for flying with us. God bless you all.”
I’m diggin' Southwest. So was Lynn. As we were walking through Terminal B at PHX, she said her only knock on the flight, and this was more about the passengers than the airline, was folks saving seats. Yeah, I also noted that as we got on board but I guess it really did not register. I reckon some folks want to sit together. After nearly 30 years, Lynn and I are comfortable being separated for a few hours. Besides it is usually a bit too loud to hold a conversation during a flight, even on a nice 737.
We made pretty good time from the time we landed through getting the rental car. The only holdup was at baggage claim. Lynn’s bag was one of the first ones on the carousel while mine was one of the last. Sort of standard as the baggage claim at Sky Harbor always seems to run slow. But getting the car at Enterprise was quick and easy, and we were soon loaded up in our white Jeep Patriot (second time this year I’ve had a Patriot as a rental) and headed to Sedona. I loaded the address for the rental house into Baby and we were off. Traffic was light, the roads were clear and we had no stops to make on the way so we were at our house in the Village of Oak Creek at 9:05. The house keys were right were the owner said they would be so all is well.
Nice place. Too dark to tell much about the outside, but the inside was nice. Plenty of room for the two of us. The rooms were big and there was lots of space. We’ll check it out more thoroughly in the morning. We basically just unloaded the Jeep, stored our stuff and called it a night.
Day 2 – Tuesday, November 22, 2016 – Secret Slickrock and Courthouse Butte. I rolled out of the bed about 0400. Not too surprising as that is really 6:00 AM back home. One of the advantages of a rental house over a hotel room (and there are many) is that I can move out of the bedroom and do other stuff and let Lynn continue to sleep in peace. I worked a puzzle or two and caught up on the trip notes. I’m trying something a little different this trip by only using OneNote on my phone for the notes. I’ll have the phone with me when we are out, so I can jot notes anytime plus I brought my Bluetooth keyboard for the longer note writing sessions here at the house (as typing directly on the phone is not a skill that I am anywhere close to perfecting, not that I’m that stellar on the bigger keyboard). This should save me some time when I get home as I won’t have to transcribe pages and pages of hand-written notes.
I also reviewed the hiking options for the week. The owner of the rental house provided a well-loved map and several hiking books for reference which were very useful. With the rain yesterday the trails could be muddy, and when this red dirt turns to mud it can be a real mess. Plus any dirt road access could also be questionable. Once Lynn was up she also reviewed map and trail options. Lots of short stuff we can combine like Doe Mesa and Fay Canyon. Devils Bridge is a maybe due to the forest road access. Plenty of options.
Since we had no food in the house, we figured we would start with breakfast at Miley’s. I checked their website and Miley's opens at 0630. Sunrise is not until 0710 so we can start with breakfast then checkout Secret Slick rock per Alex's suggestion. Well, that the start of a plan. We rolled into Miley’s a little bit before 7:00. Only a few locals were there at this time of day. But the staff makes everyone feel like a regular as they are so friendly and helpful. This is a great place with excellent food and outstanding service. I could not help myself and had to have the Mexi omelet. I was feeling a little deprived on southwest food as I only really had a maybe one or two southwest meals during our recent Bluff trip, so I was trying to make-up for the lost opportunities. This was a good start with the green chilis, peppers and a nice chili sauce. Not overly hot but a very nice flavor. Lynn had the garden omelet with a side of bacon which she shared. Nice and crispy. Biscuits rounded out the meal. These were like a shortbread as they were very dense, but also very tasty and served hot so the butter melted quickly. Almost like having desert with breakfast once I applied a little grape jelly.
The sun was up by the time we left Miley’s. The light on the red rocks was just lovely this morning. It was brisk this morning, probably in the mid-40s at present, but the sky was clear and blue. It is looking like a very nice day is in store for us. We got our gear in order and loaded into the Jeep so that we could get to the trails. We were in the car and ready to roll at 0800. Oops, Lynn forgot her hat, but that gave me a minute to program Baby to provide directions to the Secret Slickrock Trailhead. Alex had provided directions, but might as well use the technology since it is available. I paused as we pulled out on to Bell Rock Road to capture the morning sun on the famous formations. First official photo in Red Rock Country for the trip.
We made pretty good time from the time we landed through getting the rental car. The only holdup was at baggage claim. Lynn’s bag was one of the first ones on the carousel while mine was one of the last. Sort of standard as the baggage claim at Sky Harbor always seems to run slow. But getting the car at Enterprise was quick and easy, and we were soon loaded up in our white Jeep Patriot (second time this year I’ve had a Patriot as a rental) and headed to Sedona. I loaded the address for the rental house into Baby and we were off. Traffic was light, the roads were clear and we had no stops to make on the way so we were at our house in the Village of Oak Creek at 9:05. The house keys were right were the owner said they would be so all is well.
Nice place. Too dark to tell much about the outside, but the inside was nice. Plenty of room for the two of us. The rooms were big and there was lots of space. We’ll check it out more thoroughly in the morning. We basically just unloaded the Jeep, stored our stuff and called it a night.
Day 2 – Tuesday, November 22, 2016 – Secret Slickrock and Courthouse Butte. I rolled out of the bed about 0400. Not too surprising as that is really 6:00 AM back home. One of the advantages of a rental house over a hotel room (and there are many) is that I can move out of the bedroom and do other stuff and let Lynn continue to sleep in peace. I worked a puzzle or two and caught up on the trip notes. I’m trying something a little different this trip by only using OneNote on my phone for the notes. I’ll have the phone with me when we are out, so I can jot notes anytime plus I brought my Bluetooth keyboard for the longer note writing sessions here at the house (as typing directly on the phone is not a skill that I am anywhere close to perfecting, not that I’m that stellar on the bigger keyboard). This should save me some time when I get home as I won’t have to transcribe pages and pages of hand-written notes.
I also reviewed the hiking options for the week. The owner of the rental house provided a well-loved map and several hiking books for reference which were very useful. With the rain yesterday the trails could be muddy, and when this red dirt turns to mud it can be a real mess. Plus any dirt road access could also be questionable. Once Lynn was up she also reviewed map and trail options. Lots of short stuff we can combine like Doe Mesa and Fay Canyon. Devils Bridge is a maybe due to the forest road access. Plenty of options.
Since we had no food in the house, we figured we would start with breakfast at Miley’s. I checked their website and Miley's opens at 0630. Sunrise is not until 0710 so we can start with breakfast then checkout Secret Slick rock per Alex's suggestion. Well, that the start of a plan. We rolled into Miley’s a little bit before 7:00. Only a few locals were there at this time of day. But the staff makes everyone feel like a regular as they are so friendly and helpful. This is a great place with excellent food and outstanding service. I could not help myself and had to have the Mexi omelet. I was feeling a little deprived on southwest food as I only really had a maybe one or two southwest meals during our recent Bluff trip, so I was trying to make-up for the lost opportunities. This was a good start with the green chilis, peppers and a nice chili sauce. Not overly hot but a very nice flavor. Lynn had the garden omelet with a side of bacon which she shared. Nice and crispy. Biscuits rounded out the meal. These were like a shortbread as they were very dense, but also very tasty and served hot so the butter melted quickly. Almost like having desert with breakfast once I applied a little grape jelly.
The sun was up by the time we left Miley’s. The light on the red rocks was just lovely this morning. It was brisk this morning, probably in the mid-40s at present, but the sky was clear and blue. It is looking like a very nice day is in store for us. We got our gear in order and loaded into the Jeep so that we could get to the trails. We were in the car and ready to roll at 0800. Oops, Lynn forgot her hat, but that gave me a minute to program Baby to provide directions to the Secret Slickrock Trailhead. Alex had provided directions, but might as well use the technology since it is available. I paused as we pulled out on to Bell Rock Road to capture the morning sun on the famous formations. First official photo in Red Rock Country for the trip.
As the crow flies, our destination was not that far, just above Red Rock Crossing, but to get there from here required us to drive a loop heading north on 179, then west on 89A through West Sedona, along Red Rock Loop Road and finally wiggle along a few side rides to the trailhead But this is the time to travel through Sedona as there was absolutely no traffic. Shoot one of the few vehicles we spotted was a hot air balloon from Northern Lights off to the west of Cathedral Rock as we were driving up 179. Quick and easy trip through town and Baby got us to the trailhead, almost. We overshot it just a bit, like about 100 yards, but quickly figured out our error and retraced our route to the right spot. The drive in along Red Rock Loop Road was beautiful but did confirm that the morning light would not be optimal for this location, at least not for trying to capture the reflections of Cathedral Rock. But this this way we’ll know exactly where to go if we decide to return this afternoon.
A short, easy walk along a well marked trail to the open expanse of slickrock that held the various potholes. Following the rain from Sunday night the potholes were now so many little mirrors in the rock surface. Yeah, as expected the light is all wrong for Cathedral rock but was good facing the opposite direction. We could see the potential and recognized the location from the wonderful reflection shots of Cathedral Rock that we had seen all over the Internet. We will definitely come back this afternoon. But even though this was the wrong time for the iconic views of Cathedral Rock there were still wonderful views over Oak Creek, Red Rock Crossing, and Crescent Moon Ranch along with the vistas of the rocks and ridges to the north and west.
A short, easy walk along a well marked trail to the open expanse of slickrock that held the various potholes. Following the rain from Sunday night the potholes were now so many little mirrors in the rock surface. Yeah, as expected the light is all wrong for Cathedral rock but was good facing the opposite direction. We could see the potential and recognized the location from the wonderful reflection shots of Cathedral Rock that we had seen all over the Internet. We will definitely come back this afternoon. But even though this was the wrong time for the iconic views of Cathedral Rock there were still wonderful views over Oak Creek, Red Rock Crossing, and Crescent Moon Ranch along with the vistas of the rocks and ridges to the north and west.
We played around the puddles for a bit, lining up a few reflection shots and enjoying the quiet of the morning. We almost had the place to ourselves. The only other folks on the slickrock when we arrived was a young European couple and their little girl, they were also having fun in the water and taking photos of the toddler exploring the potholes. A couple mountain bikers cruised through a little while later. They were a bit of a distraction and somewhat loud but they did not linger and headed on out the Ridge Trail and we were soon back to tranquility. Well, mostly tranquil as the air traffic was starting to pick up with a steady stream of helicopter tours cruising over the area going to Cathedral Rock and Courthouse Butte, plus some fixed-wing flights heading to the airport.
We could see the steam rising from the creek and mixing in the tree tops below Cathedral Rock. We walked a short distance along the Ridge Trail to take in the views down over Crescent Moon Ranch and into Oak Creek. The fall colors are past peak, but there was still some nice yellows from the cottonwoods along the creek. They were catching the morning light quite nicely. We went just a short distance then turned around once the trail started to lose elevation and thus the views. On the return walk, we were looking right at Cathedral Rock, which was sort of backlit and in silhouette. There was one place on Cathedral Rock where the light was shining through and in the middle of the illuminated area was something that looking just like a Mini Cooper, sort of a boxy little car with a bright white roof. I pointed it out to Lynn and she had to agree. No way that it could have been as there was no way to get such a low-slung vehicle that high up on the rugged formation, except in pieces. I zoomed in on the location with the SX50 and confirmed that it was just a rock and a trick of the light. But it was a very convincing illusion at first glance. We crossed back across the slickrock, snapping a few more photos, and continued back along the trail to the parking area. Lynn walked past the Jeep to take in the view of the valley to the east so I followed. More nice fall colors. We spotted a nice little ranch in the bottom. Someone down there must be an amateur astronomer as there was a miniature observatory dome in the yard. Well, this is a great place for star gazing. Overall, a nice starting walk for the trip. Here’s the photos from our first short hike.
We could see the steam rising from the creek and mixing in the tree tops below Cathedral Rock. We walked a short distance along the Ridge Trail to take in the views down over Crescent Moon Ranch and into Oak Creek. The fall colors are past peak, but there was still some nice yellows from the cottonwoods along the creek. They were catching the morning light quite nicely. We went just a short distance then turned around once the trail started to lose elevation and thus the views. On the return walk, we were looking right at Cathedral Rock, which was sort of backlit and in silhouette. There was one place on Cathedral Rock where the light was shining through and in the middle of the illuminated area was something that looking just like a Mini Cooper, sort of a boxy little car with a bright white roof. I pointed it out to Lynn and she had to agree. No way that it could have been as there was no way to get such a low-slung vehicle that high up on the rugged formation, except in pieces. I zoomed in on the location with the SX50 and confirmed that it was just a rock and a trick of the light. But it was a very convincing illusion at first glance. We crossed back across the slickrock, snapping a few more photos, and continued back along the trail to the parking area. Lynn walked past the Jeep to take in the view of the valley to the east so I followed. More nice fall colors. We spotted a nice little ranch in the bottom. Someone down there must be an amateur astronomer as there was a miniature observatory dome in the yard. Well, this is a great place for star gazing. Overall, a nice starting walk for the trip. Here’s the photos from our first short hike.
Since it was still pretty early, we thought we could fit in the hike around Airport Mesa but the small parking area at the trailhead was jammed. I guess we could have parked at the top for $3 but we opted just to drive on. The views from the top and along the road were beautiful looking north at the sandstone ridges just beyond town. Great light on the rocks, blue sky background and some nice fluffy white clouds for added interest, but alas no convenient parking spot for a photo. But there are plenty of views to be had around Sedona so I'm not worried that I did not capture this one "on film."
Since we are in the neighborhood, Lynn suggested getting our supplies at the grocery store, so we headed over to Bashas. Small store but it had the essentials. A strange grocery store is next to impossible to navigate. I'm so used to our local grocery that I can almost shop there blindfolded. This one took some searching. Well, except for the beer and wine; that was right by the entrance. I like that part of the layout! That was also the part that took the most time. The craft beer selection was not extensive, but they did have a few interesting IPAs. I did a little real-time research on untappd. OK, we had tried a few of these but none were at the top of our scale. We ended up getting the Oskar Blues IPA since we had not tried it but really enjoy their Pinner session IPA, and a 6-pack of Oak Creek Brewery's IPA. I thought we had tried this one but is was not checked-off in untappd. Maybe I tried it before I was using that app. What the heck, they make good beer.
We finished our shopping, but found nothing in terms of a veggie tray here at Bashas, so we made a quick stop at the Safeway so that Lynn could reconnoiter. They do have veggie trays and plenty of fresh veggies if we decide to build our own tray. Just to get the freshest veggies (in theory anyway) we'll come back tomorrow for those supplies.
We returned to the house to drop off our groceries, then went back out for a hike. Our first attempt was Little Horse so we could hike up for the view at Chicken Point, but the lot was packed; every slot was taken and every other piece of relatively flat ground had a car as well. Lynn spotted the sign that indicated that the Yavapai Overlook parking was the overflow, so we tried that and had the same result. OK, how about the big lot at Bell Rock, surely there would be room there. Not so much. We made a loop through and there was no place to park our little Jeep. And no sense in making another pass through as there was a line of cars queued up looking for that elusive parking spot. Now I'm getting a little discouraged as it is not even noon and we cannot get in another hike. That would be a waste of the day. I would not mind an easy day later in the week, but not on the first full day in Red Rock Country! But we were not to be denied. Lynn suggested that we just park back at the rental house and walk to the trailhead at Bell Rock. It is only about half a mile after all. I like the way she thinks!
We pulled into the drive and started to get our packs and cameras in order when I heard a voice calling. It as Artha and Roger, the owners of the hose we were renting. They live next door and just stopped over for introductions (turns out that Roger had just sent me a text, but I had the sound turned done on Baby, so I missed it, not that I pay a lot of attention to the phone while on vacation anyway). Nice folks. A pair of Brits. We had a pleasant little chat. They asked if this was our first visit to Sedona; nope, we're old pros as this is our fourth or fifth time in the area. They were surprised that all the trailhead parking was full but did say that it would be crowded with the holiday this week. We told them our plan to walk over from here and Roger said that he does that all the time, usually walks Bell Rock Path each evening. They had a plumber coming by shortly to repair the leaking kitchen sink facet in the rental house, but Roger said he would be on site as well. No worries there. Then we headed out for the trail.
I was debating taking my fleece as the day was just lovely under a bright blue and nearly cloudless sky. But there was still a little chill in the air, particularly when the breeze picked up, so I kept it with me. Ended up being the right call. Once over at the trailhead at Bell Rock we checked the map posted on a large sign. Plenty of trails running around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. Lynn picked the loop that I had already scoped out. We'll basic connect together a few trails and hike around Courthouse Butte. Perfect! OK, now I am starting to feel much better about how this day is going!
We started along the Big Park Loop, the southern part of the loop further away from the rocks. Lynn's thinking was that this would give us better big picture views. Again, I like the way she thinks. And she was right. We connected to Courthouse Trail which took us around the namesake formation and finally back along the Bell Rock Pathway to complete the loop.
Since we are in the neighborhood, Lynn suggested getting our supplies at the grocery store, so we headed over to Bashas. Small store but it had the essentials. A strange grocery store is next to impossible to navigate. I'm so used to our local grocery that I can almost shop there blindfolded. This one took some searching. Well, except for the beer and wine; that was right by the entrance. I like that part of the layout! That was also the part that took the most time. The craft beer selection was not extensive, but they did have a few interesting IPAs. I did a little real-time research on untappd. OK, we had tried a few of these but none were at the top of our scale. We ended up getting the Oskar Blues IPA since we had not tried it but really enjoy their Pinner session IPA, and a 6-pack of Oak Creek Brewery's IPA. I thought we had tried this one but is was not checked-off in untappd. Maybe I tried it before I was using that app. What the heck, they make good beer.
We finished our shopping, but found nothing in terms of a veggie tray here at Bashas, so we made a quick stop at the Safeway so that Lynn could reconnoiter. They do have veggie trays and plenty of fresh veggies if we decide to build our own tray. Just to get the freshest veggies (in theory anyway) we'll come back tomorrow for those supplies.
We returned to the house to drop off our groceries, then went back out for a hike. Our first attempt was Little Horse so we could hike up for the view at Chicken Point, but the lot was packed; every slot was taken and every other piece of relatively flat ground had a car as well. Lynn spotted the sign that indicated that the Yavapai Overlook parking was the overflow, so we tried that and had the same result. OK, how about the big lot at Bell Rock, surely there would be room there. Not so much. We made a loop through and there was no place to park our little Jeep. And no sense in making another pass through as there was a line of cars queued up looking for that elusive parking spot. Now I'm getting a little discouraged as it is not even noon and we cannot get in another hike. That would be a waste of the day. I would not mind an easy day later in the week, but not on the first full day in Red Rock Country! But we were not to be denied. Lynn suggested that we just park back at the rental house and walk to the trailhead at Bell Rock. It is only about half a mile after all. I like the way she thinks!
We pulled into the drive and started to get our packs and cameras in order when I heard a voice calling. It as Artha and Roger, the owners of the hose we were renting. They live next door and just stopped over for introductions (turns out that Roger had just sent me a text, but I had the sound turned done on Baby, so I missed it, not that I pay a lot of attention to the phone while on vacation anyway). Nice folks. A pair of Brits. We had a pleasant little chat. They asked if this was our first visit to Sedona; nope, we're old pros as this is our fourth or fifth time in the area. They were surprised that all the trailhead parking was full but did say that it would be crowded with the holiday this week. We told them our plan to walk over from here and Roger said that he does that all the time, usually walks Bell Rock Path each evening. They had a plumber coming by shortly to repair the leaking kitchen sink facet in the rental house, but Roger said he would be on site as well. No worries there. Then we headed out for the trail.
I was debating taking my fleece as the day was just lovely under a bright blue and nearly cloudless sky. But there was still a little chill in the air, particularly when the breeze picked up, so I kept it with me. Ended up being the right call. Once over at the trailhead at Bell Rock we checked the map posted on a large sign. Plenty of trails running around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. Lynn picked the loop that I had already scoped out. We'll basic connect together a few trails and hike around Courthouse Butte. Perfect! OK, now I am starting to feel much better about how this day is going!
We started along the Big Park Loop, the southern part of the loop further away from the rocks. Lynn's thinking was that this would give us better big picture views. Again, I like the way she thinks. And she was right. We connected to Courthouse Trail which took us around the namesake formation and finally back along the Bell Rock Pathway to complete the loop.
Not a lot of traffic as we worked along Big Park and Courthouse Butte sections of the hike; less than 20 folks including six on bikes. At least one of those bikers had ignored the “no bikes in the wilderness area” sign (part of our trail was just inside the Munds Mountain Wilderness area, according to the map). Once back on the Bell Rock Pathway the crowd picked up significantly, with lots of hikers, dog walkers and bikers. It was almost too crowded and you had to keep a watch out for traffic coming at you and from behind, but other than two idiots on bikes who were going way too fast for the current number of folks on the trail, everyone was watching out and sharing the trail (all the other mountain bikers we encountered along this section were paying attention and sharing the trail).
I must say, this was a great hike. The loop we made was probably just under five miles (not counting the distance between the house and trailhead). This is a very well-marked set of trails with trail signs at each intersection and enough cairns to keep you on track. There was even the occasional sign with the overall map of the system of trails, just to take all the guess work out of the area. The trails were also in great condition. A few muddy spots due to the rain yesterday but all easy to get around without making a mess of our shoes. The route we took seemed fairly level with a few short ups and downs but no long or extreme elevation changes, although it did climb gradually from the trailhead about 300 feet over about 2 miles (from the trailhead around to the far side of Courthouse Butte) and then worked generally back downhill to the trailhead along the Bell Rock Path.
The views were awesome along every step of the trail. And the view changed as we went around Courthouse Butte so that we had a wonderful variety of vistas. As we made our way back on to the Bell Rock Pathway I commented to Lynn that this is easily one of my favorite hikes in the Sedona area, ranking right up there with the Baldwin-Hiline trail hike we did in the fall of 2015. As we started from the trailhead, the views were of course dominated by Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, but as we continued along the Big Park Loop, Bell Rock faded from view but Courthouse Butte escorted us along the trail. We also were treated to nice views of the red rock ridge to the east of Courthouse Butte and the rest of the formations in that direction as we connected onto the Courthouse Butte Trail. The intersection of Big Park and Courthouse Butte Loop was in the bed of a wash, and there was a little water in potholes here but not much in the way of reflection shots. But we give it our best effort before moving on. Once on higher ground behind Courthouse Butte, we had a nice vista looking east stretching from the twin spires of the Rabbit Ears to our right along the red and white striped ridge that is ends at Gibraltar and looking further north toward the Twin Buttes at the left of the frame. Wonderful scenery and such an amazing array of colors; the white, red, pink and orange sandstone, the variations of green in the trees, shrubs and cactus and all against that brilliant blue of the northern Arizona sky. Mother Nature was at the top of her game today!
I must say, this was a great hike. The loop we made was probably just under five miles (not counting the distance between the house and trailhead). This is a very well-marked set of trails with trail signs at each intersection and enough cairns to keep you on track. There was even the occasional sign with the overall map of the system of trails, just to take all the guess work out of the area. The trails were also in great condition. A few muddy spots due to the rain yesterday but all easy to get around without making a mess of our shoes. The route we took seemed fairly level with a few short ups and downs but no long or extreme elevation changes, although it did climb gradually from the trailhead about 300 feet over about 2 miles (from the trailhead around to the far side of Courthouse Butte) and then worked generally back downhill to the trailhead along the Bell Rock Path.
The views were awesome along every step of the trail. And the view changed as we went around Courthouse Butte so that we had a wonderful variety of vistas. As we made our way back on to the Bell Rock Pathway I commented to Lynn that this is easily one of my favorite hikes in the Sedona area, ranking right up there with the Baldwin-Hiline trail hike we did in the fall of 2015. As we started from the trailhead, the views were of course dominated by Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, but as we continued along the Big Park Loop, Bell Rock faded from view but Courthouse Butte escorted us along the trail. We also were treated to nice views of the red rock ridge to the east of Courthouse Butte and the rest of the formations in that direction as we connected onto the Courthouse Butte Trail. The intersection of Big Park and Courthouse Butte Loop was in the bed of a wash, and there was a little water in potholes here but not much in the way of reflection shots. But we give it our best effort before moving on. Once on higher ground behind Courthouse Butte, we had a nice vista looking east stretching from the twin spires of the Rabbit Ears to our right along the red and white striped ridge that is ends at Gibraltar and looking further north toward the Twin Buttes at the left of the frame. Wonderful scenery and such an amazing array of colors; the white, red, pink and orange sandstone, the variations of green in the trees, shrubs and cactus and all against that brilliant blue of the northern Arizona sky. Mother Nature was at the top of her game today!
I think one of the things that I liked best about this trail was its open nature. While the hikes up the canyons in the area are pretty, the views of the rock formations are very often obscured by the scrubby trees. There were trees and other vegetation along these trails, but they did not diminish the views, but instead added some interesting features to the foreground when lining up a landscape shot. But the red rocks were generally always in full view. Plus there were several dead trees scattered along the trail as well. Their twisted grey trunks and limbs became an added feature in many places, providing a nature frame for the rocks or even being the focal point for some views.
For the most part it was peaceful on the trail. The few folks that we did meet along the Big Park Trail and Courthouse Butte Loop were friendly and everyone had a cheerful “hello” even though the accents varied from group to group. I think that everyone was just happy to be out on the trail enjoying this truly magnificent day. Just a perfect day for hiking under the bright, blue sky, in the very comfortable conditions (next to no breeze and the temperature just shy of 60 degrees F). The only thing that marred the tranquility on the trail were the helicopter tours that seemed to be making a circuit around Courthouse Butte about every 15 minutes or so. They were getting a lot of business today based on the number of flights we saw. It was interesting that they cruised past the formations so quickly; I’m not sure if there would be a great opportunity for photography based on the speed of the aircraft. But the helos were a minor annoyance, like a mosquito that won’t hold still long enough to be swatted.
Speaking of things that fly, birds were the only critters that we spotted along the trail. The list included several Juncos, a Flicker, the ever present Ravens, one rather raucous Scrub Jay, a pair of House Finches, a Lesser Goldfinch and a few undetermined sparrows.
We came upon a large, dark red, domed formation as we continued along the trail. We must have been getting hungry as our attempts and naming the formation were all food related. Lynn started with Hamburger Rock, which certainly fit the shape. But I thought the domed shape looked more like a one of the chocolate cake sandwich cookies, so I was going with Little Debbie Rock. We could see a few other hikers on top of this rock as we got closer. I asked Lynn if she wanted to go up but she declined.
As we turned around the north side of Courthouse Butte, the views changed again with Cathedral Rock now coming into view in front of us. More of the same wonderful views in all directions. I snapped a series of photos at one point along the trail that I was able to stitch into a 9-shot panoramic image starting with Cathedral Rock on the left and taking in about a 180-degree arc all the way around to Gibraltar and a little beyond. I think it captured the view fairly well.
For the most part it was peaceful on the trail. The few folks that we did meet along the Big Park Trail and Courthouse Butte Loop were friendly and everyone had a cheerful “hello” even though the accents varied from group to group. I think that everyone was just happy to be out on the trail enjoying this truly magnificent day. Just a perfect day for hiking under the bright, blue sky, in the very comfortable conditions (next to no breeze and the temperature just shy of 60 degrees F). The only thing that marred the tranquility on the trail were the helicopter tours that seemed to be making a circuit around Courthouse Butte about every 15 minutes or so. They were getting a lot of business today based on the number of flights we saw. It was interesting that they cruised past the formations so quickly; I’m not sure if there would be a great opportunity for photography based on the speed of the aircraft. But the helos were a minor annoyance, like a mosquito that won’t hold still long enough to be swatted.
Speaking of things that fly, birds were the only critters that we spotted along the trail. The list included several Juncos, a Flicker, the ever present Ravens, one rather raucous Scrub Jay, a pair of House Finches, a Lesser Goldfinch and a few undetermined sparrows.
We came upon a large, dark red, domed formation as we continued along the trail. We must have been getting hungry as our attempts and naming the formation were all food related. Lynn started with Hamburger Rock, which certainly fit the shape. But I thought the domed shape looked more like a one of the chocolate cake sandwich cookies, so I was going with Little Debbie Rock. We could see a few other hikers on top of this rock as we got closer. I asked Lynn if she wanted to go up but she declined.
As we turned around the north side of Courthouse Butte, the views changed again with Cathedral Rock now coming into view in front of us. More of the same wonderful views in all directions. I snapped a series of photos at one point along the trail that I was able to stitch into a 9-shot panoramic image starting with Cathedral Rock on the left and taking in about a 180-degree arc all the way around to Gibraltar and a little beyond. I think it captured the view fairly well.
On around the loop, past Baby Bell Rock and finally again to Bell Rock. Loads of folks working their way up the rounded sandstone layers of Bell Rock. Some people had found their way to the top of the formation. We’ll pass on any climbing today. Maybe next trip we’ll go up a little ways to see how the view is, but we won’t be climbing to the top.
The parking lot was still packed when we walked back past the trailhead markers and there were more cars still entering the lot. But it was not quite 2:00 so still plenty of time to get in a hike, if you can find a place to park. We continued back to the house. We were following a guy who was ahead of as we were coming off the trail. Turns out that he had just parked along Bell Rock Road along with a few other hikers and bikers since there was nowhere else available.
Here are the links to the photos from the hike as well as the Ramblr track for the route we took.
So we’ve got a little time to relax before we try Secret Slickrock again as I want to get there for the later afternoon light. Time for a beer on the patio. We tried the Oskar Blues IPA. A solid IPA. It won’t get near the top of my list but it is still pretty darn good. We talked options for dinner and plans for the rest of the week. I’m thinking Barking Frog since we’ll be over that way after our return to Secret Slickrock. But we figured we should text Alex to see if he and Frankie might want to have dinner this evening. I gave him our plan and asked if they wanted to get together. Like there was ever any doubt. He quickly replied just to come over to their house after the hike and we’d do to PJ’s for dinner. That’ll work.
As for the rest of the week, it was obvious based on the crowds at the trailheads today that an early start was imperative. There was no one out when we left this morning at 8:00 but the trailheads were packed by late morning. Early starts are ideal for both of us I think, as we like to play early then chill in afternoon so the general plan for each day is still in play. Besides we trying to sort of stay on east coast time. As for the specifics, we penciled in Doe Mountain and Fay Canyon for Wednesday, Airport Mesa for Thursday and Little Horse on Friday. That’s the plan. I bet it changes…several times.
At 3:20 we loaded in to the Patriot and headed back to the Secret Slickrock trailhead. Traffic was considerably heavier than this morning but we still made good time. Once we turned on to Red Rock Loop Road and could see the light on Cathedral Rock off in the distance I could tell we were in for a good show. However, based on the lovely photos I’ve seen taken here and knowing that the potholes were filled for the reflection shots I was concerned that the Slickrock self would be swarming with photographers and tourists. When we arrived at the parking area, there were a number of cars, but it was not packed. That’s a good sign. We did not see any one along the trail as we made the short walk to the open slickrock view point. When we got there, the area was deserted save for one other photographer. Wow, what a deal. We basically have the place to ourselves. The other photographer was a tall, lanky, young fellow, and quite friendly. He had some serious camera gear compared to the superzoom cameras that Lynn and I carry. But the three of us just chatted, pointed out interesting views and shared the area nicely. He mentioned that he had been looking for this spot for some time and just recently learned of the location from a friend. He was very excited to get the opportunity to shoot here and try to get some of those famous reflection images. So was I for that matter.
We were down on the slickrock just a few minutes after 4:00. The light was ideal and really illuminating Cathedral Rock. The views were just marvelous. The puddles seemed a little smaller than this morning but they have had all day to drain and evaporate. The water level had dropped a couple inches which did reduce the area available for the reflections. Plus there was just a slight breeze which took the mirror finish away for the most part, but there were still nice shots to be collected, and the breeze did let up a bit as the sun dropped toward the horizon. We played around the various puddles and lined up shots with the beautiful red rocks reflecting on the water. A couple of the puddles had cactus and grass growing along the edges which added to the features to photograph. Lynn wondered if some of the potholes had been dammed by previous photographers. Interesting theory. Everything looks natural but it is still a possibility.
We played around on the slickrock for about 30 minutes. The light just got better with time and Cathedral Rock and the slickrock holding the potholes had a deep red glow in the late afternoon light. We had a lot of fun composing the photos, trying to capture the reflections and working in elements like the grass and cactus growing around the potholes. We had a couple of fun shots with Lynn or me in the reflections as well. We even took the time to set up a team photo. All-in-all a nice little excursion to an amazing little area with beautiful views. Now that I know where this is, it is definitely someplace that I’ll check out on future trips. Here are the rest of the photos from our afternoon at Secret Slickrock.
The parking lot was still packed when we walked back past the trailhead markers and there were more cars still entering the lot. But it was not quite 2:00 so still plenty of time to get in a hike, if you can find a place to park. We continued back to the house. We were following a guy who was ahead of as we were coming off the trail. Turns out that he had just parked along Bell Rock Road along with a few other hikers and bikers since there was nowhere else available.
Here are the links to the photos from the hike as well as the Ramblr track for the route we took.
So we’ve got a little time to relax before we try Secret Slickrock again as I want to get there for the later afternoon light. Time for a beer on the patio. We tried the Oskar Blues IPA. A solid IPA. It won’t get near the top of my list but it is still pretty darn good. We talked options for dinner and plans for the rest of the week. I’m thinking Barking Frog since we’ll be over that way after our return to Secret Slickrock. But we figured we should text Alex to see if he and Frankie might want to have dinner this evening. I gave him our plan and asked if they wanted to get together. Like there was ever any doubt. He quickly replied just to come over to their house after the hike and we’d do to PJ’s for dinner. That’ll work.
As for the rest of the week, it was obvious based on the crowds at the trailheads today that an early start was imperative. There was no one out when we left this morning at 8:00 but the trailheads were packed by late morning. Early starts are ideal for both of us I think, as we like to play early then chill in afternoon so the general plan for each day is still in play. Besides we trying to sort of stay on east coast time. As for the specifics, we penciled in Doe Mountain and Fay Canyon for Wednesday, Airport Mesa for Thursday and Little Horse on Friday. That’s the plan. I bet it changes…several times.
At 3:20 we loaded in to the Patriot and headed back to the Secret Slickrock trailhead. Traffic was considerably heavier than this morning but we still made good time. Once we turned on to Red Rock Loop Road and could see the light on Cathedral Rock off in the distance I could tell we were in for a good show. However, based on the lovely photos I’ve seen taken here and knowing that the potholes were filled for the reflection shots I was concerned that the Slickrock self would be swarming with photographers and tourists. When we arrived at the parking area, there were a number of cars, but it was not packed. That’s a good sign. We did not see any one along the trail as we made the short walk to the open slickrock view point. When we got there, the area was deserted save for one other photographer. Wow, what a deal. We basically have the place to ourselves. The other photographer was a tall, lanky, young fellow, and quite friendly. He had some serious camera gear compared to the superzoom cameras that Lynn and I carry. But the three of us just chatted, pointed out interesting views and shared the area nicely. He mentioned that he had been looking for this spot for some time and just recently learned of the location from a friend. He was very excited to get the opportunity to shoot here and try to get some of those famous reflection images. So was I for that matter.
We were down on the slickrock just a few minutes after 4:00. The light was ideal and really illuminating Cathedral Rock. The views were just marvelous. The puddles seemed a little smaller than this morning but they have had all day to drain and evaporate. The water level had dropped a couple inches which did reduce the area available for the reflections. Plus there was just a slight breeze which took the mirror finish away for the most part, but there were still nice shots to be collected, and the breeze did let up a bit as the sun dropped toward the horizon. We played around the various puddles and lined up shots with the beautiful red rocks reflecting on the water. A couple of the puddles had cactus and grass growing along the edges which added to the features to photograph. Lynn wondered if some of the potholes had been dammed by previous photographers. Interesting theory. Everything looks natural but it is still a possibility.
We played around on the slickrock for about 30 minutes. The light just got better with time and Cathedral Rock and the slickrock holding the potholes had a deep red glow in the late afternoon light. We had a lot of fun composing the photos, trying to capture the reflections and working in elements like the grass and cactus growing around the potholes. We had a couple of fun shots with Lynn or me in the reflections as well. We even took the time to set up a team photo. All-in-all a nice little excursion to an amazing little area with beautiful views. Now that I know where this is, it is definitely someplace that I’ll check out on future trips. Here are the rest of the photos from our afternoon at Secret Slickrock.
The views and the light on the rocks were lovely on the hike back to the Jeep as well as the drive back to the house. We noticed a couple places along Red Rock Loop Road where folks were gathering I reckon to watch the sunset. There was a little bit of traffic as we working through West Sedona but not so much along 179 as we turned south toward the Village of Oak Creek. We were back at the rental house at 5:15. I texted Alex to let him know that we would be at their place in 30 minutes and I headed off for a quick shower. I like the red dirt, but it is also nice to remove a layer from time to time.
PJ’s Village Pub is my kind of place. Just a local tavern, nothing fancy but a nice variety on the menu and friendly service. This is the VOC’s answer to Lagerheads back in Medina. Nice place, but definitely a sports bar, and a bit on the loud side (advantage Lagerheads since they have a dining room as well as the bar). Tried two mediocre IPAs, the Opposable IPA from Historic Brewing and the Tower Station from Mother Road Brewing, both out of Flagstaff. The Tower Station was the better of the two, but neither were that impressive. Again advantage Lagerheads since their High Five IPA was much better than these beers. The menu options and the quality of the food however really gave Lagerheads a run for their money. The potato skins were very good and the carne asade street tacos were very good, but needed more spice (what doesn't). I'll call this one a draw and maybe even give PJ’s the advantage in terms of variety on the menu. Next time we’re in town I’ll have to try the jalapeno poppers. The service was excellent. Our server was a very pleasant young lady. Alex and Frankie were regulars here and knew several of the folks, both staff and patrons, so that's also even with Lagerheads on the "Cheers" factor. Overall a very nice place to have dinner and spend time with friends. Here's the review.
Over dinner we talked about a variety of topics including the hikes that Lynn and I completed today, the Bluff meet-up, Mesa Verde (Alex and Frankie were they shortly after we were this fall), the tragic events with Susan-dawgg, a little politics (nice to discuss with people who are on the same page), timeshare pitches (oh the stories we have!), pets, and a wide range of other subjects. Alex asked about our plans for tomorrow. Nothing set in stone but the thought is to hike Doe Mountain and Fay Canyon in the morning then have lunch at the Barking Frog. Alex said that was a good combination for hiking but recommended that we try Enchantment for lunch since we will be nearby. Regarding the meet-up, we need to get folks to write their trip reports so that I will have sufficient material for the photobook. Alex made the same observation that I had earlier on the trail with Lynn that this meet-up had a different character as there were so many people heading off in different directions and not the few big events that we had at the previous events. That will make for a more difficult book to compose! What an amazing and diverse group we have in the Herd, yet it seems to work in spite of our differences. I reckon we put those points aside and focus on the things we have in common, namely our love for the desert southwest. Rick and Max are getting a pair of lap dogs, Lhasa Apsos they thought; that should make for some interesting stories in Page. We told them about our newest critter, the cat Arizona who showed us just as we were leaving for this trip. It was a very nice time, but Lynn and I were quickly running out of steam.
We dropped Alex and Frankie back out there house and we were home by 8:00. Once back at the rental house we paused to admire the stars which were awesome. The sky was clear and the Milky Way was so very obvious. The longer we stared the more we saw. We spent just a minute admiring this vision then went on inside as it was chilly and we were tired. We basically went straight to bed. I tried to work a cross-sums but my eyes were not cooperating. It was time to call it a day.
Day 3 - Wednesday, November 23, 2016 - Looking at options. Up early, well local time anyway. Rolled out of the bunk at 5:00 and went into the living room to work on notes. Came up with an alternative plan for the week that I suggested to Lynn once she got up. The basic idea is to have more of an off day, where we don't have to do much of anything if we don't want to, particularly since she is fighting a cold this might give her a little more rest. She thought I was aiming at Friday but I was thinking more along the lines of today. So rather than hike this morning, we could chill a while here at the house, then go to Garlands, check out the shops in Uptown, grab some lunch somewhere, hit the grocery store for the veggie tray and supplies for a lite dinner for tonight, then come back here to relax. She liked that plan and even suggested that we could add in a short walk later around the VOC. The nice thing is that since it is just the two of us that we can adjust the itinerary on the fly. If we go with this plan, then we'll postpone Doe Mesa and Fay Canyon until Friday, and probably do Little Horse tomorrow before Thanksgiving dinner at Alex and Frankie's.
Simple breakfast at home this morning, just a bagel and juice. We tweaked the plan to start with the grocery store so that we could get our one required errand out of the way first thing. Safeway opened at 5:00 this morning so no constraints there. We still took our time getting ready but were out the door at 8:00 heading to West Sedona.
It was another beautiful morning. Almost a carbon copy of yesterday. Lovey blue sky, just a couple puffy white clouds and the bright sunlight on the red rocks. Just a lovely drive to town. No traffic at all today. We checked the trailhead parking as we passed by; plenty of space at Bell Rock and Little Horse (the latter was empty as far as we could tell) so we should be good for hiking tomorrow morning. We spotted balloons again this morning off to the west. Looked like two of the green and yellow of Northern Lights and one of the yellow, red and blue from Red Rock Balloon Adventures. The lack of traffic continued all the way to the Safeway, so it was only a 20 minute drive.
PJ’s Village Pub is my kind of place. Just a local tavern, nothing fancy but a nice variety on the menu and friendly service. This is the VOC’s answer to Lagerheads back in Medina. Nice place, but definitely a sports bar, and a bit on the loud side (advantage Lagerheads since they have a dining room as well as the bar). Tried two mediocre IPAs, the Opposable IPA from Historic Brewing and the Tower Station from Mother Road Brewing, both out of Flagstaff. The Tower Station was the better of the two, but neither were that impressive. Again advantage Lagerheads since their High Five IPA was much better than these beers. The menu options and the quality of the food however really gave Lagerheads a run for their money. The potato skins were very good and the carne asade street tacos were very good, but needed more spice (what doesn't). I'll call this one a draw and maybe even give PJ’s the advantage in terms of variety on the menu. Next time we’re in town I’ll have to try the jalapeno poppers. The service was excellent. Our server was a very pleasant young lady. Alex and Frankie were regulars here and knew several of the folks, both staff and patrons, so that's also even with Lagerheads on the "Cheers" factor. Overall a very nice place to have dinner and spend time with friends. Here's the review.
Over dinner we talked about a variety of topics including the hikes that Lynn and I completed today, the Bluff meet-up, Mesa Verde (Alex and Frankie were they shortly after we were this fall), the tragic events with Susan-dawgg, a little politics (nice to discuss with people who are on the same page), timeshare pitches (oh the stories we have!), pets, and a wide range of other subjects. Alex asked about our plans for tomorrow. Nothing set in stone but the thought is to hike Doe Mountain and Fay Canyon in the morning then have lunch at the Barking Frog. Alex said that was a good combination for hiking but recommended that we try Enchantment for lunch since we will be nearby. Regarding the meet-up, we need to get folks to write their trip reports so that I will have sufficient material for the photobook. Alex made the same observation that I had earlier on the trail with Lynn that this meet-up had a different character as there were so many people heading off in different directions and not the few big events that we had at the previous events. That will make for a more difficult book to compose! What an amazing and diverse group we have in the Herd, yet it seems to work in spite of our differences. I reckon we put those points aside and focus on the things we have in common, namely our love for the desert southwest. Rick and Max are getting a pair of lap dogs, Lhasa Apsos they thought; that should make for some interesting stories in Page. We told them about our newest critter, the cat Arizona who showed us just as we were leaving for this trip. It was a very nice time, but Lynn and I were quickly running out of steam.
We dropped Alex and Frankie back out there house and we were home by 8:00. Once back at the rental house we paused to admire the stars which were awesome. The sky was clear and the Milky Way was so very obvious. The longer we stared the more we saw. We spent just a minute admiring this vision then went on inside as it was chilly and we were tired. We basically went straight to bed. I tried to work a cross-sums but my eyes were not cooperating. It was time to call it a day.
Day 3 - Wednesday, November 23, 2016 - Looking at options. Up early, well local time anyway. Rolled out of the bunk at 5:00 and went into the living room to work on notes. Came up with an alternative plan for the week that I suggested to Lynn once she got up. The basic idea is to have more of an off day, where we don't have to do much of anything if we don't want to, particularly since she is fighting a cold this might give her a little more rest. She thought I was aiming at Friday but I was thinking more along the lines of today. So rather than hike this morning, we could chill a while here at the house, then go to Garlands, check out the shops in Uptown, grab some lunch somewhere, hit the grocery store for the veggie tray and supplies for a lite dinner for tonight, then come back here to relax. She liked that plan and even suggested that we could add in a short walk later around the VOC. The nice thing is that since it is just the two of us that we can adjust the itinerary on the fly. If we go with this plan, then we'll postpone Doe Mesa and Fay Canyon until Friday, and probably do Little Horse tomorrow before Thanksgiving dinner at Alex and Frankie's.
Simple breakfast at home this morning, just a bagel and juice. We tweaked the plan to start with the grocery store so that we could get our one required errand out of the way first thing. Safeway opened at 5:00 this morning so no constraints there. We still took our time getting ready but were out the door at 8:00 heading to West Sedona.
It was another beautiful morning. Almost a carbon copy of yesterday. Lovey blue sky, just a couple puffy white clouds and the bright sunlight on the red rocks. Just a lovely drive to town. No traffic at all today. We checked the trailhead parking as we passed by; plenty of space at Bell Rock and Little Horse (the latter was empty as far as we could tell) so we should be good for hiking tomorrow morning. We spotted balloons again this morning off to the west. Looked like two of the green and yellow of Northern Lights and one of the yellow, red and blue from Red Rock Balloon Adventures. The lack of traffic continued all the way to the Safeway, so it was only a 20 minute drive.
The pre-made veggie trays were not looking that appetizing so we just bought some nice looking fruit and vegetables, a couple blocks of cheese and some Mount Olive sweet gerkins so that we could create our own relish tray. We picked up a few more things for dinner, trail snacks and a mix-and-match 6-pack of beer. Still not a great selection of beer, very sparse on the IPAs. If I can't find someplace in the area that sells a good IPA then I may have to take Sedona off the list of places to retire to. Probably the most interesting beer in the inventory was the Nimbus blonde ale. Not for the beer but the packaging certainly was an effective marketing ploy! The detail of how the monkey face logo for Nimbus was worked into the artwork was especially clever. I was thinking about buying a six-pack for Alex but Lynn nixed that idea. Probably just as well; I’m not a fan of blonde ales.
Only 30 minutes at the grocery store, so the traffic was still light on the way home but was starting to pick up in West Sedona as well the northbound lane of 179 coming from the Village of Oak Creek. I spotted a coyote along the side of 179 near Bell Rock. He trotted back into the brush as we came close. Once home, we quickly unloaded and stored the supplies then jumped right back into our little Jeep to explore the shops of Sedona.
Only 30 minutes at the grocery store, so the traffic was still light on the way home but was starting to pick up in West Sedona as well the northbound lane of 179 coming from the Village of Oak Creek. I spotted a coyote along the side of 179 near Bell Rock. He trotted back into the brush as we came close. Once home, we quickly unloaded and stored the supplies then jumped right back into our little Jeep to explore the shops of Sedona.
The rest of the morning would be for Lynn to check out her favorite shops around Sedona. She likes the Native American jewelry but is very particular so she does a lot more looking than buying, which is a good thing. We started at her favorite shop, Garlands, which is a few miles north of Uptown Sedona on 89A. Their website said that they opened at 10:00 so we were going to be 20 minutes early so I was prepared just to cruise on up the canyon for a while just to see the sights as it was beautiful here in Oak Creek Canyon with its red rock walls and the bright yellow leaves of the trees that had not yet lost their fall colors. But when we reached Indian Gardens the neon sign in the store window declared open so we swung in to the parking lot and headed inside. Sure enough the door was unlocked. They must have gotten an early start due to the holiday, thinking that there would be more tourists out early, perhaps. Whatever the case it worked to our advantage.
I see why Lynn likes this place as it does have quality merchandise. The jewelry from the Navajo, Hopi and other tribes is just spectacular. While we came to Sedona primarily to look at the red rocks outside, today would be dedicated to the rocks here at Garlands and in the stores arrayed along the main drag in Uptown, which was our next stop after Garlands. Still not very crowded when we rolled into Uptown Sedona about 10:30; there was still a few parking spots right on the main street but we pulled into the free public parking area behind the Matterhorn and just made a loop around the shops.
Lynn does not go into every store, a fact that I greatly appreciate. She has a few that we stop at each time we visit, but really she skips most of the stores, or just does a little window shopping to gage her interest. We always stop at the Sedona Arts Center at the north end of town as there are always nice pieces there. We're not buying any of the paintings, photos or sculptures, but it is just nice to look. There are a couple other nice art galleries along our route so this is really more like touring little art museums rather than shopping. The (nature store) is a favorite stop with its high-end artifacts. Again, nothing we will buy, as it is way out of our price range but just so interesting to look at. They had some cool looking onyx bowls but we knew that those would just become expensive cat beds. The prettiest one was the perfect size for Diego and Tink to squeeze into. They had a couple of beautiful tables made or rainbow petrified wood which had an amazing combination of colors and patterns, as well as a $60K price tag! Pretty to look at but not going home with us.
I see why Lynn likes this place as it does have quality merchandise. The jewelry from the Navajo, Hopi and other tribes is just spectacular. While we came to Sedona primarily to look at the red rocks outside, today would be dedicated to the rocks here at Garlands and in the stores arrayed along the main drag in Uptown, which was our next stop after Garlands. Still not very crowded when we rolled into Uptown Sedona about 10:30; there was still a few parking spots right on the main street but we pulled into the free public parking area behind the Matterhorn and just made a loop around the shops.
Lynn does not go into every store, a fact that I greatly appreciate. She has a few that we stop at each time we visit, but really she skips most of the stores, or just does a little window shopping to gage her interest. We always stop at the Sedona Arts Center at the north end of town as there are always nice pieces there. We're not buying any of the paintings, photos or sculptures, but it is just nice to look. There are a couple other nice art galleries along our route so this is really more like touring little art museums rather than shopping. The (nature store) is a favorite stop with its high-end artifacts. Again, nothing we will buy, as it is way out of our price range but just so interesting to look at. They had some cool looking onyx bowls but we knew that those would just become expensive cat beds. The prettiest one was the perfect size for Diego and Tink to squeeze into. They had a couple of beautiful tables made or rainbow petrified wood which had an amazing combination of colors and patterns, as well as a $60K price tag! Pretty to look at but not going home with us.
There are several interesting sculptures scattered along the walkways in uptown. Most depict images of the southwest; cowboys, homesteaders, Native Americas. One that I had not seen before was of Caduceus, which the plaque at the base of sculpture stated was the “international symbol of medicine.” A very intricate piece, towering over the sidewalk. I thought it was pretty cool.
As we continued south through Uptown, the shops became a little more touristy and there were more storefronts for the jeep and helicopter tours, so we were able to skip by all of those. I was skipping many of them anyway, just hanging out front on the sidewalk enjoying the day and the views plus doing a little people watching although there were not a lot of people out today. Lynn had made that comment earlier that it was a lot less crowded than when we usually visit; I pointed out that we usually make our trip to Uptown later in the day which is probably the main reason for the lower number of tourists. The hardest stores to pass up are the chocolate shops. The fudge shop on the west side of the road was particularly tough as the aroma was just wonderful, and we were getting hungry by then. But we stayed strong and walked on by but enjoyed the smell of fresh fudge nonetheless. No calories from smelling the fudge!
Speaking of calories, lunch time was fast approaching. I spotted the Chipotle in the little mall across the road from Pink Jeep tours. I assured Lynn that we were not eating at Chipotle, even though it is a personal favorite, but I noted that this was probably the Chipotle with the best view ever as it overlooks the formations east of town. OK, we'll save that for next trip.
We completed our loop at 1:00. I should be getting a lot of good-husband points for this morning. Next stop is lunch. While Lynn was in one of the shops I checked nearby options but nothing of interest within walking distance popped-up when I queried Google about the top southwest restaurants in Sedona. So we stuck with our original thought of going to the Barking Frog in West Sedona, as we really enjoyed this place when we ate there a couple trips ago. Traffic was picking up now in the early afternoon but the drive was not that bad, well, until we got there. Closed! We checked the website. Opens at 3:00. Bummer. Who would have thunk that? OK, what other options do we have? Lynn suggested El Rincon where she and Lisa ate last year. It is in Tlaquepaque. Oh, no, I fear there will be more shopping involved, but what the heck. Off we drove through the traffic of West Sedona.
I was a little concerned that Tlaquepaque would be a madhouse, but it was not bad at all. Easily found a parking spot and strolled into the shopping plaza where we checked the map and located El Rincon. We were seated right away, snagging the last open table in the patio area. The place was jumping but the service was outstanding. We never really had to wait on anything. Our server was very prompt with the chips and salsa, giving us something to munch on while we scanned the wide variety of southwest dishes on the menu. The chips were the weak point of the meal, as they were basically flavorless. That issue was soon forgotten when the margaritas arrived. I had combo number 14 which included a beef taco and shrimp enchilada along with rice and beans. Lynn had the carne asada chimichanga which was made with a thicker bread, sort of like that used for a Navajo pizza. Whatever it was, she really like it. After the poor chips, I had lowered my expectations, but my main course was outstanding. Really great flavor and decent heat. A definite keeper for good Mexican food.
So we had a couple of celebrity sightings at El Rincon. Well, not really, but certainly some sort-of-look-a-likes. Sitting right across from us was Jackson Galaxy, the new wave cat whisperer guy from My Cat from Hell. OK, it was combination of the bald noggin and the distinctive facial hair that led us to that comparison but it was a pretty good match. Sitting at the table next to Jackson, was Hulk Hogan and his gorgeous wife and daughter. Again it was the facial hair, with the big mustache, that started the comparison. The doo-rag added to the image of course, but the guy was a muscular specimen as well. The wife fit the story as well. She was tall and thin with a nice figure and long blonde hair. Daughter also fit that description. But they were a happy looking family, and I reckon that’s what really matters.
Lynn tortured me with more shopping until around 3:00 but then we headed home through the string of traffic circles that line 179 between Sedona and the VOC. Lynn spotted a javelina a in a parking lot on the way home, so I took advantage of the next round-about to double back for another look but the critter had moved on. Oh, well. Speaking of the traffic circles, they seem fairly effective during all but the heaviest traffic times. During high traffic it is still difficult for the vehicles trying to enter 179 from the side roads to get into the flow. Otherwise they seem to work well enough as long as folks drive through them properly. C’mon people, “yield” does NOT mean “stop.” Try to keep the flow of traffic moving. ‘nuff said.
As we continued south through Uptown, the shops became a little more touristy and there were more storefronts for the jeep and helicopter tours, so we were able to skip by all of those. I was skipping many of them anyway, just hanging out front on the sidewalk enjoying the day and the views plus doing a little people watching although there were not a lot of people out today. Lynn had made that comment earlier that it was a lot less crowded than when we usually visit; I pointed out that we usually make our trip to Uptown later in the day which is probably the main reason for the lower number of tourists. The hardest stores to pass up are the chocolate shops. The fudge shop on the west side of the road was particularly tough as the aroma was just wonderful, and we were getting hungry by then. But we stayed strong and walked on by but enjoyed the smell of fresh fudge nonetheless. No calories from smelling the fudge!
Speaking of calories, lunch time was fast approaching. I spotted the Chipotle in the little mall across the road from Pink Jeep tours. I assured Lynn that we were not eating at Chipotle, even though it is a personal favorite, but I noted that this was probably the Chipotle with the best view ever as it overlooks the formations east of town. OK, we'll save that for next trip.
We completed our loop at 1:00. I should be getting a lot of good-husband points for this morning. Next stop is lunch. While Lynn was in one of the shops I checked nearby options but nothing of interest within walking distance popped-up when I queried Google about the top southwest restaurants in Sedona. So we stuck with our original thought of going to the Barking Frog in West Sedona, as we really enjoyed this place when we ate there a couple trips ago. Traffic was picking up now in the early afternoon but the drive was not that bad, well, until we got there. Closed! We checked the website. Opens at 3:00. Bummer. Who would have thunk that? OK, what other options do we have? Lynn suggested El Rincon where she and Lisa ate last year. It is in Tlaquepaque. Oh, no, I fear there will be more shopping involved, but what the heck. Off we drove through the traffic of West Sedona.
I was a little concerned that Tlaquepaque would be a madhouse, but it was not bad at all. Easily found a parking spot and strolled into the shopping plaza where we checked the map and located El Rincon. We were seated right away, snagging the last open table in the patio area. The place was jumping but the service was outstanding. We never really had to wait on anything. Our server was very prompt with the chips and salsa, giving us something to munch on while we scanned the wide variety of southwest dishes on the menu. The chips were the weak point of the meal, as they were basically flavorless. That issue was soon forgotten when the margaritas arrived. I had combo number 14 which included a beef taco and shrimp enchilada along with rice and beans. Lynn had the carne asada chimichanga which was made with a thicker bread, sort of like that used for a Navajo pizza. Whatever it was, she really like it. After the poor chips, I had lowered my expectations, but my main course was outstanding. Really great flavor and decent heat. A definite keeper for good Mexican food.
So we had a couple of celebrity sightings at El Rincon. Well, not really, but certainly some sort-of-look-a-likes. Sitting right across from us was Jackson Galaxy, the new wave cat whisperer guy from My Cat from Hell. OK, it was combination of the bald noggin and the distinctive facial hair that led us to that comparison but it was a pretty good match. Sitting at the table next to Jackson, was Hulk Hogan and his gorgeous wife and daughter. Again it was the facial hair, with the big mustache, that started the comparison. The doo-rag added to the image of course, but the guy was a muscular specimen as well. The wife fit the story as well. She was tall and thin with a nice figure and long blonde hair. Daughter also fit that description. But they were a happy looking family, and I reckon that’s what really matters.
Lynn tortured me with more shopping until around 3:00 but then we headed home through the string of traffic circles that line 179 between Sedona and the VOC. Lynn spotted a javelina a in a parking lot on the way home, so I took advantage of the next round-about to double back for another look but the critter had moved on. Oh, well. Speaking of the traffic circles, they seem fairly effective during all but the heaviest traffic times. During high traffic it is still difficult for the vehicles trying to enter 179 from the side roads to get into the flow. Otherwise they seem to work well enough as long as folks drive through them properly. C’mon people, “yield” does NOT mean “stop.” Try to keep the flow of traffic moving. ‘nuff said.
We were home and had our supplies and other loot unpacked by 3:30. It was time for a beer on patio. Finally time to rest after a long day on the concrete trail of Sedona shopping. Lynn wanted to sit in the backyard area. While none of the outdoor seating areas of the rental house are that large, there are some options for hanging out outside. The only problem with the space at the edge of the grass at this time of day was the sunlight was right in your eyes, so I opted for a hat to cut down the glare. But it was a good spot for watching the little varmints in the shrubs and trees along the property line. There was a covey of Gambel’s Quail scurrying about, a couple rabbits and quite a few gone birds.
So we continued our sampling of new beers. First was the Snowy Plover from Coronado Brewing (San Diego). We had bought a large bottle of this one to split. It was a dark caramel color and a bit hazy. Kind of a heavy beer. OK, but not one I’d drink often. But the time we finished the Snowy Plover it was moving on toward 5:00 so the sun was starting to set and the temperature was noticeable cooler. Shoot we were still wearing our jackets anyway, so we moved inside for the evening.
We settled in on the couch for the rest of the evening. Lynn was stitching and I was surfing on the phone, working on trip notes, reviewing photos or working puzzles while listening to tunes. While it was very quiet around the rental house, it was still much louder that we are used to. We both noted there were was plenty of street noise reaching the living room. Nothing really load and certainly not annoying, just the occasional passing car, folks conversing while they walked passed, kids out playing. I imagine the typical sounds of the suburbs. However, for us living so far from the road and having corn fields for neighbors these were just sounds we were not used to. Not a problem, just an observation. We kept it simple for dinner tonight. No need to go out since we had a very filling and sort of late lunch meal at El Rincon. We just had a couple of the cheese and nut snack packs that we had bought for hiking and split the large slice of chocolate cake that had called to us at the grocery store. That was more than enough. We topped it off by trying the Classic IPA from Full Sail Brewing (Hood River, OR); just average. I hate ending the day on a so-so beer and had an Oak Creek Brewing IPA to finish the night. Finally off to bed at 9:00 following another star check. Nice clear night but limited view from the backyard. I snapped a few photos with the phone today, here's the gallery.
Day 4 - Thursday, November 24, 2016 - Little Horse and Thanksgiving with Friends. I was up at 0500, and slipped out into the living room to work on trip notes. Lynn joined me at 0600. Bagel and a yogurt parfait for breakfast. Just a relaxed morning as we had to wait for the sun to come up and provide a little heating to the desert before we hit the trail.
We left the house right at 8:00. There was still a chill in the air, but the sky was a carbon copy of yesterday, bright blue with wispy white cirrus clouds plus the contrails of a few jets adding a little interest. There was a thin coating of frost glistening on the guardrails as we made our way to the trailhead. We had the road all to our own on the short drive to parking lot for Little Horse and there was only one other car there when we arrived when we pulled in at 8:15; quite the difference over Tuesday afternoon. Grabbed the packs and our cameras and we were on the trail.
I was not even aware of this trail until just a day or two before we left on the trip. TripAdvisor again proved its value as I found mention of Little Horse and Chicken Point in the trip report by SalsaVince posted on the Sedona forum. SalsaVince did not get to hike the trail due to lack of time but just his mention of Little Horse piqued by curiosity and after just a little study on-line and in the hiking books at the rental house it sounded to be an ideal trail for this morning. I purposely did not look at any of the photos on the Web as I wanted to be surprised with the views. SalsaVince, if you read this, all I can say is thanks for the suggestion and make sure to hike this lovely trail when you return to Sedona.
This set of trails just north of the Village of Oak Creek on both sides of route 179 is proving to be a treasure trove. Last year we hiked some of the trails to the west of the road around Cathedral Rock and they turned out to be the favorites of the trip, but the trails on the east side are certainly equal in terms of nice hikes with wonderful views. Little Horse was indeed the perfect trail for this morning since we had a schedule to keep. Overall this was a pretty easy trail and very well marked. There are a lot of interesting trails in the area, but each intersection has very clear signage, plus there were a few signs with maps of the complete trail system. And at any place where there might be a question as to which way to turn, there are cairns or signs pointing the right way. There was really only one place that I can think of where we really needed the signs when the trail dropped into a creek bed but sure enough there was a sign pointing us up stream and a few yards further another indicating the path leading back out of the dry creek. Sedona does an excellent job with marking and maintaining her trails.
From the parking lot, we followed the Bell Rock Path for about 0.4 miles before reaching the intersection with the Little Horse Trail; again a sign clearly told us to turn left and head up the hill. We had the trail pretty much to ourselves on our way up to Chicken Point. We passed the family from the other car a little ways up on the Little Horse trail. They were also out on a Thanksgiving morning hike and one of the little girls was carrying a stuffed turkey (no, a little toy, not dinner). Seems this was a family tradition. The only other person we saw on the trail on the way up was a biker coming down the trail.
So we continued our sampling of new beers. First was the Snowy Plover from Coronado Brewing (San Diego). We had bought a large bottle of this one to split. It was a dark caramel color and a bit hazy. Kind of a heavy beer. OK, but not one I’d drink often. But the time we finished the Snowy Plover it was moving on toward 5:00 so the sun was starting to set and the temperature was noticeable cooler. Shoot we were still wearing our jackets anyway, so we moved inside for the evening.
We settled in on the couch for the rest of the evening. Lynn was stitching and I was surfing on the phone, working on trip notes, reviewing photos or working puzzles while listening to tunes. While it was very quiet around the rental house, it was still much louder that we are used to. We both noted there were was plenty of street noise reaching the living room. Nothing really load and certainly not annoying, just the occasional passing car, folks conversing while they walked passed, kids out playing. I imagine the typical sounds of the suburbs. However, for us living so far from the road and having corn fields for neighbors these were just sounds we were not used to. Not a problem, just an observation. We kept it simple for dinner tonight. No need to go out since we had a very filling and sort of late lunch meal at El Rincon. We just had a couple of the cheese and nut snack packs that we had bought for hiking and split the large slice of chocolate cake that had called to us at the grocery store. That was more than enough. We topped it off by trying the Classic IPA from Full Sail Brewing (Hood River, OR); just average. I hate ending the day on a so-so beer and had an Oak Creek Brewing IPA to finish the night. Finally off to bed at 9:00 following another star check. Nice clear night but limited view from the backyard. I snapped a few photos with the phone today, here's the gallery.
Day 4 - Thursday, November 24, 2016 - Little Horse and Thanksgiving with Friends. I was up at 0500, and slipped out into the living room to work on trip notes. Lynn joined me at 0600. Bagel and a yogurt parfait for breakfast. Just a relaxed morning as we had to wait for the sun to come up and provide a little heating to the desert before we hit the trail.
We left the house right at 8:00. There was still a chill in the air, but the sky was a carbon copy of yesterday, bright blue with wispy white cirrus clouds plus the contrails of a few jets adding a little interest. There was a thin coating of frost glistening on the guardrails as we made our way to the trailhead. We had the road all to our own on the short drive to parking lot for Little Horse and there was only one other car there when we arrived when we pulled in at 8:15; quite the difference over Tuesday afternoon. Grabbed the packs and our cameras and we were on the trail.
I was not even aware of this trail until just a day or two before we left on the trip. TripAdvisor again proved its value as I found mention of Little Horse and Chicken Point in the trip report by SalsaVince posted on the Sedona forum. SalsaVince did not get to hike the trail due to lack of time but just his mention of Little Horse piqued by curiosity and after just a little study on-line and in the hiking books at the rental house it sounded to be an ideal trail for this morning. I purposely did not look at any of the photos on the Web as I wanted to be surprised with the views. SalsaVince, if you read this, all I can say is thanks for the suggestion and make sure to hike this lovely trail when you return to Sedona.
This set of trails just north of the Village of Oak Creek on both sides of route 179 is proving to be a treasure trove. Last year we hiked some of the trails to the west of the road around Cathedral Rock and they turned out to be the favorites of the trip, but the trails on the east side are certainly equal in terms of nice hikes with wonderful views. Little Horse was indeed the perfect trail for this morning since we had a schedule to keep. Overall this was a pretty easy trail and very well marked. There are a lot of interesting trails in the area, but each intersection has very clear signage, plus there were a few signs with maps of the complete trail system. And at any place where there might be a question as to which way to turn, there are cairns or signs pointing the right way. There was really only one place that I can think of where we really needed the signs when the trail dropped into a creek bed but sure enough there was a sign pointing us up stream and a few yards further another indicating the path leading back out of the dry creek. Sedona does an excellent job with marking and maintaining her trails.
From the parking lot, we followed the Bell Rock Path for about 0.4 miles before reaching the intersection with the Little Horse Trail; again a sign clearly told us to turn left and head up the hill. We had the trail pretty much to ourselves on our way up to Chicken Point. We passed the family from the other car a little ways up on the Little Horse trail. They were also out on a Thanksgiving morning hike and one of the little girls was carrying a stuffed turkey (no, a little toy, not dinner). Seems this was a family tradition. The only other person we saw on the trail on the way up was a biker coming down the trail.
While parts of the trail were through the scrubby forest most of the time we were afforded excellent views. Cathedral Rock was generally in plain view behind us as we worked up the trail. The morning sun was bathing the famous red rocks and providing them the opportunity to show off the amazing hues of red, orange, yellow…I’m a “Crayola Eight” kind of guy, so I’ll keep the colors simple and let the photos do the real talking. Ahead of us were the Nuns, a pair of huge nearly pyramidal sandstone features that dominated the ridge ahead of us. We spotted the Chapel of the Holy Cross off to our left, peaking through a gap in the trees. The church is dwarfed by the red and white rock ridge behind it. An interesting vision, as man’s alter to God is easily trumped by the one built by God Himself. Hmm, I guess Sedona can even get to an old skeptic like me.
Onward up the trial we went, just enjoying the morning and taking in the views. The trail got a little steeper as we got to the base of the Nuns, but not that severe. To our right was the track of the creek which is probably quite beautiful as well as dangerous when following. There were a couple slickrock shelves mixed in with the pour-offs. I walked out onto one to check out the view but the light and angle from this point did not provide anything spectacular. Back along the trail and a little nearer to the top we figured out where Chicken Point was by the gaggle of folks standing on top of it from the Jeep tours. Good marker. The trail looped out passed Chicken Point then approached from the backside so it took us a few minutes to get there from the time we spotted the Jeep tourists. That worked out well as they were leaving as we were walking up. The Jeeps were taking the Broken Arrow Trail, so they were coming from the opposite direction. It took us about 1:15 to get to the viewpoint, so we were there right about 9:30.
Onward up the trial we went, just enjoying the morning and taking in the views. The trail got a little steeper as we got to the base of the Nuns, but not that severe. To our right was the track of the creek which is probably quite beautiful as well as dangerous when following. There were a couple slickrock shelves mixed in with the pour-offs. I walked out onto one to check out the view but the light and angle from this point did not provide anything spectacular. Back along the trail and a little nearer to the top we figured out where Chicken Point was by the gaggle of folks standing on top of it from the Jeep tours. Good marker. The trail looped out passed Chicken Point then approached from the backside so it took us a few minutes to get there from the time we spotted the Jeep tourists. That worked out well as they were leaving as we were walking up. The Jeeps were taking the Broken Arrow Trail, so they were coming from the opposite direction. It took us about 1:15 to get to the viewpoint, so we were there right about 9:30.
We ended up having the place to ourselves for 10 minutes or so. Very peaceful. Great view, but not what I was expecting. As mentioned, I had not looked at any photos online as I wanted to be surprised, so I was thinking that the view from Chicken Point might be of Cathedral Rock and out that direction. While we did get wonderful vistas that included Cathedral Rock on the hike up, that was not the view from the end of the trail. There were distant views of the ridges to the north, but the dominate feature were the rocks right in from the viewpoint, with the Nuns now at the left side of the vista and a collection of tightly packed red and beige layered spires to the right and all of this sitting on top of a dark red pedestal. The morning light was ideal and the rocks in front of us were really being seen at their best. The blue sky with its wispy clouds provided a great backdrop and really helped to highlight the wondrous colors of the rocks.
There were a few small puddles in the slickrock but I just could not get any interesting reflection shots today. But there were several old, twisted grey trees scattered about plus plenty of interesting cactus and other desert plants that made for interesting combinations with the red rocks in the background. We wandered over to the edge of the sandstone knob in front of the Nuns and just took in the view for a while, just me and Lynn. We spotted the family coming up the trail below us. We all waved to each other. Lynn and I got a passport photo; had to improvise as I forgot my Gorillapod. But there was a nice table size rock to sit the camera on and I used my flip phone and a little stone as makeshift supports and got the shot I wanted, well, after a couple attempts.
Just a little longer to enjoy this wonderful view in peace. It was a nearly perfect day. Cool, a bit brisk with the breeze but comfortable with my fleece. The blue sky with the high cirrus clouds. Pretty quiet at present, just the wind and a few birds calling. But then we could hear more Jeeps coming up the Broken Arrow trail just as we were turning to leave. Good timing. There was at least one Pink Jeep, following by three private 4-wheelers. The first one was a jeep with some serious suspension. We were standing with the family from the trail when the Jeeps appeared. We heard the Pink Jeep driver exclaim that something must be wrong with the breaks as he pulled on to the slickrock. I hope that is just part of his shtick for the tourists. Man, what a racket they made. The peace of the moment was broken but at least we had it for a little while.
Just a little longer to enjoy this wonderful view in peace. It was a nearly perfect day. Cool, a bit brisk with the breeze but comfortable with my fleece. The blue sky with the high cirrus clouds. Pretty quiet at present, just the wind and a few birds calling. But then we could hear more Jeeps coming up the Broken Arrow trail just as we were turning to leave. Good timing. There was at least one Pink Jeep, following by three private 4-wheelers. The first one was a jeep with some serious suspension. We were standing with the family from the trail when the Jeeps appeared. We heard the Pink Jeep driver exclaim that something must be wrong with the breaks as he pulled on to the slickrock. I hope that is just part of his shtick for the tourists. Man, what a racket they made. The peace of the moment was broken but at least we had it for a little while.
Not a lot in terms of critters. We spotted Scrub Jays and Robins on the hike up, then Bluebirds and some little grey birds just below Chicken Point on the return hike. The trail was also getting full as we walked back to the trailhead. We passed a lot of folks but only one biker. Several folks had their dogs with them. We passed one lady just sitting on a rock along the trail along a wide expanse of slickrock. She told us that her two dogs were roaming about, a big, white German Sheppard and a little lap dog of some sort, but not to worry as they were very friendly. OK, pretty sure that’s against the rules but I’m not the Park Ranger. Not sure that I would want to let my dogs roam loose and way, particularly a little one with the coyotes in the area. I reckon the German Sheppard is the protector. Coming back down the trail, Cathedral Rock is right in front of you the entire way. Just lovely views and the morning light was still very nice on the rocks. The parking lot was full by the time we returned to the trailhead, which was about 10:20. As we drove back from the trailhead, we also noticed that the Yavapai viewpoint lot was full as well. Early start is the way to go. We will definitely try to be on the road early tomorrow as well.
Here are the links to the photos from the trail as well as the Ramblr track of the hike this morning.
We made a quick stop at Weber's IGA to pick up something for Friday morning breakfast. Chocolate Chip Muffins was the only thing they had in a two-pack so that was the choice. We were home about 10:45. Time for a snack, then we'll get ready for Thanksgiving dinner.
Lynn has the veggie tray detail under control so I took a shower. Once I was all purtied-up I helped her with the final details of wrapping up the trays and getting our beer and wine together. Time was now about 12:30 so she said she was going to have another cup of tea. Nope, time for a beer for me. She changed her order. Out to the back yard to enjoy a little sunny afternoon time. We tried the Odell's IPA (Fort Collins, CO) but it was another just OK IPA. There were plenty of little birds flitting about in the shrubs along the fence. Spotted the covey of Gambel's Quails again as well. I had another beer on the patio and worked on trip notes a little while Lynn got her shower.
We left for dinner at the Warehouse right at 2:00. We were the first to arrive, so we had some quiet conversation with Alex and Frankie. We filled them in on what we had been doing the past few days as well as the plans for tomorrow. We firmed up plans for dinner on Friday evening; Alex will call tomorrow for a reservation at Serenitie. Lynn mentioned that she saw a javelin which was an unusual sighting during the day. Somehow we got on the lineage of these critters. I mean they look like a pig but Alex said they were more closely related to a hippopotamus. Really? I never would have thought that. I think that factoid deserves a little checking, but I’ll save that for later.
Soon the rest of the guests started to roll in. We got to meet Frankie's two sons, Barry and Greg, Greg's girlfriend Claire and a couple of Alex and Frankie's friends, Joan and Wayne. Herd members Esty and Walter along with their friend Thomas were also in attendance. Quite the diverse congregation! This was an excellent Thanksgiving dinner with a wonderful group of folks, delightful conversation and of course the food was outstanding. Frankie's turkey was excellent. Her overnight cooking process certainly paid off as the bird was tender, juicy and had a wonderful flavor. Shoot, for that matter every dish on the table was outstanding (well, everyone that I tried anyway; I skipped the Brussels sprouts). There was plenty of beer and wine to share. I checked out the tub of cold drinks that Alex had on the back patio and found the last King Don’s Pumpkin Ale from Catawba Brewing. Hey, that’s a North Carolina brewer so this is may be something that Gary brought to the meet-up last fall. Whatever its origin, it was a very good pumpkin ale and a nice match for the Thanksgiving dinner.
We left about 6:30 along with Joan and Wayne. Lynn and I were both starting to drag so it was time to head home. Once home, we paused in the driveway to admire the night sky for a few minutes. The Milky Way was shining brightly. You just cannot find this view back in Ohio. We did not stare at the heavens too long as it was chilly out and we were spent. We crashed soon after that, I think lights out was right at 8:00.
Day 5 - Friday, November 25, 2016 - Doe Mesa and Fay Canyon. Since we turned in so early last night, I was not surprised to be awake at 0400, but I catnapped a bit longer and finally rolled out of the bunk a little before 5:00. Our plan for the day was set with two short hikes on the docket for this morning first up Doe Mountain then the nearby Fay Canyon Trail followed by more chill time at the house and a final dinner out with Alex and Frankie. I just updated the trip notes, looked over the hiking routes and worked a puzzle or two until Lynn got up.
I also had time to look up the relationship between pigs, javelinas and hippos. Alex’s statement that a javelina was more closely related to hippopotamus than a pig was intriguing enough to have me Google up some answers. Technology is a wonderful thing and I quickly had several websites that were willing to tell me all I needed to know (actually much more than I ever wanted to know on the subject). So javelinas are even-toed ungulates (hoofed animals; order Artiodactyla), which covers over 200 species, included whales based on the evolutionary lineage. Below the order Artiodactyla is the suborder Suiformes which contains three families. Javelinas are in Tayassuidae, pigs in Suidae and Hippopotamidae has the hippos. So javelinas, pigs and hippos are in three separate animal families within the same suborder and order. I guess that means they all about the same distance about on the cousin scale. Enough of that. I wonder what Dilbert is up to?
I made a few notes on the rental house. Nice place overall. A little dated in terms of decor and perhaps a bit beat up in places mainly just little cosmetic stuff, but that's perfectly fine. Everything works and the place is very clean, and that's what matters. Nice size rooms. Comfortable bed. Great location. Outside seating areas are nice. No red rock view to speak of from the house but there are plenty to be had in the area. The owners, Artha and Roger, have been extremely helpful since we first made contact through VRBO.com. The house worked out perfectly for us and I would definitely stay here again (and you know we’ll be returning to Red Rock Country!). I expanded the notes once we were home and posted a review on VRBO.com. Here's the listing for the house.
We were on the road at 8:00 once again. We’ve been pretty consistent with our starting times each day. The weather has also been consistent was it was again chilly this morning with the temperature in the upper 40s F when we left the house but again under a crystal clear sky. We also noted frost on the guardrails as we drove north along route 179 toward Sedona. I just plugged “Doe Mountain Trailhead” into Baby and she guided us through West Sedona and along the well-maintained forest roads (everywhere we went was paved so no worries about the road conditions) right to the parking area. With the early start we encountered absolutely no traffic along the route and arrived in 30 minutes.
Here are the links to the photos from the trail as well as the Ramblr track of the hike this morning.
We made a quick stop at Weber's IGA to pick up something for Friday morning breakfast. Chocolate Chip Muffins was the only thing they had in a two-pack so that was the choice. We were home about 10:45. Time for a snack, then we'll get ready for Thanksgiving dinner.
Lynn has the veggie tray detail under control so I took a shower. Once I was all purtied-up I helped her with the final details of wrapping up the trays and getting our beer and wine together. Time was now about 12:30 so she said she was going to have another cup of tea. Nope, time for a beer for me. She changed her order. Out to the back yard to enjoy a little sunny afternoon time. We tried the Odell's IPA (Fort Collins, CO) but it was another just OK IPA. There were plenty of little birds flitting about in the shrubs along the fence. Spotted the covey of Gambel's Quails again as well. I had another beer on the patio and worked on trip notes a little while Lynn got her shower.
We left for dinner at the Warehouse right at 2:00. We were the first to arrive, so we had some quiet conversation with Alex and Frankie. We filled them in on what we had been doing the past few days as well as the plans for tomorrow. We firmed up plans for dinner on Friday evening; Alex will call tomorrow for a reservation at Serenitie. Lynn mentioned that she saw a javelin which was an unusual sighting during the day. Somehow we got on the lineage of these critters. I mean they look like a pig but Alex said they were more closely related to a hippopotamus. Really? I never would have thought that. I think that factoid deserves a little checking, but I’ll save that for later.
Soon the rest of the guests started to roll in. We got to meet Frankie's two sons, Barry and Greg, Greg's girlfriend Claire and a couple of Alex and Frankie's friends, Joan and Wayne. Herd members Esty and Walter along with their friend Thomas were also in attendance. Quite the diverse congregation! This was an excellent Thanksgiving dinner with a wonderful group of folks, delightful conversation and of course the food was outstanding. Frankie's turkey was excellent. Her overnight cooking process certainly paid off as the bird was tender, juicy and had a wonderful flavor. Shoot, for that matter every dish on the table was outstanding (well, everyone that I tried anyway; I skipped the Brussels sprouts). There was plenty of beer and wine to share. I checked out the tub of cold drinks that Alex had on the back patio and found the last King Don’s Pumpkin Ale from Catawba Brewing. Hey, that’s a North Carolina brewer so this is may be something that Gary brought to the meet-up last fall. Whatever its origin, it was a very good pumpkin ale and a nice match for the Thanksgiving dinner.
We left about 6:30 along with Joan and Wayne. Lynn and I were both starting to drag so it was time to head home. Once home, we paused in the driveway to admire the night sky for a few minutes. The Milky Way was shining brightly. You just cannot find this view back in Ohio. We did not stare at the heavens too long as it was chilly out and we were spent. We crashed soon after that, I think lights out was right at 8:00.
Day 5 - Friday, November 25, 2016 - Doe Mesa and Fay Canyon. Since we turned in so early last night, I was not surprised to be awake at 0400, but I catnapped a bit longer and finally rolled out of the bunk a little before 5:00. Our plan for the day was set with two short hikes on the docket for this morning first up Doe Mountain then the nearby Fay Canyon Trail followed by more chill time at the house and a final dinner out with Alex and Frankie. I just updated the trip notes, looked over the hiking routes and worked a puzzle or two until Lynn got up.
I also had time to look up the relationship between pigs, javelinas and hippos. Alex’s statement that a javelina was more closely related to hippopotamus than a pig was intriguing enough to have me Google up some answers. Technology is a wonderful thing and I quickly had several websites that were willing to tell me all I needed to know (actually much more than I ever wanted to know on the subject). So javelinas are even-toed ungulates (hoofed animals; order Artiodactyla), which covers over 200 species, included whales based on the evolutionary lineage. Below the order Artiodactyla is the suborder Suiformes which contains three families. Javelinas are in Tayassuidae, pigs in Suidae and Hippopotamidae has the hippos. So javelinas, pigs and hippos are in three separate animal families within the same suborder and order. I guess that means they all about the same distance about on the cousin scale. Enough of that. I wonder what Dilbert is up to?
I made a few notes on the rental house. Nice place overall. A little dated in terms of decor and perhaps a bit beat up in places mainly just little cosmetic stuff, but that's perfectly fine. Everything works and the place is very clean, and that's what matters. Nice size rooms. Comfortable bed. Great location. Outside seating areas are nice. No red rock view to speak of from the house but there are plenty to be had in the area. The owners, Artha and Roger, have been extremely helpful since we first made contact through VRBO.com. The house worked out perfectly for us and I would definitely stay here again (and you know we’ll be returning to Red Rock Country!). I expanded the notes once we were home and posted a review on VRBO.com. Here's the listing for the house.
We were on the road at 8:00 once again. We’ve been pretty consistent with our starting times each day. The weather has also been consistent was it was again chilly this morning with the temperature in the upper 40s F when we left the house but again under a crystal clear sky. We also noted frost on the guardrails as we drove north along route 179 toward Sedona. I just plugged “Doe Mountain Trailhead” into Baby and she guided us through West Sedona and along the well-maintained forest roads (everywhere we went was paved so no worries about the road conditions) right to the parking area. With the early start we encountered absolutely no traffic along the route and arrived in 30 minutes.
There were two cars at the trailhead when we arrived, and one Indian fellow sitting over by the start of the trail (Indian subcontinent, not Native American). I thought that was sort of odd, but whatever. Lynn wondered over to the little house (another great feature of the trails around Sedona as many of the trailheads have facilities). While I was waiting, several other Indian guys came back down the trail; we’ll that explains that; the guy waiting at the trailhead was obviously not up for an early morning hike. As I was getting my pack ready one of the guys came over and asked if there were any other short hikes or cool places they could check out this morning. I gave them a few suggestions like Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte and Yavapai Point but added that there would be a bit of driving to get to these as they were south of town. He mentioned that they were heading toward Flagstaff, so these were not exactly on their way, but it sounded like he would look into them anyway. He thanked me for the suggestions and headed off to join his car load of buddies.
Lynn and I got our packs and cameras walked over to the trailhead sign right at 8:45. It was slowly getting warmer but still fairly chilly as we were in the shadow of the Mesa would be for the hike up to the top. This is not a long trail, only 0.7 miles to the top of the mesa, but it is up hill all the way. Not overly steep, more of a steady climb for the most part. The Ramblr track indicated that we gained about 450 feet from the parking lot to the top. The trail is narrow, rocky and uneven for most of the hike. The initial portion is basically straight up the slope through a series of tightly coupled switchbacks. The upper third of the trail basically just cuts across the slope until it reaches the top. It is a good workout. But the views from the trail looking north toward Bear Mountain are well worth the effort. We passed one other pair of hikers on the way up and we watched the parking lot start to fill as we climbed. We could hear other groups coming up behind us but we had enough of a lead that no one caught us, even with the a few stops to admire the view across the valley.
Lynn and I got our packs and cameras walked over to the trailhead sign right at 8:45. It was slowly getting warmer but still fairly chilly as we were in the shadow of the Mesa would be for the hike up to the top. This is not a long trail, only 0.7 miles to the top of the mesa, but it is up hill all the way. Not overly steep, more of a steady climb for the most part. The Ramblr track indicated that we gained about 450 feet from the parking lot to the top. The trail is narrow, rocky and uneven for most of the hike. The initial portion is basically straight up the slope through a series of tightly coupled switchbacks. The upper third of the trail basically just cuts across the slope until it reaches the top. It is a good workout. But the views from the trail looking north toward Bear Mountain are well worth the effort. We passed one other pair of hikers on the way up and we watched the parking lot start to fill as we climbed. We could hear other groups coming up behind us but we had enough of a lead that no one caught us, even with the a few stops to admire the view across the valley.
Once at the top, the trail just sort of meanders about. We walked across the mesa top to the edge to take in the views. Looking south and east into the sun, so sort of the direction of Bell Rock, was just washed out. The views were not that great in that direction, so we stayed to the north side of the mesa and enjoyed the vistas in that direction. We could see the trail heading across the valley and up in the red rocks for Bear Mountain. The Fay Canyon trailhead parking was also clearly visible. Hardly any cars there yet, so we should be good finding a parking spot later this morning. We considered perhaps walking from the Doe Mountain trailhead to Fay Canyon if the parking situation looked tight. However, walking along the road really was not an option and while there was a connecting trail it added a lot in terms of length. But it looks like it won’t be a problem anyway.
We spotted a few birds flitting about in the shrubs along the edge. A few Robins, several Juncos and a Scrub jay or two. We did not linger too long and just retraced our route back down the trail. More folks were coming up now. We could see that the little lot at the base of the trail was now packed, but our last glance at the Fay Canyon parking still showed that the larger lot was not even half full. No worries on parking. Here are a few more photos from the Doe Mountain Trail and the track of our hike to the top of the mesa.
We spotted a few birds flitting about in the shrubs along the edge. A few Robins, several Juncos and a Scrub jay or two. We did not linger too long and just retraced our route back down the trail. More folks were coming up now. We could see that the little lot at the base of the trail was now packed, but our last glance at the Fay Canyon parking still showed that the larger lot was not even half full. No worries on parking. Here are a few more photos from the Doe Mountain Trail and the track of our hike to the top of the mesa.
Once back at the trailhead we just climbed in the Jeep and made the short drive to Fay Canyon. As expected, there was no issue with parking when we pulled in at 10:00. However, but the time we returned from our walk up the canyon this ample size lot was bursting at the seams. The trailhead is right across the road from parking lot.
This trial is the exact opposite of the one we just completed. Where the Doe Mountain trail was narrow, rocky, uneven and uphill, the trail into Fay Canyon is like an Interstate highway, wide, smooth and level. Typically when we hike we go single file as the trails generally are not wide enough to walk side-by-side, particularly on a crowded trail, but here there was plenty of width to walk two abreast and still have room for oncoming traffic.
The scenery between the two trails was very different as well. Doe Mountain gave us big, expansive views from the trail and the top of Doe Mesa but here in Fay Canyon we were in the trees with occasional glimpses of the red rock walls. This was about what I expected since we had completed a couple other canyon hikes in this area last year (Loy, Long and Boynton Canyons). Still it was a pretty hike. The initial part was sort of open and provided views up into the red and beige stripped canyon walls but soon we were enveloped in the trees.
We were watching the mileage as we walked into the canyon in order to find the spur trail that leads to Fay Canyon Arch. We passed a young couple coming out of the canyon so Lynn asked if they had found the trail to the arch. They were not looking for it but they did suggest hiking past the end of trail sign and scrambling up the rocks for a nice view back down the canyon. The young lady even commented that it would make a nice photo since we have expensive equipment; I guess that’s is all relative as I think of my superzoom as a less expensive alternative. We did find the spur trail, a couple actually) right at the 0.6 mile mark. Just little social trails really. We wandered off the main trail, down into the dry creek bed and out the other side but the trail quickly petered-out. We back-tracked and tried and other route but it was also fruitless. We could see a few folks up on the canyon wall well above us, so they must have found the right way but we did not seem to be on the correct path. We returned to main trail. There was another hiker there when we returned so we asked him about the arch. He that he had just returned from the arch but the trail requires a lot of bushwhacking to get there. That might be more than we want to deal with today. We decided take the young couple’s advice and hike up to the end of the canyon first, and maybe we’ll try the arch trail on the way back.
This trial is the exact opposite of the one we just completed. Where the Doe Mountain trail was narrow, rocky, uneven and uphill, the trail into Fay Canyon is like an Interstate highway, wide, smooth and level. Typically when we hike we go single file as the trails generally are not wide enough to walk side-by-side, particularly on a crowded trail, but here there was plenty of width to walk two abreast and still have room for oncoming traffic.
The scenery between the two trails was very different as well. Doe Mountain gave us big, expansive views from the trail and the top of Doe Mesa but here in Fay Canyon we were in the trees with occasional glimpses of the red rock walls. This was about what I expected since we had completed a couple other canyon hikes in this area last year (Loy, Long and Boynton Canyons). Still it was a pretty hike. The initial part was sort of open and provided views up into the red and beige stripped canyon walls but soon we were enveloped in the trees.
We were watching the mileage as we walked into the canyon in order to find the spur trail that leads to Fay Canyon Arch. We passed a young couple coming out of the canyon so Lynn asked if they had found the trail to the arch. They were not looking for it but they did suggest hiking past the end of trail sign and scrambling up the rocks for a nice view back down the canyon. The young lady even commented that it would make a nice photo since we have expensive equipment; I guess that’s is all relative as I think of my superzoom as a less expensive alternative. We did find the spur trail, a couple actually) right at the 0.6 mile mark. Just little social trails really. We wandered off the main trail, down into the dry creek bed and out the other side but the trail quickly petered-out. We back-tracked and tried and other route but it was also fruitless. We could see a few folks up on the canyon wall well above us, so they must have found the right way but we did not seem to be on the correct path. We returned to main trail. There was another hiker there when we returned so we asked him about the arch. He that he had just returned from the arch but the trail requires a lot of bushwhacking to get there. That might be more than we want to deal with today. We decided take the young couple’s advice and hike up to the end of the canyon first, and maybe we’ll try the arch trail on the way back.
We continued up the canyon, the canyon walls visible through the trees. A few gaps gave us a nice view of the canyon wall to the east. The most interesting feature that we spotted was a slab of rock that looked like it was almost detached from the main wall. It had sort of a knobby appearance. For lack of anything better I dubbed it “Thor’s Hammer” just so we had a reference point. The canyon was getting narrower and the walls taller as we went. The trail was a sort of rolling as we went further into the canyon as we crossed little run-off creek beds, but there was a general gradual uphill slope (the ramblr track indicated that we gained about 150 feet in elevation between the trailhead and the end of maintained trail). The maintained trail end abruptly about a mile into the canyon. There is a wooden sign nailed to a large trail stating “End of the maintained trail” so it is pretty obvious place to turn around. That is probably exactly what we would have done except for the suggestion from the young couple so we worked our way down from the trail and out into the open on to the rocks and then up the slope to get above the forest.
We scrambled up a little ways to a nice wide spot where we could take a seat and enjoy the view. We could hear a group of hikers, sounded like a family with kids, a little ways up the slope. They seemed to also be taking a break. While it was a nice view looking back down Fay Canyon, it was right into the morning sun, so the light was not great for any long range photos, which is what I was expecting. Still we could see quite a distance. There were a couple large formations off in the distance in a straight line of sight down the canyon. I zoomed in with the camera and confirmed that the big rocks were Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. That’s pretty cool. Clearly visible but not clear as there was some smoke rising from a fire between us and them. Maybe this would be a cool shot later in the afternoon when the light was different. We’re certainly not going to find out today, but I’ll keep that in mind for a future trip. We could also see “Thor’s Hammer” although we still could not tell if it was disconnected from the main wall from this vantage point. We’ll come back in a thousand years and check.
We scrambled up a little ways to a nice wide spot where we could take a seat and enjoy the view. We could hear a group of hikers, sounded like a family with kids, a little ways up the slope. They seemed to also be taking a break. While it was a nice view looking back down Fay Canyon, it was right into the morning sun, so the light was not great for any long range photos, which is what I was expecting. Still we could see quite a distance. There were a couple large formations off in the distance in a straight line of sight down the canyon. I zoomed in with the camera and confirmed that the big rocks were Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. That’s pretty cool. Clearly visible but not clear as there was some smoke rising from a fire between us and them. Maybe this would be a cool shot later in the afternoon when the light was different. We’re certainly not going to find out today, but I’ll keep that in mind for a future trip. We could also see “Thor’s Hammer” although we still could not tell if it was disconnected from the main wall from this vantage point. We’ll come back in a thousand years and check.
We stopped here long enough for a quick snack. The family who was above us came back down the slope. We let them clear the hill then followed them back to the main trail. There was actually a little crowd of folks clustered about at the end of the trail, probably 15 folks from a couple different groups. Not sure what they were doing, perhaps deciding if they also wanted to make the short scramble up for the view.
Lots more folks on the trail as we returned. It is an easy walk and fairly scenic, so I understand why it gets the traffic. But really nothing in terms of critters, until we were nearly back out of the canyon. As we near the mouth of the canyon I heard a “toot-toot-toot” call. I motioned Lynn to stop and listen. She heard it as well. That call was very similar to the call I heard from our balcony at Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde when we were there in October. I think it was a Northern Pygmy Owl. That was very cool. The only other sighting was a pretty, red striped dragonfly. We’re coming to the end of our final hike for the trip and we have not seen a single lizard.
We were back at the parking lot about 11:40 (track of the hike on Ramblr). Quite the crowd here now. We had a quick snack at the Jeep and I got one last panoramic looking up Fay Canyon in the late morning light. This gallery has the photographic highlights from the Fay Canyon hike. But we did not linger too long to so that the next carload of hikers could have our spot in the lot. As we were driving out we passed a few off-roaders zipping about. We also noted that the area around the Dry Creek trailhead was a zoo. There were cars parked all along the main road and scores of people walking up the access road to the trails. This is obviously a popular spot. I’ll have to investigate it for our next visit.
Lots more folks on the trail as we returned. It is an easy walk and fairly scenic, so I understand why it gets the traffic. But really nothing in terms of critters, until we were nearly back out of the canyon. As we near the mouth of the canyon I heard a “toot-toot-toot” call. I motioned Lynn to stop and listen. She heard it as well. That call was very similar to the call I heard from our balcony at Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde when we were there in October. I think it was a Northern Pygmy Owl. That was very cool. The only other sighting was a pretty, red striped dragonfly. We’re coming to the end of our final hike for the trip and we have not seen a single lizard.
We were back at the parking lot about 11:40 (track of the hike on Ramblr). Quite the crowd here now. We had a quick snack at the Jeep and I got one last panoramic looking up Fay Canyon in the late morning light. This gallery has the photographic highlights from the Fay Canyon hike. But we did not linger too long to so that the next carload of hikers could have our spot in the lot. As we were driving out we passed a few off-roaders zipping about. We also noted that the area around the Dry Creek trailhead was a zoo. There were cars parked all along the main road and scores of people walking up the access road to the trails. This is obviously a popular spot. I’ll have to investigate it for our next visit.
So the only glitch of the trip occurred on the way home as the low tire pressure light came. Odd, as that happened the last time we were in Sedona as well. That car was smart enough to tell me which tire was low but the Patriot provided no specific indication. A quick look at the tires showed none that was looking low, so we’ll just have to keep an eye on this.
We had to make a beer run on the way home as we just did not have enough for our last afternoon on the patio. But I figured that we could pick up a single bottle at Safeway as they have the mix-and-match beer station. Well, that’s not how it works in Arizona. They cannot sell one beer, you have to build an entire 6-pack. Bummer. Well, maybe I can just buy one 22 oz. bottle but I could not find any at Safeway so now it is back to Bashas where I knew they have a whole cooler full of various big bottles. I snagged a bottle of Betty Beer from Hanger 24 that Lynn and I can split. Now we’re set.
The low tire pressure warning did not clear like I hoped it would so I made a stop at one of the gas stations in the VOC. They air pump was tied to a credit card. Really? And it was not working anyway. Fine. The tires are all still round, so we’ll ignore it. Plenty of fuel in the tank to get back to Phoenix so we just headed back to the house.
We had to make a beer run on the way home as we just did not have enough for our last afternoon on the patio. But I figured that we could pick up a single bottle at Safeway as they have the mix-and-match beer station. Well, that’s not how it works in Arizona. They cannot sell one beer, you have to build an entire 6-pack. Bummer. Well, maybe I can just buy one 22 oz. bottle but I could not find any at Safeway so now it is back to Bashas where I knew they have a whole cooler full of various big bottles. I snagged a bottle of Betty Beer from Hanger 24 that Lynn and I can split. Now we’re set.
The low tire pressure warning did not clear like I hoped it would so I made a stop at one of the gas stations in the VOC. They air pump was tied to a credit card. Really? And it was not working anyway. Fine. The tires are all still round, so we’ll ignore it. Plenty of fuel in the tank to get back to Phoenix so we just headed back to the house.
We were home about 12:40. Time to start working on food disposal. That will be our lunch. The cheese cake was dry so we pitch it but the Red Velvet was pretty good. Not as good as Mom’s but nothing ever is. Beer time on patio. A nice variety to sample but unfortunately we found nothing exceptional. We started with the 8th Street Pale Ale from Four Peaks. It was poor. Next we split a Lone Comet from Odell Brewing. Better but still nothing special. Finally we had our big bottle of Betty IPA, another just OK beer. The best thing about it was the label; B-17 nose art of a pin-up girl is hard to beat.
I forgot about the check-in for our flights so it was about 1:00 before I completed that task. Already deep into the "C" boarding slots. No worries since we are homeward bound and therefore not on a tight schedule. As long as we have a seat on the inside of the plane I’ll be happy. Alex sent a text regarding dinner; table for seven reserved under his name for 6:15. Sounds like a plan.
We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling in the backyard, sampling beers and watching the birds. The quail came back through again this afternoon, plus we had an assortment of other birds: Bewick’s wren, a pair of Cardinals, several Juncos, a hummer of some sort, House Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, Scrub Jay and a Pinion Jay. Not a bad list for just sitting around and not really paying attention.
We finally went inside about 4:00 to start the packing and get cleaned up for dinner. We left for dinner at Serenitie at 6:00, so we were a few minutes early. I took a look at the menu at the hostess stand. Interesting, this only has the fine dining entrees and no mention of the burger bar. A few minutes later we watched a family of four move out of one area of the restaurant and take two small table near the bar. OK, I think I get it, there are two separate dining areas and the menus do not cross over, that is you can only get a burger in the bar area. This might be an issue, but we’ll wait and see what Alex has in mind.
The rest of the gang (Alex, Frankie, Barry, Greg and Claire) arrived right at 6:15 which was perfect timing as our table had just been set up. A table in the fine dining area. Frankie asked if we could get burgers in that area and Alex assured her that we could, but he went to check just in case. As I suspected, this was the fine dining area only, so we could not get burgers here. Not the best set-up for the restaurant, IMO. After a short discussion, we decided that we all wanted to try these fabled burgers since Frankie had been talking them up all week so asked to be moved to the bar side of the house. Not a problem. We ended up in the little side room were we dined last fall with Alex, Frankie, Esty, Walt and Lisa. And our very friendly server, Annabelle, made the move with us.
OK, now that we are settled in and have drinks on the way, let’s see what we have on the high-end burger menu. Some rather eclectic choices, but very interesting combinations for certain. I ordered the Devil’s Bridge burger as it looked to have the most heat. It was good, but not great. I ordered it medium, as did everyone else I think except Alex who got his raw, I mean rare. I think mine was still kicking. While the flavor was good but not nearly as spicy as I had hoped. To paraphrase that old lady at Wendy’s, “where’s the heat?!” But it went well with the Desert Magic IPA I was drinking. The shoestring potatoes were not very good at all, too crunchy and dry, but then I do prefer my French fries with a little “meat” on them. But it was a very filling meal so Lynn and I did not order dessert, however Alex got the s'mores sundae to share with the table and it was big enough for us all to have at least a taste. Topped with pumpkin ice cream which was very good and made for an interesting combination. In one aspect Serenitie is exactly like the Schoolhouse, the check was wrong (this is my third time eating at this location and they are three for three in fouling up the check). Tonight they did not split the check, so Alex picked up the tab and I’ll owe them dinner next time we get together which works out just fine. Overall service was excellent except for the check SNAFU, food was good, atmosphere was nice but dividing the restaurant by menu was awkward. Even if the food was not stellar, we still had a very nice evening with friends and enjoyed talking about travel and hiking and National Parks.
The party finally broke up about 8:00. We said our goodbyes and headed home. I texted Artha when we got back to the house that we would be on the road tomorrow by 0800 and asked if there was anything we needed to do before we left. She quickly replied that there were no additional chores so we are good to go. I did a little packing then we hit the sack. Lights out for me was at 9:00.
Day 6 - Saturday, November 26, 2016 - Heading home and final thoughts. Up early and out on the couch at 4:50 working on trip notes. Lynn and I had been discussing our previous trips to Sedona. She had mentioned to Artha and Roger that this was our fourth or fifth time in Sedona, but while hiking up the Little Horse trail we determined that this was visit number six, granted a couple of those were just overnight stops. Last night I checked the website for our history. Our first trip was in 2003 when we flew into Las Vegas then visited the Grand Canyon and Sedona. We had an overnight stay in 2010 after the Bluff meet-up and again in 2011 following the Kanab meet-up. Our next visit was in 2013 when we added a few days in Sedona after the Escalante meet-up. Of course the 2015 meet-up was based in Sedona plus we stayed after making that our longest visit. And now our sixth visit is coming to a close. We are starting to get to know the area quite well, but there are still a lot of trails to hike, so I'm sure that we will be back.
We had a great time in Sedona. The weather was ideal. Brisk in the morning each day, probably in the 40s by the time we were out the door for hiking and we did spot frost a couple of mornings and almost had to scrape the windshield once. High temperature was right around 60, the sky was bright blue each day with maybe a smattering of cirrus or a few cumulus clouds. We had good stars each night, but as it was getting chilly again once the sun went down we just admired them for a few minutes then went inside. Still it is always wonderful to see the Milky Way in all its glory.
We discussed our hikes for the week as well. It took as a while to gain traction on hiking in Red Rock Country, as our first four trips were short (a couple were just one-night stands), plus we did the more touristy activities like Jeep and horseback tours and the weather conspired against us once as well. But the last three trips we were able to cover many miles on the red dirt trails. While all the trails we have hiked have been scenic, I tend to prefer the trails nearer to VOC as they are more open and have better views. The canyon hikes are nice, but the views are obscured by the trees (of course the shade from the trees does make for pleasant hiking conditions, so a tradeoff there). Lynn's favorite hike for this trip was the loop around Courthouse Butte. That was a great hike. I also really liked the hike up to Chicken Point. Secret Slickrock was a highlight as well. I hope to return when those potholes are completely full of water to get even batter reflection shots!
I forgot about the check-in for our flights so it was about 1:00 before I completed that task. Already deep into the "C" boarding slots. No worries since we are homeward bound and therefore not on a tight schedule. As long as we have a seat on the inside of the plane I’ll be happy. Alex sent a text regarding dinner; table for seven reserved under his name for 6:15. Sounds like a plan.
We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling in the backyard, sampling beers and watching the birds. The quail came back through again this afternoon, plus we had an assortment of other birds: Bewick’s wren, a pair of Cardinals, several Juncos, a hummer of some sort, House Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, Scrub Jay and a Pinion Jay. Not a bad list for just sitting around and not really paying attention.
We finally went inside about 4:00 to start the packing and get cleaned up for dinner. We left for dinner at Serenitie at 6:00, so we were a few minutes early. I took a look at the menu at the hostess stand. Interesting, this only has the fine dining entrees and no mention of the burger bar. A few minutes later we watched a family of four move out of one area of the restaurant and take two small table near the bar. OK, I think I get it, there are two separate dining areas and the menus do not cross over, that is you can only get a burger in the bar area. This might be an issue, but we’ll wait and see what Alex has in mind.
The rest of the gang (Alex, Frankie, Barry, Greg and Claire) arrived right at 6:15 which was perfect timing as our table had just been set up. A table in the fine dining area. Frankie asked if we could get burgers in that area and Alex assured her that we could, but he went to check just in case. As I suspected, this was the fine dining area only, so we could not get burgers here. Not the best set-up for the restaurant, IMO. After a short discussion, we decided that we all wanted to try these fabled burgers since Frankie had been talking them up all week so asked to be moved to the bar side of the house. Not a problem. We ended up in the little side room were we dined last fall with Alex, Frankie, Esty, Walt and Lisa. And our very friendly server, Annabelle, made the move with us.
OK, now that we are settled in and have drinks on the way, let’s see what we have on the high-end burger menu. Some rather eclectic choices, but very interesting combinations for certain. I ordered the Devil’s Bridge burger as it looked to have the most heat. It was good, but not great. I ordered it medium, as did everyone else I think except Alex who got his raw, I mean rare. I think mine was still kicking. While the flavor was good but not nearly as spicy as I had hoped. To paraphrase that old lady at Wendy’s, “where’s the heat?!” But it went well with the Desert Magic IPA I was drinking. The shoestring potatoes were not very good at all, too crunchy and dry, but then I do prefer my French fries with a little “meat” on them. But it was a very filling meal so Lynn and I did not order dessert, however Alex got the s'mores sundae to share with the table and it was big enough for us all to have at least a taste. Topped with pumpkin ice cream which was very good and made for an interesting combination. In one aspect Serenitie is exactly like the Schoolhouse, the check was wrong (this is my third time eating at this location and they are three for three in fouling up the check). Tonight they did not split the check, so Alex picked up the tab and I’ll owe them dinner next time we get together which works out just fine. Overall service was excellent except for the check SNAFU, food was good, atmosphere was nice but dividing the restaurant by menu was awkward. Even if the food was not stellar, we still had a very nice evening with friends and enjoyed talking about travel and hiking and National Parks.
The party finally broke up about 8:00. We said our goodbyes and headed home. I texted Artha when we got back to the house that we would be on the road tomorrow by 0800 and asked if there was anything we needed to do before we left. She quickly replied that there were no additional chores so we are good to go. I did a little packing then we hit the sack. Lights out for me was at 9:00.
Day 6 - Saturday, November 26, 2016 - Heading home and final thoughts. Up early and out on the couch at 4:50 working on trip notes. Lynn and I had been discussing our previous trips to Sedona. She had mentioned to Artha and Roger that this was our fourth or fifth time in Sedona, but while hiking up the Little Horse trail we determined that this was visit number six, granted a couple of those were just overnight stops. Last night I checked the website for our history. Our first trip was in 2003 when we flew into Las Vegas then visited the Grand Canyon and Sedona. We had an overnight stay in 2010 after the Bluff meet-up and again in 2011 following the Kanab meet-up. Our next visit was in 2013 when we added a few days in Sedona after the Escalante meet-up. Of course the 2015 meet-up was based in Sedona plus we stayed after making that our longest visit. And now our sixth visit is coming to a close. We are starting to get to know the area quite well, but there are still a lot of trails to hike, so I'm sure that we will be back.
We had a great time in Sedona. The weather was ideal. Brisk in the morning each day, probably in the 40s by the time we were out the door for hiking and we did spot frost a couple of mornings and almost had to scrape the windshield once. High temperature was right around 60, the sky was bright blue each day with maybe a smattering of cirrus or a few cumulus clouds. We had good stars each night, but as it was getting chilly again once the sun went down we just admired them for a few minutes then went inside. Still it is always wonderful to see the Milky Way in all its glory.
We discussed our hikes for the week as well. It took as a while to gain traction on hiking in Red Rock Country, as our first four trips were short (a couple were just one-night stands), plus we did the more touristy activities like Jeep and horseback tours and the weather conspired against us once as well. But the last three trips we were able to cover many miles on the red dirt trails. While all the trails we have hiked have been scenic, I tend to prefer the trails nearer to VOC as they are more open and have better views. The canyon hikes are nice, but the views are obscured by the trees (of course the shade from the trees does make for pleasant hiking conditions, so a tradeoff there). Lynn's favorite hike for this trip was the loop around Courthouse Butte. That was a great hike. I also really liked the hike up to Chicken Point. Secret Slickrock was a highlight as well. I hope to return when those potholes are completely full of water to get even batter reflection shots!
OK, it is 0615 and I am ready to roll. Looks like Lynn is in for breakfast at Miley’s so we'll try to get there as close to the 0630 opening as possible. That way we will have plenty of time to enjoy our food and still get back for the final packing and get on the road by 0800. We rolled into Miley’s got there shortly after their opening and there were already a few tables occupied. You know you are eating at the right place when the locals are there. We each had a tall stack of blueberry pancakes this morning. Quite tasty. As usual, the service was just outstanding and the food is pretty darn good, too! (review)
We chatted about our travels over breakfast. I mentioned to Lynn that this was the last big trip of the year. She had pointed out earlier in the week that this is probably the latest that we have traveled other than for a holiday dinner in Pittsburgh or West Virginia. We talked about where else we might go for a Thanksgiving break. Direct flights from CLE are limited these days. PHX, Las Vegas and LA are the best options, with LA being land, get off the plane and get the hell out (come to think of it, that would be the case for PHX and LAS as well). I think that flying into LA then driving to San Diego would work. Lynn pulled that thread a little more thinking that we could probably fly to San Diego from LA just as quickly and that would allow us to skip the crazy LA traffic. OK, that's an option as well. Something to look at in more detail in a few months, I reckon.
We were back at the house at 7:15 so plenty of time to finish packing and get on the road. A little different look this morning as the blue sky we have had all week was replaced with a grey overcast. Looks like we are leaving just in time as there is rain in the forecast for later today and the temperature will be dropping significantly such that the high on Sunday won't exceed the upper 40s F and it might snow! But we've had a great stay. Right amount of time to get in some nice hikes but still have some relaxation time, so a good balance of doing and doing nothing. Plus we got to visit with some of the Herd, which is always a plus.
We were on the road at 7:50, so a little ahead of schedule. Easy drive back to Phoenix. The overcast makes driving pleasant as there was no glare to content with. Not a lot of traffic in the southbound lanes; more folks heading north. No interesting critter sightings on the drive, but it is still a pretty drive and the big Saguaro cactus are always fun to look at. Traffic picked up a little when we neared Phoenix, but there were never any real slow-downs. As we neared the airport area, I noticed a sign advertising direct flights from PHX to Santa Fe…hmmm, another option for a trip?
We were at the rental car center at 9:30. Exactly 400 miles on the Jeep. We encountered no crowds, no lines and no waiting so we were at the gate at 10:10, which was a pretty quick series of events. TSA pre-check helped although our first set of boarding passes did not work at security so we had to walk to the nearby self-service kiosk for a mulligan. OK those worked. Quick stop at the bookstore for Lynn, scored some Second Nature trail mix for the flight then on to the gate with 40 minutes to spare. Easy.
We chatted about our travels over breakfast. I mentioned to Lynn that this was the last big trip of the year. She had pointed out earlier in the week that this is probably the latest that we have traveled other than for a holiday dinner in Pittsburgh or West Virginia. We talked about where else we might go for a Thanksgiving break. Direct flights from CLE are limited these days. PHX, Las Vegas and LA are the best options, with LA being land, get off the plane and get the hell out (come to think of it, that would be the case for PHX and LAS as well). I think that flying into LA then driving to San Diego would work. Lynn pulled that thread a little more thinking that we could probably fly to San Diego from LA just as quickly and that would allow us to skip the crazy LA traffic. OK, that's an option as well. Something to look at in more detail in a few months, I reckon.
We were back at the house at 7:15 so plenty of time to finish packing and get on the road. A little different look this morning as the blue sky we have had all week was replaced with a grey overcast. Looks like we are leaving just in time as there is rain in the forecast for later today and the temperature will be dropping significantly such that the high on Sunday won't exceed the upper 40s F and it might snow! But we've had a great stay. Right amount of time to get in some nice hikes but still have some relaxation time, so a good balance of doing and doing nothing. Plus we got to visit with some of the Herd, which is always a plus.
We were on the road at 7:50, so a little ahead of schedule. Easy drive back to Phoenix. The overcast makes driving pleasant as there was no glare to content with. Not a lot of traffic in the southbound lanes; more folks heading north. No interesting critter sightings on the drive, but it is still a pretty drive and the big Saguaro cactus are always fun to look at. Traffic picked up a little when we neared Phoenix, but there were never any real slow-downs. As we neared the airport area, I noticed a sign advertising direct flights from PHX to Santa Fe…hmmm, another option for a trip?
We were at the rental car center at 9:30. Exactly 400 miles on the Jeep. We encountered no crowds, no lines and no waiting so we were at the gate at 10:10, which was a pretty quick series of events. TSA pre-check helped although our first set of boarding passes did not work at security so we had to walk to the nearby self-service kiosk for a mulligan. OK those worked. Quick stop at the bookstore for Lynn, scored some Second Nature trail mix for the flight then on to the gate with 40 minutes to spare. Easy.
No issues with boarding even though we were well back in the “C” group. Lynn got an exit row seat, middle seat but more leg room. I snagged a window in three rows behind Lynn, so pretty far forward (16A). We had dumped the backpacks in the overhead bins up around row 4 as the flight attendants said to use the first available space.
While we were taxiing one of the flight attendants made the following announcement: “See that Delta plane off to the right? All the folks on the right side of the plane squish your faces up against the window and we'll show those Delta flyers what a full aircraft is really looks like.” OK, Southwest, I will be flying with you more often. But I only got one pack of Oreos on this flight.
Completely uneventful flight. Clouds almost all the way back to Cleveland. Looks like winter is moving in across the lower 48. But the direct flight was quick. We burst through the cloud deck just southwest of downtown. Very grey. But almost home. We made a wide, left-hand turn over the city to line-up on Hopkins and were soon back on the ground.
No issues getting home. The only delay was at baggage claim as it took a while for the bags to arrive, still just a minor inconvenience. We were home a little after 6:00, unloaded the Edge, checked on the kids (everyone was fine) and headed to Lagerheads for dinner. Nice way to end the trip, munching on popcorn and drinking a beer. The High Five was the best beer of the week!
We spent the time over dinner reviewing the trip. While it was not a long trip it was a lot of fun. We got in some very nice hikes but balanced those activities nicely with plenty of down time. We logged 15.2 miles on the trails (not counting our urban hike in Uptown Sedona) which is not bad for just three mornings for hiking, As for our quiet time, the rental house turned out to be a very relaxing location. Lynn pointed out that we never turned the TV on during our stay in Sedona. I was well aware of that, as I never turn on the TV while on vacation if I can help it. We spent each afternoon in the outdoor space enjoying a beer and watching the birds. Speaking of critters, the list was not very long for this trip, which we expected, but I think we did better than anticipated, particularly with the coyote and javelina sightings. Here’s the list:
While we were taxiing one of the flight attendants made the following announcement: “See that Delta plane off to the right? All the folks on the right side of the plane squish your faces up against the window and we'll show those Delta flyers what a full aircraft is really looks like.” OK, Southwest, I will be flying with you more often. But I only got one pack of Oreos on this flight.
Completely uneventful flight. Clouds almost all the way back to Cleveland. Looks like winter is moving in across the lower 48. But the direct flight was quick. We burst through the cloud deck just southwest of downtown. Very grey. But almost home. We made a wide, left-hand turn over the city to line-up on Hopkins and were soon back on the ground.
No issues getting home. The only delay was at baggage claim as it took a while for the bags to arrive, still just a minor inconvenience. We were home a little after 6:00, unloaded the Edge, checked on the kids (everyone was fine) and headed to Lagerheads for dinner. Nice way to end the trip, munching on popcorn and drinking a beer. The High Five was the best beer of the week!
We spent the time over dinner reviewing the trip. While it was not a long trip it was a lot of fun. We got in some very nice hikes but balanced those activities nicely with plenty of down time. We logged 15.2 miles on the trails (not counting our urban hike in Uptown Sedona) which is not bad for just three mornings for hiking, As for our quiet time, the rental house turned out to be a very relaxing location. Lynn pointed out that we never turned the TV on during our stay in Sedona. I was well aware of that, as I never turn on the TV while on vacation if I can help it. We spent each afternoon in the outdoor space enjoying a beer and watching the birds. Speaking of critters, the list was not very long for this trip, which we expected, but I think we did better than anticipated, particularly with the coyote and javelina sightings. Here’s the list:
Of course the food was great. That’s always a favorite part of a visit to Sedona. Frankie’s homemade Thanksgiving dinner was of course the best of the week, but we did pretty well with the restaurants. We did agree that Serenitie was a bit of a letdown, but we’ll try it again next trip. I’m eating a much better burger tonight.
This was the final planned trip for 2016. It is always great to explore Red Rock Country. I guess that’s why we have been there so many times and just seem to always find a reason to return. I reckon we’ll be back and I can certainly see visiting again during Thanksgiving. Shoot, I often tell Lynn that I’ll be retiring to Sedona and that she is welcome to come with me. I just hope they get the IPA situation sorted out by the time I get there.
This was the final planned trip for 2016. It is always great to explore Red Rock Country. I guess that’s why we have been there so many times and just seem to always find a reason to return. I reckon we’ll be back and I can certainly see visiting again during Thanksgiving. Shoot, I often tell Lynn that I’ll be retiring to Sedona and that she is welcome to come with me. I just hope they get the IPA situation sorted out by the time I get there.