Day 2: Sedona - Sunday, March 5th

After a quick continental breakfast in our hotel, we took another Uber back to the airport to get our rental car. We were fortunate to get a free upgrade and found ourselves cruising the streets of Flagstaff in a white Buick Lacrosse with leather seats and a backup camera. Sweet! By the way, it seems like there are a lot more white cars in Arizona than we are accustomed to in Duluth.

The Uber driver told us last night that he was from Sedona but was not going to take the scenic route home because in the dark you can't see fallen rocks so well. This was our first hint at what kind of ride this would be. We knew we'd be going down in elevation and that it was a scenic ride. We were not to be disappointed!

Flagstaff has lots of tall Ponderosa Pine trees. I couldn't help but notice all the large pine cones on the side of the road. Immediately my hunter-gatherer instincts kicked in and I started to think of all the great uses for these sizable cones. They could go on Christmas wreaths, be sold on Etsy, be used for fire starter (dipped in wax), and who knows what else? Plus they are free! And I had room in my luggage. So I collected at every stop. But I digress...

On the road to Sedona (Wow, my hair looks gray!
Must be the desert sun.)

Once we got out of town, the road began to descend. First gradually, and then steeper. It wasn't long before we were going around sharp curves and switchbacks surrounded by high cliffs and deep canyons. We were following Oak Creek and looking down the Oak Creek Canyon. The road was two lanes and often had no shoulder and even more interestingly, no guard rails in spots that really seemed to scream out for them. Or was that Cathy who was screaming? I'm not sure.

There were wide spots to pull off the road to take pictures, enjoy the scenery, and take a few deep breaths before continuing on.

Pictures and videos can't really do this ride justice, so suffice it to say that there were a couple times that I felt short of breath and a couple other times that I feigned a panic attack and Cathy came really close to grabbing the steering wheel. Why do I do these things to her? And she still wants to travel with me. The road looked like this and this and this.

Sedona - Nestled in the Mountains

The trip to Sedona was only 23 miles, but between stops, slow curves, and lots of gawking, it took nearly an hour to finish the trek. The temperature gradually increased as we assumed lower altitudes, until it was in the 50s in Sedona. Perfect weather for walking around town and taking a hike.

The bad news about Sedona is that it's a tourist trap. Not a gawdy tourist trap, but a more classy one. But a tourist trap nonetheless. It seems like every other shop is selling crystals and offering readings from a mystic or psychic of some sort. There were lots of people - even in early March - and you get the impression that the town has the capacity for many more.

Downtown Sedona

The good news about Sedona is that there are 300 miles of hiking trails in the area. More than enough to keep a tourist occupied who is interested in seeing some views. So we did some asking around and every person we talked to had a different idea about the best hike for someone who had only an afternoon in the area. We decided to take the advice of a park ranger-type lady who was hanging around in uniform as a sort of tourist consultant. She suggested Fay Canyon - it was supposed to be off the beaten path, less busy, a moderate hike, and a fantastic view. Perfect!

A Flat and Sandy Trail

She gave us directions on a map to a few potential places and off we went in our snazzy Buick Lacrosse. For some reason, we first went to the wrong place. It was a place she had marked on the map for some unknown reason, but it wasn't Fay Canyon. It turned out to be a gated gravel road that led us about 1/2 mile to a gravel pit and a dump truck. Not exactly what we were hoping to see. Plus it wasn't very scenic at all.

So we recalibrated our route and found our way to Fay Canyon. There were probably 30 cars in the parking lot, which was nearly full. Not exactly a low-traffic spot by my standards, but we were excited to take in the view. We didn't have to hike too far before we started to see why our ranger friend recommended this hike. The canyon walls were visible in the distance and quite impressive.

On the way to Fay Canyon

The path was sandy, sometimes rocky, and overall pretty flat. It was only about a mile to the canyon, so we had plenty of time to stop and enjoy the plant life (Juniper Bushes, Ponderosa Pines, Banana Yucca, Prickly Pear Cactus) look at birds (Scrub Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Redtail Hawks), and say hi to fellow hikers. It wasn't long before we were close to the canyon walls.

At the End of the Fay Canyon Trail

The trail abruptly ended in the canyon among scattered boulders that you could climb to get closer to the walls. There were several other hikers there from England and the United States. It was fun to hear of their hiking adventures. One was kind enough to take a shot of both of us.

It was an easy hike and just enough to whet one's appetite for more of the 300 miles of local hiking trails. But we were hungry and it was getting late.

The cliffs of Fay Canyon

Lunch was at the Whole Foods Market in Sedona. This is the largest whole foods store I've ever seen and they had a great food bar with hot and cold selections. So we loaded up on all kinds of interesting foods with couscous, quinoa, farro, and the like. You get the impression that Sedona is a sort of yuppie, whole foods, crunchy granola sort of place. Just the thing for a couple of hipsters like us!

Surprisingly, the drive up the mountain seemed more nerve-wracking than the drive down. It seemed like some of the corners were suspended in mid-air over the Oak Creek Canyon. This experience was good practice at getting our vertigo under control for Monday, which would be our first day at the Grand Canyon.