Rough Ride

We spent Labor Day weekend in Sedona and it was AMAZING from the moment we checked into our hotel until the moment we had to leave.  The drive there took about seven hours including a Cracker Barrel stop for breakfast.  I am very grateful to MJ for driving us the entire way there and back.  I really try to be a good road-trip partner and I only fell asleep one time.  It was raining when we got there, but we didn't see a drop after that.   We had four nights there and it should have been plenty, but I got a bad case of red rock fever and didn't want to go home.  Then again, I never want my vacations to be over.

I have to include multiple pictures of where we stayed because the place was just so nice to look at.  I was in awe as soon as I flung open the door.  We've stayed in nice places before, but the attention to detail at Sedona Summit is exquisite.  In the bathroom, the water closet was behind a heavy wooden sliding pocket door with a dark bronze handle.  The shower was enormous, the tiling intricate and the super deep textured sink was the color of a brand new shiny penny.  There wasn't a typical stand alone closet in the bedroom, but there were a total of three wall cabinets to hang clothes.  To compensate, the wooden bed was designed so that larger items like shoes and luggage could be stored underneath.

The kitchen and living room were equally gorgeous.  Granite, stainless steel, stone tile everything and pretty wooden cabinetry.  In the living room, the wooden ceiling beams, ceiling fan, fireplace, unique wall art and wood trim details were amazing.  Even the window coverings in each room were nice to look at.  This place really had it all.  More important than aesthetics, the place was clean and spotless.  I was so impressed and we hadn't even gotten to the mountains yet.

The town itself is positively quaint and idyllic.  There is a city ordinance that requires every building to fit the theme and look of Sedona right down to the McDonald's arches.  They are green instead of yellow in Sedona.  The town is nestled in the foothills of gorgeous red rock mountains which loom majestically in the background and are visible from every location.

The mountains are stunning.  They are dry as a bone, but just as relaxing and calming to look at as the ocean in their own way.

On our first full day there we did the Rough Rider Canyon tour with Earth Wisdom along Broken Arrow Trail.  The off-roading section.  It was rough and rugged as promised.  On the way there, we gained some elevation on a paved road until it abruptly ran out and things got bumpy pretty quickly.  We were the only ones on this tour so we had the whole jeep to ourselves to bounce around in.  The pink jeeps are cute and all, but I found a Groupon for a much better price and didn't lack for anything on the tour.  The red jeep got us where we needed to go and our guide Zac was very friendly and informative.  He took us to the very tip top of the trail beyond a gate where a lot of tours end and the views were amazing.  I was a little bit nervous about just how rough the ride would be, but it was fine.  I held onto the cross bar almost the whole time, caught air a few times and managed to hit my elbow on something which only hurt for a few hours.  Other than that it wasn't anything too crazy.  It is definitely not something I would recommend for anyone who is fragile for any reason.

It was a cross between Mad Max and the Wild Wild West out there on the trail.  Tom Cars, ATV's, dirt bikes, motorcycles, SUV's, bicyclists and pedestrians converged in an organized dusty cloud of chaos that I would want no part of driving myself in.  This area is open to private vehicles, and our tour guide has seen sedans and mini-vans trying to make it up there which sounds positively insane to me.  There are some serious boulders along that trail and vehicles moving every which way.  MJ says he'd be game to drive it, but I would probably manage to drive myself off the mountain if I were behind the wheel so I was happy to leave the driving to the professionals.

The tour was just a little bit over one hour and thirty minutes but felt like much longer.  It was plenty of time to enjoy the experience and we both had a great time.  My body felt a little worn out from all the hanging on and bracing. 

I went from having gone to Whole Foods once in my life to going three times in one day.  We went once in the morning to pick up something for breakfast.  Another time on the way home from our jeep ride to get water and a third because after the pool we were hungry but didn't want to go out to eat. We sat outside on our patio and pigged out on the goodness that is Whole Foods before settling in on our cozy couch like two bookends to watch a movie.

Our Sedona vacation was off to an excellent start. 

Hiking Sedona.

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