Sedona

The Grand Canyon South Rim ~ Snowed in!

shaunaaguirre — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 07:00:30 +0000

We headed out of Sedona for the next leg of our road-trip ~ a night at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Although heading up the 89A to Flagstaff is the slow route, it is also far more scenic. You are able to take full advantage of the pullouts along the bank of Oak Creek. We took our time and while I explored the creek Bryan was able to do some fishing. Arriving at the Grand Canyon South Rim Due to the recent government shutdown, the ranger station was closed and so there was no entry fee to get into the park. Usually it is $35 per car. We took our time getting to the Canyon as is typical of us, pulling over at some of the sightseeing spots and lookouts along the way. We arrived at the park in time to take a drive around the South Rim which allowed us to check out some amazing views and get in a short hike. There are an abundance of pullouts and viewpoints along the route to the west of the village. In addition, the Canyon-view information plaza has hiking and driving maps and they are able to provide plenty of informational resources. In the summer months, you can rent mules to ride to the floor of the canyon. For hiking, the South Kaibib trail is one of the most famous hikes in the US. The trail begins on the South Rim near Yaki Point, and descends to the Colorado River. Elevation change from rim to river is 4860 ft (1480 m), along a 6.3 mile (10.1 km) trail. Because of the unavailability of water and steepness of the South Kaibab Trail, rangers recommend hiking down this trail only. It is recommended that you use the Bright Angel Trail for the hike out. For more information on hiking the Grand Canyon, click here. Bright Angel Lodge ~ Grand Canyon South rim The minute you step into the lobby of the Bright Angel Lodge, you can feel the energy; in fact, it’s palpable. The rooms of the lobby are buzzing. You can watch an incredible variety of people. While some are there to hike the canyon, many were sitting by the fire and enjoying the view, children were running around in a wonderful state of pure joy. Everyone seemed to be elated to be here. There is also an awesome gift shop off the lobby with souvenirs and great historical reference guides. We checked into our adorable historic cabin and headed out on our walk to the El Tovar Lodge for dinner. It started snowing while we were walking, just enough to make the walk magical. The huge fireplace in the lobby of Bright Angel Lodge Our Cabin @ Bright Angel Lodge The El Tovar Dinner at the El Tovar is a must. This is one of the original buildings in the village. Their website states: This celebrated historic hotel which is located directly on the rim of the Grand Canyon first opened its doors in 1905. The hotel was designed by Charles Whittlesey, Chief Architect for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. The Chicago architect envisioned the hotel as a cross between a Swiss chalet and a Norwegian Villa. This was done in an effort to appeal to the tastes of the elite from that era. Back then, many considered European culture the epitome of refinement. El Tovar was one of a chain of hotels and restaurants owned and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in conjunction with the Santa Fe Railway. The hotel was built from local limestone and Oregon pine. It cost $250,000 to build. During that time, many considered it to be the most elegant hotel west of the Mississippi River. In 1987 the Hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark. Overtime it has hosted awesome people like Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Western author Zane Grey, President Bill Clinton, Sir Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, and countless others. Two things happen when you enter the lodge building. First, you can feel the energy of the history of this building and second, you will encounter a rush of gratitude for your good fortune that has brought you here. After our long day of exploring and travel, we headed back to our cabin. It was still snowing and so walking along the canyon rim with the lights reflecting off the snow was mesmerizing. It is such a strange feeling to have this huge canyon on the right that you couldn’t see but you certainly could feel it’s energy. Snowed in This was the view in the morning ~ over 8” of snow had fallen. We were both due back at work on Monday morning, and so we had an early breakfast in the Fred Harvey room. There was so much snow on the road. I told the waiter we were headed out; he said “good luck with that”. Now I know if anyone ever says that to me again, I need to seriously reconsider whatever’s next. We checked out and headed out of the park. The snow continued to fall and because of the government shut-down, snowplows were far and few between. It took us about an hour to go 10 miles and cars were skidding off the road. An hour into it we realized we were risking too much and this was definitely a blessing in disguise therefore we turned the truck around and headed back. I called ahead and fortunately they said we could check back in, so back to the canyon we went. A day of exploring the Village Officially snowed in and stoked! The snow was swirling, the wind was blowing. The Grand Canyon Rail Train was parked at it’s stop by the lodge and made for some amazing pictures! The Grand Canyon Railway The Grand Canyon Railway, is a heritage railroad and makes regular daily trips between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The 64-mile (103-kilometer) railroad, built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was completed on September 17, 1901. The arrival of trains led increased tourism to the area. This made the railway company instrumental in the creation of the Grand Canyon Village to serve guests. Exploring the village We hopped on one of the village shuttles that circulate about every 20 minutes. There are two reasons, we recommend that you do this. First, when you arrive in the park it is a great way to see everything and helpful in getting an overall view of the park. Second, this is a convenient way to get supplies. We rode the shuttle down to the Canyon Village Market , this is a great place to get supplies and souvenirs. While we were on the shuttle, we had the chance to chat with a couple locals of who work and live in the park. It was interesting to hear what their life is like living inside a national park. Since the snow had stopped, we decided to walk the couple miles back to the lodge. The paths were plowed and created a great way to stretch our legs. Bryan threw snowballs at me most of the way back. After a short time on the trail, we stumbled upon a herd of deer so we hung out with them for a little while. There’s usually some huge Elk in the park but we didn’t see them on this trip. When we got back to the village, the sun had just begun to set and the resulting view of the rim of the canyon was spectacular. Exploring the rim is made easy by all of the wonderful look out spots. The contrast of the colors from the sun and the snow and the clouds was incredibly dramatic. This park is such a blessing and we are so fortunate to be able to experience this incredible beauty. Bryan threw a couple snow balls into the canyon that fell for hundreds of feet (that might be illegal!) Sunset on the rim Afterwards, we walked back to the El Tovar lodge and grabbed a booth in the bar, watched some football and had some amazing chili. This is a great place for a light lunch. The view is beautiful and they have plenty of TV’s if you want to watch some sports. Normally we would be out exploring but in light of the snow, this made a great option. Following our meal we discovered there was a guy playing acoustic guitar in the lobby. There is a giant fireplace so we lingered and listened. When we woke on Monday morning, the sun was out, the snow was melting, and thus the roads were clearing. We got an early start so we were able to take the scenic route home. This route not only takes you into the super cute town of Prescott, Az, you also get to drive through some beautiful mountains. As luck would have it, we found an awesome Mexican restaurant, Maya Mexican restaurant so we picked up some green chile burritos and sopapillas for the road home (seriously can’t ever get enough green chile.) Check out our other blogs of Northern Arizona

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Sedona, Az ~ Fishing, meditation & hiking in Sedona

shaunaaguirre — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000

After the whirlwind of the holidays, working, entertaining and enjoying this time, we decided on an impromptu road trip. One of our all-time favorite road trips is Sedona and so we decided to go there and then to the Grand Canyon! We were ready to do some hiking in Sedona! The abundance of outdoor activities and hiking in Sedona make it the perfect place to visit if you’re on a budget. I really love this place so I was thrilled to show it to Bryan for the first time. We had a bunch of back-to-back storms in late December and it snowed the night before. When we dropped into the Sedona valley and saw the palisades and red rock formations covered in snow, we were truly blown away. Even though I’d been here many times I had never seen it like this. The stark contrast of the white snow on the red soil was spectacular, creating a dramatic view. If you are going here with someone who has never been, make sure they are in the passenger seat as you arrive. There’s nothing quite like making the turn on the last bend and seeing the Red Rocks for the first time. We arrived a little before sunset and we were able to spend some time driving around. We checked into our hotel, the Hilton at Bell Rock and it was freezing outside. Fortunately, just adjacent to the bar, there were several outdoor fire places with comfy sitting areas and the fireplaces in the rooms make it super cozy. Dinner at The Cowboy Club is a must! By now, we were starving so we headed out to the Cowboy Club, formerly “Oak Creek Tavern.” Opened in 1946, this restaurant was a regular stomping ground for many of the Hollywood celebrities that shot western movies in and around Sedona in the 50’s and 60’s. The steaks are epic, the bar is super cool and really nostalgic. The restaurant is directly in the middle of town so there’s lots to see. We walked around and checked out some of the art galleries and souvenir shops in the village. We stopped in at Pink Jeep tours to get some off trail info. Due to the fact that we have a 4wd, we didn’t book a tour with them. However, if you are in Sedona and want to get into the off road areas, they have a lot of great tours to offer. The longhorns that hang above the bar are the second largest in history. Ask the bartender or server to tell you about how they came to be the focal point of this bar! Hiking Sedona Early the next morning we set for some Sedona hiking. Due to the fact that it is fairly easy and a great warm up, we chose the Little Horse trail. This trailhead was a short drive up US 179 and is a 4.3 mile round trip hike. The trail wraps up into the canyon has a plateau with spectacular views of the whole valley. The perspectives of Bell Rock & Cathedral Rock are stunning and it leads to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a landmark built into the side of the red rocks. As you will discover in Sedona, there are always several places to leave the trail that offer breathtaking views and almost complete silence. These places make for a perfect place for a morning meditation If you’re going to do a lot of hiking in Sedona, you’ll certainly want to buy the parking pass. It allows you to park at any of the trailheads. If you are only hiking one trail, you can pay at the trailhead. We highly recommend a stop at the Ranger Station where you can pick up maps and get all the park info you need. In addition, be sure to take plenty of water & sunscreen. Finding the right trails Due to the presence of snow, we weren’t sure which would be the best trails to hike so we headed over to Sedona Zen Trail to get some expert advice. The staff here is always super-helpful. We left with lots of maps to hike the front of Cathedral Rock. The bonus of this hike is that it is easy to access and has a substantial parking lot. A short climb provided some spectacular views of the valley. The face of the rock had some snow and ice on it which made it a little tricky but there were plenty of families and non-hikers on the trail indicating it wasn’t too difficult.. If you are hiking this area in the summer, regular hiking boots are fine. In the winter, be prepared for snow and ice. An memorable brief encounter After hiking the rock, we headed off-trail into an adjoining meadow. While I was exploring, I came across a man in his 80’s cross country hiking. I said “Hi” and he obviously didn’t hear me so to get his attention, I waved and it startled him. He stopped and I asked him which way I should go to get back to the trail. He described the washes and arroyos so I knew which way to go. Then, unexpecdetly he said “I hike here daily and I have never seen another person out here.” I said “wow, really?” and we had a nice chuckle about it. It was a brief encounter but a memory that will last forever. Our top 5 favorite places for hiking in Sedona: Bell Rock Vortex hike: There are numerous trails on and around Bell rock. Starting up the Bell Rock pathway you can blaze whichever way you want. Our favorite is to head up the face of the rock. Once you get up to the second or third plateau, the view is great. This hike can be a long or short as you want and the degree of difficulty ranges from easy to hard, your choice. Cathedral Rock : Moderate climb, 1.4. miles R/T 645ft elevation gain. Great Sunset hike. Little Horse Trail: Easy trail with stunning views of the valley, 4.3 miles R/T, well worn trail with minimal climbing. Boynton Canyon Trail: Moderate hike, 6 miles R/T, great vista views of Sedona. Fay Canyon Trail: Moderate, 2.4 miles R/T, waterfalls, natural rock arch, caves. One of the restaurants we visit every time we are in Sedona is Dahl & DiLucas Ristorante Italiano. The food is always amazing. Their choices of pastas, salads, grilled meats and seafoods will make this one of your favorite meals ever. The Caprese d’amore salad and the Pollo piccata are two of our favorite dishes! Our top 5 favorite restaurants in Sedona: Dahl & DiLucas Ristorante Italiano – Dinner – Traditional Italian Cowboy Club – Steakhouse – Lunch & Dinner Los Betos – Mexican drive thru – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner – best breakfast burrito in town. Cafe Jose Restaurant – Southwest Mexican – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Casa Sedona Restaurant – Breakfast only, reservations required On the way back to our hotel, we acted on a whim and drove out the road to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Turned out to be a great call, it was lit up! It was hauntingly beautiful and because there is zero light pollution here, it is stunning! Slide Rock When we were kids we lived in Phoenix and so my Mom would take us up to Slide Rock in the summer. Back then, we would fish and play in the water and picnic. In those days, for the most part, the crowd was mostly locals. I went back a couple years ago with a friend and her kids in the middle of summer. There were so many people that you could barely walk without stepping on people’s towels. I could hardly contain my excitement to be going there with Bryan. I needed some sage and fortunately there are a lot of gem stores in the village making it easy to find. When we arrived at the parking lot we were happily surprised to find it was virtually empty! After a quick stop at the Ranger’s booth and chat with the Ranger, we were off to the creek for some fishing and meditating. We were the only people there… Bryan broke out his fishing pole and walked up and down the creek fishing. I took some private time to meditate and burn some sage and light some Palo Santo. We stayed for a couple hours, exploring the trail along the bank up and down the creek. This quickly became one of my favorite travel moments ever! After hiking Sedona and checking out of our room, we went to my go-to place Los Betos drive thru. They have the best breakfast burritos in town or anywhere ! Leaving Sedona is always very emotional for me and I always immediately begin looking forward to my next visit. On this day, I was eating a green chile breakfast burrito, listening to Natalie Merchant sing one of my favorite songs, “Thank you” and feeling so blessed. Goodbye for now Sedona, can’t wait to see you again!

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