jill_h

After I eat your dust and iamq's dust, I'll post my trip report as "Ditto - see smetz' and iamq's TR" it will save me a lot of time! Sounds like a great trip; makes me even more excited about my upcoming trip.

smetz

LOL, jill - have you been to that part of the US before? Neither DW nor I had, and we just found it to be amazing country. When and where are you going?

iamq

Never having been to Sedona, I am anxiously awaiting that portion of the trip...as well as the rest of it.

Your photos of Antelope Canyon are gorgeous.

jill_h

Smetz- I have only been to the south rim of GC about 26 years ago. We'll be visiting Monument Valley, GC, Zion and Bryce (about 10 days worth) the early part of Sept. So hopefully most of the visitors/traffic/kids will be gone and the temps not so HOT! We're not early morning people so that could play against us, but we'll do what we can. This trip is for pleasure - not to see how much we can get done in the shortest amount of time.

smetz

Thanks iamq, I wish I had taken the time to figure out how to take panoramic shots with my camera like you did - very impressive, and of course a worth subject for a panorama!

Jill I'm sure you will love your trip - Monument Valley is a great idea. I was just watching one of Andrew Zimmern's shows on Travel last night, and it was about Arizona. Lots of the footage was in the Monument Valley area, and it looked really beautiful. Some other areas we wanted to get to, but just didn't have time were the Painted Desert and Sunset Crater - but I guess that makes a reason for another trip right?

smetz

Sedona:

We had arrived when the sun was setting (still not really sure what time it was), and checked into Las Posadas of Sedona, which is located in the Village of Oak Creek, about 15 minutes south of the city of Sedona. I say checked in, but the office was closed, and they just taped our room key to the door of the office in an envelope! I guess their crime level is a little below Baltimore's! At that point I recalled that I had requested a second floor unit & was really hoping that they could not accommodate us, but alas we were on the second floor. Those bags seemed heavier this time, but we made it in the room, and it was great! Large living room with a kitchenette, separate bedroom with a very fluffy king bed, and a huge bath with double sinks, a large tile shower with a glass enclosure and a soaking tub. The finishes were very nice, and the furniture was extremely comfortable. Plus, they had left a very nice cheese and fruit platter in the small fridge! I was liking this place.

We showered & checked the info resources in the room, and made a few phone calls, only to find out that most of the restaurants in the area were either closed on Monday, or were already closed for the evening. The closest place, Cucina Rustica, which was right across the street, closed at 9, and it was about 8:45. We had found a place in Sedona that stayed open late, but by this time it was very dark, and we weren't looking forward to the drive. So we stopped at Cucina Rustica, and they were happy to have us even though it was almost closing time. We both had excellent salads, DW had ziti with mushrooms & chicken in a creamy pesto, while I had a wide pasta with a mushroom ragu. Their outdoor patio is beautiful, even though they are in a shopping center, and dinner was excellent.

The next morning we got up about 8:00 & went to the breakfast served at Las Posadas. It's just an inn of 45 rooms, but they employ a chef who serves breakfast every day. He's a very engaging guy, and they provide a three course meal, with the first course being yogurt, fruit and granola that you serve yourself. Then the chef serves two more small courses, one sweet and one savory, both delicious! We definitely felt ready to start our day.

Both the chef, Daniel, and the manager, Jeff, recommended a hike up to Cathedral Rock, which was not far from the inn, so off we went. Let me tell you, Sedona is stunningly beautiful! The area has rolling hills, punctuated with gorgeous red sandstone rocks, buttes, and monoliths at every turn. We were so mesmerized, Mesmer would have been proud.

Both Daniel and Jeff had recommended a trail that started on Verde Valley School Road, and proceeded along Oak Creek around the back of Cathedral Rock, then hooked up with the main trail that headed up Cathedral Rock to a promontory between a number of monolithic spires. There is also one of Sedona's famous vortexes up there, so we would presumably be able to soak up the energy after we poured ours all out during the climb.

It was a hot day, and due to our late start, breakfast, and planning, it was probably about 11:00 when we got started. The trail was hot and dusty at the start, but soon moved down to the river, which was very pretty. Making our way on the trail around Cathedral Rock took some time, but it was an easy, though hot, hike. Finally, we made it around to the other side of Cathedral Rock, and it was time to start the ascent. This was interesting, because you really are going up rock, and there is no defined trail. They would like you to keep to one path though, so it is marked with cairns made from sandstone rocks inside round metal cages, about a foot in diameter and two feet high. It is all uphill, on deep colored red rock, and there are areas where you have to scramble, and some where you have to go up crevices using your hands and feet as braces. It was fairly strenuous, and took some time. Plus it was pretty hot, and we had only brought about a liter and a half of water each, which was just barely enough. We both really wished we had brought more, probably two or three liters would have been more like it.

We made it to the first promontory at about 1:00, and the views were wonderful, as was the nice breeze blowing up from below. There was more to go, however, and we had to go along a ledge for a hundred or two hundred feet, then scramble up rocks again for about 50 to 100 feet to the final spot attainable, between two monoliths known as the bride and groom. This is where the vortex was. The views were outstanding, and we sat up there for a good 20 minutes or so enjoying the view, drinking and resting. We also chatted a while with a lady about our age from Connecticut, whose husband had endured three periods of unemployment in 20 years or so, so they just sold everything, bought an RV, and were driving around the country deciding what to do next. Interesting the people you meet at places like this!

Well, DW pooh-pooh'd the vortex, but I must say that I felt very energized after being up there. We scrambled back down the rock, walked around, and stopped to cool our feet in Oak Creek, finally making it back to the car. Another 4 hour hike, and two more blown minds because of the incredible scenery in this part of the country!

We were very thirsty after that trek, so we headed up to Sedona to check out the Oak Creek Brewery in the Tlaquepaque (I'm sure I misspelled that) shopping center. Good beers, if pricey, and then we walked around the center, and even bought a few things at one of the shops.

Then it was back to the hotel for a shower & rest. We went out to catch the sunset that night, at Bell Rock, and again we were just stunned by the beauty of Sedona. As the sun went down, the red rocks took on a richer and richer color, and it was just beautiful.

Here are some pictures of our hike and the sunset:

http://picasaweb.google.com/11298432...tTripSedonaAZ#

That night we decided to dine at Elote Cafe, which is in a motel along Route 179 near the south end of Sedona. It is a mexican restaurant (Oaxacan, I believe), and the food was outstanding. It was quite crowded, even though we arrived at 8 and they were due to close at 9. We didn't get seated until 8:45 or so, but the 9 o'clock closing time must only apply to seating. Let me tell you, we chowed down! We shared two appetizers, one mixture of grilled corn, queso fresco & spices, spread on tortillas, the other a Mexican version of tomato caprese with sliced tomatoes, shredded cheese, radishes, jalapenos, and a tasty dressing. Then DW had a nice spicy halibut, while I had stewed pork with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, etc. All washed down with pomegranate margueritas (her) and a local pale ale (me). We are from Baltimore, so our we may not be the best judges of mexican food, but this was undoubtedly the best we had ever had! The waiter was quite impressed with our hollow legs, though I should add that DW could not finish her entree.

The next day our plan was to go north to Walnut Canyon National Monument near Flagstaff, which was an abandoned cliff dwelling site, but DW was already saying she wished we had more time in Sedona, and I was inclined to agree.

smetz

Our next stop was Walnut Canyon National Monument, which is about a 1 hour drive from Sedona, off of I-40 near Flagstaff. We drove up through Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona to Flagstaff, which was quite beautiful, and involved an elevation climb of about 3,000 feet. Near the top, there is a scenic overlook park which provides good views of the canyon, which is wooded, resulting in a very different look than the other canyons we had seen so far. This park also has a large number of native hand craft stands, and so we were able to shop and DW bought a few items of jewelery.

Then it was on to Walnut Canyon, which was fascinating. The occupants left about 800 years ago, and the park has restored some of the original dwellings, which you may walk around and into, after descending something like 187 steps to the one level of the valley you are permitted to go to. But you can look all around, and see that the valley is lined by hollowed out limestone cliffs under which they constructed the dwellings. The history of the place, the mystery of the people, and the ability to see the dwellings up close was captivating. Definitely worth a one hour drive up from Sedona. Pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/11298432...ionalMonument#

iamq

more please?

spirobulldog

smetz, Painted Desert is one of my least favorite areas in the southwest. I am enjoying your report. I have read a little about Walnut Canyon and it looks interesting. Maybe sometime.

jill, while I wouldn't rate Capitol Reef high on my list, September would be a nice time to visit it, just for the Orchard. You can pick all the fruit you can eat for free and pay a small amount if you want to take some with you. The drive between Bryce and Capitol Reef is considered the best drive in the southwest by a lot of people.

smetz

Thanks for the nudge, iamq, I seem to have been taking too long of a break here!

spiro, thanks again for you pictures of Zion while I was planning - they were very helpful. As impressed as we were with Sedona, both of us agreed that Walnut Canyon was worth the trip. We definitely plan to go back again, so it's good to know that the Painted Desert is not high on your list.

Hershey

Loving this report. As I mentioned on imaq's report, I plan to do a version of this trip soon. Both of you have given extraordinary information and pictures.

smetz

That's great, Hershey, based on our experience, I'm sure that you will absolutely love it out there. The only problem you'll face, I'm sure, is deciding where to go, and what to do.

smetz

Well, that afternoon, following our trip to Walnut Canyon, we decided to stop in Oak Creek Canyon, which as I had mentioned is quite beautiful, and take a hike known as "The West Fork", named for its location along the west fork of Oak Creek. We had heard that it was a particularly beautiful hike, fairly level, and in shade. This all sounded good to us, since we planned to rise very early the next day and head toward the Grand Canyon for another big hike (Kaibab Trail), and we wanted to save our legs.

The trail starts out at a parking lot off of Route 89A, about 1/3 of the way between Sedona & Flagstaff. It is a national forest, but for some reason our annual national park pass was no good there, and we had to fork over some of the green stuff.

As you start out on the trail, you pass the site of a movie set that was built in the early 1900s, I believe, where a silent (I think?) western was made. The ruins include what looks like a bunk house, and a faux mine entrance in the side of a cliff. Rather interesting. Continuing along the trail, you basically meander through rather thin forest along the stream, while the trail switches back across the stream itself. There were a number of spots where hikers had stopped for a swim or just to cool their feet. This was a pretty hike, though I would say that the woods are not as picturesque as those back east. That said, the fact the stream is occasionally lined by canyon walls that appear to range up to about 500 feet made for some nice views.

I had two complaints about this hike, though. The first was that it was 90% sand. I don't mind walking in sand, as long as it's on the beach, and there is a cooler waiting at the end. But a couple of miles in hot dry weather is not really my cup of tea. The other is not really a complaint - while the views were nice, we come from an area that is nothing but forest (except where it's been cleared, of course), and all the hiking that we did to get ready for this trip, over the past three months, was through the woods. So in hindsight, I think we would have preferred sticking with a trail that involved mountains and rocks, since that is really what we came for.

After finishing the hike, we continued the drive down toward Sedona. Along the way you pass Slide Rock state park, which we had heard about, and really sounds like fun. Apparently this part of Oak Creek has a long slippery rock surface that people can slide down, ending in a pool.

That afternoon we had reserved for doing a little shopping in the main shopping district of Sedona along 89A at the north end of town. It's basically about a 3 to 5 block strip of nicely designed stores and restaurants on both sides of the street, with lots of parking. Everywhere we went was very nice, and we were able to buy some very nice jewelery at a store specializing in Native American products. We also stopped at the Cowboy Club, one of the better known restaurants in Sedona, for a late lunch. We shared chips and cactus salsa, as well as a bowl of buffalo chili, both of which were very good! They serve buffalo steaks there, which really intrigued me, but was a little much to eat at that time of day.

That evening we wanted to hit the sack early since we were heading to GC the next morning, and since we had built up a pretty good cache of leftovers at prior dinners, we stayed in for dinner. The small kitchen at Las Posadas came in very handy, and we not only had leftover pastas from Cucina Rustica and DW's leftover halibut and some tortillas from Elote Cafe, but also the appetizer that Las Posadas had placed in our fridge (crackers with a home made cheese spread). DW used the halibut & tortillas, along with some salsa that came from somewhere, to make some very tasty fish tacos. All in all a pretty good meal. We hit the sack long about sundown (at least we didn't need to know what time it was for that!), set the alarm on the cell phone for 4:30, wishing we had more time in Sedona, but also excited to head for the Grand Canyon.