A Weekend in Sedona

As soon as we moved to Arizona, we knew that Sedona was high on our bucket list of places to visit in the area. It is known is its large red rock formations and lots of hiking and mountain biking, so of course we had to go asap. Last year we skipped out annual February weekend away because Lou was so little, but not this year! So for Valentine's Day and Dustan's birthday, we drove up to Sedona for a long weekend with some friends.

Typically I try to write a blog post about our trips soon after we get back so I can remember everything, but unfortunately life got a little crazy. So here I am, writing about the trip way after the fact. Details will be a little sparse, but there will still be lots of pictures, as always :)

We drove up to Sedona, which is only a few hours from Tucson, on Valentine's afternoon. The drive was rather uneventful, though there was a lot of fog as we drove into Sedona. The fog blocked some of our views of the red rock formations. We first went to our adorable airbnb and checked in. Some storms rolled in, so we went ahead and put Lou down for a nap and ate dinner together afterwards (a very exciting grilled cheese dinner haha). By that point, it was just a sprinkling a bit, so we decided to go on a short hike near our airbnb.

The hike was beautiful! It was called the Teacup Trail. We wandered through some muddy paths among cacti and red rock. We still coudn't see a lot of the tall rock formations from clouds and fog, but what we could see was so majestic! We hiked for about two miles total. About halfway through our hike, the rain returned! It was dumping for most of the rest of our hike, which was actually really fun and wasn't too chilly. Eloise was totally happy the whole time, and stayed drier than both of us.

Our new Tucson friends, Dan and Cami, arrived that night to the airbnb. The next day the boys got up early and did some mountain biking together. They road the Hiline Loop via Slim Shady (mountain bike trail names are hilarious) and loved it! It was about 11 miles total and had a bit of everything: awesome views, techy climbing, and amazing and challenging descents.

Afterwards, we ate a yummy pancake breakfast before heading out on a hike! We hiked along Soldier Pass to Brins Mesa, a big loop that was almost seven miles. We first passed by an area called the Seven Sacred Pools, which would have looked even cooler if the pools weren't so foamy. The red rock in the background was stunning though!

The trail winded through some formations and around cacti and through lots of red dirt. We climbed up onto a plateau for some lunch and Lou loved running around and making us all nervous haha. From there, we continued on the hike back to our cars.

After cleaning up at our airbnb after the hike, we went to the Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village to do some window shopping of all the fancy stuff we would never buy. Once again, Lou loved running around and being chased through all the courtyards.

Afterwards, went out to Thai food (a group favorite). Though the food was good, we were rather disappointed with the service, which was ridiculously slow. That night, we hot tubbed at our airbnb--which was so hot that we literally almost could not stand to be in it--while watching some comedy acts.

The next day was Dustan's birthday!! Dustan was very happy to start his day with another mountain bike ride with Dan. Our airbnb was in a great location and they were able to just ride to the trails. They did the Sedona Bike Park first then headed over to Adobe Jack and Grand Central. They got about 10 miles in that day and really enjoyed it for a quick morning loop, though it wasn't nearly as awesome as the other riding.

Afterwards, we attempted to go out to breakfast at a local place in town, but the wait was ridiculous, so we ended up at a yummy chain instead, which was fine. After, we headed to another famous, Sedona hike, Devil's Bridge. Overall, the hike was just under five miles. It started off on a dirt road for the first couple miles almost. It was sprinkling, but the weather was fabulous for hiking otherwise.

After hiking on the road for a while, we finally started climbing. There was a decent amount of elevation gain (about 500 feet) in only about half a mile. It was steep! Much of it was like steep stairs. Once we gained most of the elevation, we hiked along an edge before reaching the Devil's Bridge. It was very impressive, and reminded me of the many natural bridges in Moab. But it was quite wider than it looked, so after waiting in a short line, we even got a picture standing on the bridge! It was awesome.

We went out to Dustan's favorite for his birthday that night, sushi. Dan and Cami were so wonderful and paid for Dustan's dinner. We stopped by a bakery and bought some cheesecake for dessert and enjoyed it back at our airbnb while we played games.

Sunday arrived and it was about time to go home! We attempted to go to church, but apparently it was Stake Conference, so we arrived at the wrong place and at the wrong time. So instead, we decided to visit a famous church built into the mountain, the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It was a short stop, just enough to walk around the chapel and peek at the gift shop.

Then it was time to drive home! What a wonderful weekend exploring Sedona! We can't wait to go back again while we live in Tucson! Hopefully it will be soon :)