We slept in a bit more this morning but got everything together quickly once we got up. It's amazing how fast you can close up camp when it's cold!
We headed south and had our final elk sighting - six cows, right before we left the park.
We charged up and had breakfast just outside of Flagstaff, then took scenic Highway 89A to Sedona. Every scenic route is unique, and this one was no different. It winded down through Oak Creek Canyon, with towering walls going up ever higher as we descended. Our wildlife sighting on this route was a dozen or so pronghorn.
As we approached Sedona, we saw lots of hiking and camping spots - all full of cars. What we didn't know was that Sedona is a very popular outdoors and hiking area. Our plan was to do a hike before lunch and Haley picked one out.
We headed there (Adobe Jack) but pulled in to see the parking lot of five spaces was completely full. Ugh. A quick internet search found another nearby hike. We headed there with little confidence as we saw quite a few people walking down the road in the direction of our hike, but about a mile away. When we got there, we see that there is a line of cars waiting for one of the 14 parking places. We're not waiting in this line, so we decided to head to the Visitor's Center. We stop by Adobe Jack on the way there, and again, still full. We come up with a plan for a new hike and we leave the Visitor's Center to check it out. We stop by Adobe Jack one more time, and bingo, a space! It's not easy to hike in Sedona.
The hike was just right except it was starting to get warm by the end of the hike, and the fact that it was described on AllTrails as "easy" - it was definitely "moderate", not "easy". However, we finished the 2-mile hike in about 75 minutes.
Haley scanned the internet and found a good picnic spot with a view, so we head there. Fifteen minutes later we arrive and are about to pull in when the sign says - Cars $15. I'm not about to pay $15 for a picnic lunch. I asked Haley to find a Sedona city park since I was sure they would be free and have shaded picnic tables. We head there and - success! A nice park with charging, kids playing, a splash pad, the whole thing. We had an enjoyable lunch but found - it's not easy picnicking in Sedona.
We still have time to kill before check-in time at the place we're staying, so we decide to get ice cream and work on our blog. The first place we saw near the park was closed. Haley picked out a second place downtown, but we couldn't find parking. The downtown area was packed and there was little parking. Ugh. Haley picked out a third place at the edge of downtown and - success! We enjoyed ColdStone Creamery and worked on the blog a bit. We even had a great view. Still, it's not easy eating ice cream in Sedona.
From there we head to our Airbnb just outside of town. It's perfect and we enjoyed our first real "normal" shower in what feels like forever, did laundry, and relaxed a bit before heading out for a nice dinner at Gerardo's Pizzeria, an authentic Italian pizza place. They had fantastic wood fired pizza and pasta for our first "nicer" meal in quite a while.
We stayed up late (9:50 - I mean we are real partyers!) and enjoyed a great night's sleep in a real bed.
I think I've finally caught up to your posts! Thanks so much for sharing. I look forward to hearing more about Sedona, as we've never been there. Had always planned to rent a jeep and go 4-wheeling whenever we made it there, but it hasn't happened yet. Hope you had a positive Airbnb experience there. Continuing happy travels, y'all!
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