Travel Stories: Sedona
(page 1 of 3)
 |
The Red Rocks of Sedona are one of the Wests best kept natural secrets |
Day 1: First Impressions
We departed from the Phoenix International Airport on Thursday afternoon after spending an unbelievable amount of time obtaining our rental car. The two-hour drive to Sedona that afternoon was enjoyable (at least after getting out of the Phoenix airport traffic). The first visuals of Sedona were huge red rock mountains through our front windshield; we stopped at the first “scenic lookout” and took a couple of photos. The sky was crystal blue and was an amazing backdrop to the red rock mountains. The warm sun and dry heat were a welcomed change to the cloudy, barely 40°F weather we left behind in Springfield. Jon and Kathy Risdal, fellow Springfieldians, were spending three weeks in a three-bedroom vacation rental home in Sedona and invited us for a visit. The vacation home was in a subdivision, with mature landscaping and a mixture of adobe-style and mission-style single-family homes. From the home’s covered patio and hot tub, you could see majestic red rock formations, such as the Cathedral Rock, the Court House, and the Chicken Point.
Upon arriving at the home, we opened a bottle of wine and spent time catching up while we waited for Deb and Doug Jackson to join us. The Jacksons had only recently moved from Springfield to Phoenix to open the Butler Rosenberry & Partners western office, and now they lived a couple of hours southwest in Buckeye, Arizona. Our first night, Kathy and Jon grilled marinated pork chops with roasted rosemary new potatoes, and what can I say, the meal was mouth-watering! There’s something about being on vacation in the desert and someone else cooking dinner on the grill. The meat is more tender, the salad fresher and crispier, and the wine more intoxicating!
Later that night, we marveled at how close the stars seemed. The clear sky allowed the bright lights of the stars to shine like diamonds. The evenings cooled down to the 60’s at this elevation and this time of year, so we were very comfortable in light jackets or sweaters. After stuffing ourselves at dinner and finishing off a couple more bottles of wine, we retired for the evening. We had a seven-mile hiking trip planned first thing the next morning!
Day 2: Hitting the Trail
The sun comes up early in the desert, so we hit the breakfast table by 7 a.m. Again, Kathy outdid herself creating an egg casserole and fruit to get us off to a good start. Kathy and Jon are avid hikers, as are Deb and Doug—the Schwabs, not so much. But we had been conditioning ourselves the weeks before our trip, and both couples agreed they would go easy on us. So, we packed our backpacks with water and energy bars, laced up our hiking boots, lathered on the sunscreen and loaded up in the SUV. On the way, we stopped at a local market and bought sandwiches to eat for lunch. After a short scenic drive to Boynton Canyon, we arrived at the Templeton Trail where we, along with Jon and Kathy’s dog, Barney, hit the trail.
At the start of the hike, the sun was warming up, but we were still comfortable in our long sleeve shirts and hiking shorts. The hike was a vortex site—approximately 3.75 miles each way—and it started at approximately 4,500 feet elevation and ascended to an elevation of 5,000 feet. The trail was largely packed red clay, making it easy on our Missourian feet. However, I think the last 30 minutes of the hike we climbed 150 feet straight up! After a short rest at the top, we headed back down a short distance and paused on rocks to eat our sandwiches in the shade. All of us marveled at Barney’s stamina. With legs the length of Popsicle sticks, he always led the way.
Email this page
Print this page
