June 15-16, 2012
The drive from Flagstaff to Sedona offers two routes, faster/highway or scenic and winding. We took the scenic route. The driver must be alert and basically miss the fantastic views. Breathtaking views abound as you drive many tight switchbacks descending along steep cliffs until you reach the river below.
We stayed at the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa. Our room had a view of Bell Rock. The kids enjoyed the pool & hot tub. The breakfast buffet was great and cheaper than ordering items individually.
We took a Pink Jeep Tour of the area. The Jeep is used to drive off road and climb and descend where no other vehicle may go. At the top of some of the Giant Red Rocks, we would exit for pictures, the resume the challenging terrain by Jeep. At the end of the tour, we stopped to photograph Snoopy Rock. Definitely add this to your plans when visiting Sedona.
We took the easy, short hike around Bell Rock. Be aware that in Sedona, you need to have a $5 daily recreation pass for hiking or even pulling to the side of the road for pictures. The pass comes with a local hiking map.
We visited Slide Rock Park, which is a spring fed river, where you can sit down, and be pushed downstream, through multiple natural rock "slides". There is also an area to jump from the side - about 8 feet up, into a deeper section of the water. It's very popular, and we had to wait about an hour in line in the car, as they only let in cars for as many parking spaces are available. Each time a car left, they would let one in. Go during the week to shorten the wait time.We ate in the downtown area at The Cowboy Club. A popular place and somewhat pricey but good food. This area is all shops and tourist stops.
On our final night, we visited Blazin' M Ranch. At this Wild West Ranch, we all got to shoot handguns at targets. play horseshoes, take a hayride, and pose for old-time photos. The dinner and entertainment were great. The kids enjoyed the comedy portion of the show, which was Country Western guitar theme, of course. Leaving Blazin' M Ranch, we saw a real Blazin' fire nearby - an abandoned church rectory was fully engulfed. So that was the second fire of our trip.
We planned an early flight from Phoenix, which is just over 2 hours away (3+ on a business day). Along the way, we saw some awesome stovepipe cactus. If you need to refill your rental car's has tank, use a smartphone gas station locator map. The highway has high walls and you cannot see which exit has gas until you've missed the exit.And then Southwest Airlines flew us all home on Father's Day - which is also our Wedding Anniversary. What a great trip!
