Arizona driving distances aren't like Maryland driving distances. Stuff is spread out. The good thing is in between is a whole lot of rocks & trees and very few people. Keep that in mind while I retell our weekend travels.
Saturday we wanted to go back to Sedona. Last time we went to Sedona, it was after we visited Jerome. So driving to Sedona we went from west to east. I forget what road we took. It was a pretty drive with the mountains in the background and they got bigger as we approached the city. Leaving Sedona we took 89A back to Flagstaff. That is 1 spectacular drive. But we wanted to save that for the way home.
So the game plan was to drive on the interstate as far south as possible then attack the city from the south. Our karma held out because there are some awesome views south of the city. The forest service was having some wildfire prevention exhibits, most geared towards children. But their parking lot was an excellent spot to take our first series of mountain pictures.
Closer to town the scenery got a whole lot better. There are a bunch of scenic view pullouts on the side of the road. We stopped in 4 or 5 of them before we even got to town. The town itself is a mecca for people who dabble in things like fortune telling and mystic type activities. I can understand why those types would be drawn to the rusty red rocks of Sedona. Artists and hippies are others that find that Sedona calls to them. Like Flagstaff, Sedona is a foodie nirvana. You can find pretty much anything edible that you desire. But you will pay for it. Sedona isn't inexpensive.
Once we stopped taking pictures, we arrived in Sedona proper. Sedona would be the result if Gatlinburg and Jackson Hole procreated. It's touristy and things are a bit on the high end. Native American jewelry is popular. You can purchase a saddle. Those of you with a kinky side can get a riding crop to fulfill your fantasy(ies). Vrai is starting a refrigerator magnet collection. But she has to put them on the oven door since the refer door in the RV is actually plastic. I fully support her collection as weight is an issue for us, so the lighter the better. I thought about getting a native American flute but I still haven't learned how to play the harmonica I bought a few months back.
Our snack on Saturday was an appetizer platter that included duck wings. I'm a big fan of roasted duck with super crispy skin. Back when I worked in food service, 1 of the place I worked at served a half of duck with an orange grand marnier sauce. I could eat that once a week. Our waitress filled us in on what it's like to work and live in Sedona. Rents are outrageous and many workers have chosen to live in Cottonwood and drive in daily for work. She also indicated that she felt all the mystic people were preying on gullible tourists and didn't provide anything of value. I tend to agree with her. But as Board Mommy is fond of saying, if people are going to be stupid, someone should make some money off of their stupidity.
After we did a thorough walk around downtown we headed home. Our route was 89A. I wish I could transport all the adventurous people I know to this destination. Pile all of us in a van and head north through the Coconino National Forest. Vrai had a few beers with lunch, otherwise she was suppose to drive us out while I sat in the passenger seat while we drove along the steep drop offs that lead to the canyons below. Again we were a few minutes late for 1 of the scenic views. They close the gate at 5pm and both trips we missed getting in. But truth be told, the entire drive in 1 gigantic scenic view.
Safely back home, I was tasked with finding something for us to do on Sunday. My choice was to go up to Sunset Crater National Monument. That's a story for another post.
coffeepotsedona.com
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