Tag: Arizona

A weekend in the wild, wild west: Sedona, Arizona

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Hiking the Red Rocks of Sedona: May 28 – 31, 2015

Mike and I had planned to be in Nepal hiking the Himalayan mountains during this time, but unfortunately there was an awful earthquake and aftershock two weeks before our trip. Naturally our trip was cancelled and we began the long process of dealing with travel insurance. Since both of us already had the vacation time approved, we decided to take a quick trip to this isolated desert town to check out the hiking. My parents, brother, and his family had already been in the past year and raved about the beauty of the area, so we decided to check it out.

I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking, but long story short, check out Broken Arrow Trail and surrounding trails! I highly suggest a day trip to Sedona if you have a layover in Phoenix for a day. Hiking gear/boots not required, simply comfortable clothes, a jacket, and plenty of water!

File Jul 21, 14 50 29File Jul 21, 14 50 54  7AM flight to Phoenix, curiously we arrived at 7AM local time. Drove 1.5 hours to SedonaFile Jul 21, 14 57 52    File Jul 21, 14 55 59 Views of the red rocks on our drive in   File Jul 21, 14 54 09 File Jul 21, 14 53 14File Jul 21, 14 53 48  File Jul 21, 14 52 13Brunch at Red Rock Cafe, a local favorite. It was so good we went back the next morning to get their famous giant cinnamon roll after our sunrise hike to Coffee Pot Rock.

Hiking Broken Arrow Trail 

File Jul 21, 13 00 43File Jul 21, 12 51 10Start of trail head                                                                                   File Jul 21, 13 00 20 File Jul 21, 12 59 51  File Jul 21, 12 58 09File Jul 21, 12 57 34 Agave parryi (Century Plant) // dead wood // lichens grown near a Cairn // resilient treeFile Jul 21, 12 56 47Views of distant Munds Mountain Wilderness                            File Jul 21, 12 52 11  File Jul 21, 12 50 23  File Jul 21, 12 58 58Devil’s Dining Room (sink hole-100ft deep)  //  trail markers   //   tiny Cairns File Jul 21, 12 55 20File Jul 21, 12 53 33File Jul 21, 12 53 59File Jul 21, 12 54 43File Jul 21, 12 49 39

 Dinner at the famed Elote Cafe

File Jul 21, 15 43 18File Jul 21, 15 44 16 File Jul 21, 15 43 58File Jul 21, 13 01 17File Jul 21, 13 01 58 File Jul 21, 13 01 38    Green Chile Enchiladas // Pulled Chicken Mole Enchiladas

Sunrise summit up Sugar Loaf to catch an early morning look of Coffee Pot RockFile Jul 21, 13 08 51Setting out on the Tea Cup trail with views of Thunder MountainFile Jul 21, 14 20 20East Turn with views of Thunder Mountain (left) and Coffee Pot Rock formations (Right)  File Jul 21, 14 28 06File Jul 21, 13 02 23File Jul 21, 13 07 06File Jul 21, 14 27 28 Streets leading to Sugar Loaf/TeacupTrail Heads // topographical map  // desert bloomsFile Jul 21, 14 21 50File Jul 21, 14 22 14Summiting Sugar Loaf. Cheering his victory while I sing “The Circle of Life” from Lion KingFile Jul 21, 14 24 17The sunrise was totally worth getting up early!File Jul 21, 14 23 59See the formation on the far right – it looks like an old camp percolatorFile Jul 21, 14 27 07File Jul 21, 14 25 33Enjoyed some refreshing quiet time and reflection in the cool of the morningFile Jul 21, 14 29 20File Jul 21, 14 29 36Woodstock on top of sleeping Snoopy // Snoopy’s nose/ears (left) and his belly/feet (right)

 Riding a Pink Jeep Tour through Diamond Back Gulch

 File Jul 21, 12 29 44File Jul 21, 12 36 46   File Jul 21, 12 34 57Our Driver     //        Fossil imprints of coral on top of a mountain         //     Old private landFile Jul 21, 12 33 47File Jul 21, 12 34 18Watching an afternoon rain shower sweep across the distant plain  File Jul 21, 12 32 03File Jul 21, 12 32 44Three Camels climbing the hill                    //                    One ^ Two ^ Three^     File Jul 21, 12 29 19File Jul 21, 14 28 52

Sunset Summit up Cathedral Rock

File Jul 21, 12 38 41First landing on the climb up. Wire cylinders filled with rocks roughly mark the path    File Jul 21, 12 47 07File Jul 21, 12 46 03File Jul 21, 12 44 07File Jul 21, 12 47 38“End of Trail” //  “Organ Pipes” // hardy vegetation  // gazing from back of Cathedral Rock File Jul 21, 12 45 14File Jul 21, 12 43 01File Jul 21, 12 42 33File Jul 21, 12 37 38Evening fades as we make our descent revealing deeper blues and a rising moon

 Last morning shopping in Uptown Sedona 

File Jul 21, 14 31 08File Jul 21, 14 29 56File Jul 21, 14 33 51Local art education center // wrought iron statue & mural // Local shop decorFile Jul 21, 14 32 57

Last morning hike to Bell Rock with views of Courthouse Butte

File Jul 21, 14 47 58File Jul 21, 14 39 18File Jul 21, 14 46 53File Jul 21, 14 40 41Courthouse ButteFile Jul 21, 14 46 29 File Jul 21, 14 45 08File Jul 21, 14 43 46File Jul 21, 14 44 47File Jul 21, 14 37 26File Jul 21, 14 42 31Until next time, Sedona!