Sedona.
Arizona.
For my last trip #specialweekend trip in my 30s, I decided to make it a full week and to go to Sedona.
I always try to incorporate a trip around my birthday and thought it’ll be a great place to go.
These trips of mine are to explore and to celebrate myself. It started a few years ago when I went to Chicago by myself back in 2010.
The years prior, I don’t remember what I did or if I did anything.
But now, it’s a thing I try to do every year.
Now it has grown to be something that includes nature and hiking. I don’t get enough of that in my life in this concrete jungle where I live.
Nature helps me relax. It’s my meditation. It’s my Zen.
Sedona.
Arizona.
Nature.
Instead of driving to Sedona, which is about 7-8 hours, I decided to fly instead.
It’s a reasonable trip to drive. I’ve driven further, to Flagstaff for example before, but opted to fly and rent a car to finish the last two hours instead.
I’m trying to get out of the mindset of needing to drive everywhere for these types of trips. it started a few years ago when I flew into El Paso to go to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
It’s a way to break out of the mold and to find different means of travel.
In hindsight, I could have driven, and it would have been okay, but it was fine that I flew.
Sedona.
Arizona.
Overall, I enjoyed it.
It was a much-needed break from work.
It was a much-needed meditation break to recenter myself and destress from everything that is going on at the agency.
It was the perfect getaway.
I think I did everything that I had planned to do.
I hit up all the vortexes to get my spiritual energy on.
I hit up some of the most popular hikes in the area.
I had some good food.
I even did things that I wasn’t expecting, like drive through a snow and hailstorm.
I did some wine tasting and did many touristy things.
I did everything.
I had an amazing time.
I slept well and most importantly, I feel relaxed, which was the point of the trip.
Day 1:
The flight to Phoenix and drive to Sedona was uneventful.
I checked into the Hotel & Resort and right away made my way to the first Vortex, Bell Rock.
The trail head was just a quick 1/4 mile away and I could see it from my hotel.
The weather was great, not too hot and not too cold. The sun, blazing.
I started the hike close to 4pm. I walked the mile to Bell Rock and then started the climb. It was kind fun to climb on Bell Rock and explore. It wasn’t too steep or dangerous. It wasn’t like Angel’s Landing in Zion. Manageable. Easy.
It seems like that’s the theme of Sedona, climb the attraction.
According to the map, Bell Rock strengthens both the masculine and feminine energy, and the balance. I know that I felt calmer and relaxed while I was there. I’m not sure if it was because I’m on vacation, relaxing, or the energy.
But it felt great.
After the climb, I decided to extend my hike to the Courthouse Butte trail. It’s right there and I wanted more miles. It was an easy and long trail back to the trailhead. One giant loop.
There, I turned my ankle a bit, but thankfully it wasn’t too bad. I had to ice my ankle that night after dinner, knowing that I had almost a full week of hiking to do. I didn’t want to fuck it up anymore.
After the hike, I took a quick shower and went to dinner. Elote was my plan, but it was closed, so I opted for a recommendation by the hotel. It didn’t look good when I got to downtown Sedona, so I went to another restaurant, Saltrock.
That was much better. They had a great street corn dish. Very similar to the elote street corn dish I made a few times. The pork shank was good but needed more salt and that tres leches cake was good. Very interesting. The fruit was a great addition, but the fruit jam or sauce needed to be presented in a different way.
Overall, it was a great start to the trip.
Day 2:
This was the first full day in Sedona. This was the day that I planned to do the most, in terms of doing the most things, hiking the most places.
I had planned to do the following:
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Airport Mesa
Devil’s Bridge
Boyton Vortex
Cathedral Rock
Red Rock Crossing Vortex
Red Rock State Park*
I already knew it was too ambitious and I was right. I had to remove a few of these.
I got to Cathedral Rock at around 7 in the morning. It was an interesting hike.
This one followed the theme of çlimb the attraction. Overall it was an easy climb, but there were a few spots that were a little tricky if you were carrying a lot or don’t have good grip on your shoes.
I packed my camera in my bag when I was climbing up, since I didn’t want to bang it against the rocks while I was climbing.
I got to the top and chilled. I enjoyed the views, snapped my pictures, and just relaxed. I tried not to rush myself and just enjoy the hike and to soak in the Vortex vibes.
Cathedral Rock and Red Rock Crossing are both filled with Feminine energy. It’s all things good. I need good things in my life. I need good vibes in my life.
Soak it up.
Soak it up.
I started down the rock and got to the main trail and followed it down to the creek. Apparently on my google maps, that’s where the Red Rock Crossing Vortex is.
It’s an easy hike with a slight descent down to the valley. Wasn’t too strenuous. I was alone for most of the hike while hiking down. I got to “spot” and just rested. I got on a giant rock on the creek and sat and ate my breakfast. I chilled.
I felt energized. I felt calm.
I felt great.
It’s amazing what a little nature can do for you. It’s amazing what getting out of the city and enjoying the lush greens and the outdoors can re-energize your body and soul.
Peace.
Tranquil.
Solitude.
Zen.
It was time to go. I had so much to do. I enjoyed my hike back to Cathedral Rock and that’s when it got busy.
People were littered all over the rock, waiting for their turn to climb up or down. I was glad that I got there early.
Next stop, Devil’s Bridge.
This is one of the more popular hikes in Sedona, because of the picturesque views and, you are standing on top of a “bridge” and everyone wants to get their photo taken.
The hike was easy. It’s a quick 3.6-4 miles round trip from the overflow parking lot that is close to the main road. The main parking lot is about a mile in, but you’ll need a high clearance vehicle to drive up the dirt road. Everyone just walked it instead.
The interesting part of the trail was the ascent. You’ll need to climb up these makeshift stairs to get to the top of the ridge. Not too hard, but you’ll need to watch your step and be careful. It’s narrow and if you slip, it could be bad.
The top was crowded. That’s where many people are waiting in line to get on top of the bridge to get their picture taken. Many who are afraid just sit and watch, relaxing and resting up for the hike back down. I asked a couple to take my picture for me when the line was short.
Overall, it was a good hike with a great view of the area.
Instead of going back to my car, I decided to go to the info center at the main parking area. There I met a few older ladies who were interested in the hike. I told them that the trail to the bridge, the one I took wasn’t very picturesque. It wasn’t. You’ll get better views taking the longer trail. It turned out to be strenuous. Not sure if they took my advice or not. I felt bad after I realized that, but I was already gone.
Next stop, Boyton Canyon Vortex.
The area was down the road a few miles. That’s where the main spa resort is. I missed the turn and went in a different direction but managed to find my way back to area. The whole hike through Boyton Canyon was 2.8 one way. I decided just to go do the vista instead. That was a closer 3/4 of a mile hike. Maybe even that round trip.
The hike was easy. A small include up to the vortex and from the top you can see the whole spa resort. It kind of ruins the view, but that’s all right. It was a quick and easy and I got another Vortex under my belt. One more to go.
At this time, it was around 11:30. I did all of this well before the afternoon. My next hike will be Airport Mesa.
I got back to the parking lot and that’s when my car issue started. The damn fucking rental won’t start. I don’t know what the problem was. Was it too hot inside? Brake issue? Starter? Batter?
I had no idea. After about 10 minutes of trying, the car finally started. I’d been paranoid of my car ever since.
I stopped in for lunch at a restaurant on Hwy 89A before I headed to my last hike. At that moment, according to my Fitbit, I was at 12 miles already. A rest, a burger, and a beer were warranted. I fucking earned it.
Airport Mesa.
Airport Mesa. It was probably the messed-up hike of the day and probably my trip.
Overall, the hike wasn’t hard. The views of the valley were amazing. It was just the hot sun pounding down on you and the fact that I lost the trail.
The trail at one part was just badly marked. You come to a T and you can go left or right. The path both look well maintained. I went right. Wrong. I think I wandered around for 30 minutes trying to find my way and then I backtracked and took the other route and there was the fucking trail sign. Should have put it at the T.
By the time I finished, I was drained. I was done hiking. 16 miles. Done and done.
I went back to the hotel. It was about 4pm or so. I showered, put up my pictures and took a fucking nap.
For dinner, I went to the Italian restaurant down the street from the hotel. Overall it was good, not great. The meatballs were good. I pasta, was all right. It was interesting, something that I wasn’t expecting. Tiramisu, good, not great. Standard.
But what I really enjoyed about the place was the service. It was good service. But I don’t know whether it was because I was so fucking relaxed and so Zen about everything, but I thought the situation was great.
I haven’t been that relaxed or felt that rested and not stressed in so long. It was amazing.
Even my experience with the hostess was different. Maybe it’s her or maybe it’s the trained service, but she was very very hospitable. I thought that she may be flirting with me, but I wasn’t sure.
I walked in and she stopped me at the front door. She may have finished showing someone to the door and I told her I would like a table for one. She said sure and she’ll show me to my table in a bit. I sat and there were other hostesses at the front podium inside the restaurant. I think my hostess went to the back to take off her coat or something. She came back and showed me to my table outside.
As I was sitting down, she asked if I’ve been to Sedona before and all that jazz and then she went and asked for my name. That was a first for me. No hostess has ever asked for my name for a walk-in and she shook my hand. She told me it was her favorite restaurant in Sedona before she started to work for it.
She was cute. Blonde. Maybe that helped set me relax and set my mood for the night. But again, man, I haven’t been that relaxed in a long time.
Maybe it was the vortexes.
Maybe it was the long hike.
Maybe it was me being on vacation.
I don’t know, but fuck, it was an amazing feeling.
Day 3:
The last day of hiking in Sedona.
I planned to do the West Fork Trail that day and moved the things that I couldn’t finish from the day before to it too.
Red Rock State Park and the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
I did some research of the Chapel of the Holy Cross the night before and to my ignorance, I thought it was like a rock, but it was an actual Chapel. There’s a short hike to it from some parking lot or I could have taken a longer trail. I haven’t decided what to do but knew that it was on my list of things to do that day. It came at the end.
West Fork Trail.
I know that this is one of the popular hikes of Sedona. It’s a hike where you follow the Oak Creek and have to cross it 13 times before you come to the end.
The trail was about 6-8 miles round trip, depending how far you go. I went as far as I could have gone. I woke up and left early in the morning, hoping to beat the crowd. Unfortunately, it doesn’t open until 8AM.
There was another car ahead of me and then another showed up later. I decided to wait, since I got nothing going on and then they decided to let us park near the entrance and to just pay the fee and put it in an envelope. I was fine.
I got in and started my hike. For me, the hike was about 4+ miles one way. It was easy. Pretty flat and the water crossing was fun.
The sights were beautiful. It was a very very beautiful hike and I was glad that I managed to do it.
But holy fucking hell, it was fucking cold. I had to hike with my hoodie on the whole time. Cold.
When I got to the end, I rested. I chilled by the little creek eating my breakfast. Relaxed. Zen.
Solitude is bliss.
Tranquil.
Quiet.
On the hike out, I passed by so many people. There were so many groups on the trail. It is a very very popular hike. I’m glad I got there early in the morning and was the first in. I can’t imagine waiting in line during the crossings.
Red Rock State Park.
It wasn’t until I did some research about the park that I realized how small the park is. There’s only a combined 5-6 miles of total trails in the park.
Small.
Very small, but there were some good and easy hikes here.
I love combining trails and doing a giant loop and that’s what I did.
I finished my first hike by combining three trails together and then I decided to finish the other trails that I bypassed. I think I got close to finishing all 5-6 miles of trails in the park.
Again, small.
But worth the trip.
The hike was all in the sun. No shade. Very little shade.
Off and gone, my last thing of the day, Chapel of the Holy Cross.
I decided not to hike it but instead just drive up to it.
I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was interesting to see the church built on the cliffs of the red rocks. Beautiful. Just beautiful.
The chapel is small. The first level is where the service is held, and underneath is the gift shop.
Just down the hill from the Chapel is a giant mansion. Not sure who’s mansion it is. I wonder if it is the pastor’s? I guess we know where all the donations are going, if it is the pastor’s.
I lit a candle and said a prayer. I’m not religious, but it doesn’t hurt, right?
It was back to the hotel, shower, and nap.
Elote was for dinner.
No reservations and it opens at 5pm.
I got there at 5 and the line was out the door already. Apparently, people arrive at 4:30 and wait in line to get in at 5pm. Should have known.
It was about an hour wait for me, which worked out great because it meant I was eating closer to my normal time of eating.
Overall, the food was pretty damn good. I got the Elote corn dip and the deep-fried goat cheese balls. I do have to say that the Elote I had at Saltrock had a little more flavor and spice than here, but still good. The fried goat balls were great and then I got the pork cheeks for dinner. That was damn good. One doesn’t normally see pork cheeks on a menu. You must order it.
For dessert, tres leches ice cream over a corn cake. It was good. Not great.
Overall, a good experience.
I then went back to the ice cream shop near my hotel for another dessert.
It was my last night in my 30s. Fuck it.
Fuck it was right.
Fuck it.
Day 4:
My #specialday.
Petrified Forest National Park.
It’s my last day of nature adventure.
It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Sedona to the National Park and it was an eventful drive.
I got out of the door like on most days, like a quarter after 6:30 in the morning. Instead of following Google Maps, I took what I knew, 89A north. Might as well finish the Oak Creek Drive to get where I needed to go.
What I wasn’t expecting was the weather taking a turn for worse from what it was the day before.
It was beautiful the day before. That day? Not so much.
About 20 minutes into my drive, I got to patch where it was snowing. It was fucking snowing.
That patch was about 10 minutes of my drive. I honestly thought about turning around and say, fuck it. But I was on the road and I remembered the weather at the park and it was okay.
I soldiered on.
The snow wasn’t bad. I was more worried about the visibility than anything else. It was dry snow and not sticking to the ground. Soon, I broke through and the drive was smooth sailing from there, until I exited early.
Again, I didn’t follow the instructions but followed the signs instead. In hindsight, it turned out to be a blessing.
I didn’t know what to expect at the park. I thought it would be a National Park like Yosemite, where you go, park and do your thing. Nope, not much.
It’s a drive through park, something similar to Canyonlands, Capital Reef, and Crater Lake National Park.
You can enter through one entrance and then out the other side without having to backtrack.
I entered through the back entrance. I stopped by the Visitor Center and spoke to the guides on what to do.
Easy.
Drive through. There are many stops along the way and then leave.
Easy.
The park was cold. The fucking wind really killed it. Strong winds. Cold. There were times when it had hail and the dry snow.
Not a good day, weather wise to go to the park. It made me not want to really explore, but since I’m here, I soldiered on.
Soldier away.
Overall, weather aside, it was pretty good day.
The park was interesting.
I don’t know why they called the whole thing Petrified Forest National Park though. There weren’t too many petrified forests.
There were, but not forest like. They were scattered throughout the park.
The petrified wood was pretty cool, all petrified into many different crystals and colors.
The rest of the park were views of Painted Hills. It would have been a better name.
The east half of the park, the painted hills were purple. The west was more red.
The best part of the park was being able to walk through the purple painted hills. That was awesome.
Of course, I ran across some Asian tourists and they went off trail.
Ugh.
But overall, it was a good day.
I left the park around 1:30 and got back to the hotel close to 4pm.
Of course, the weather was the same on the drive back. There were some hail and snow.
For dinner, on my #specialday, I decided to go to the Steakhouse instead. I thought about Mariposa, but it was just too crowded. The couple from Seattle that I sat next to at Elote said it was good, but expensive. They were seated at the bar since 4:30 and they couldn’t order dinner food until 5:30.
So, The Steak House 89 it was. Overall, it was okay. The food was okay. The steak was just okay. It was chewy. Like really chewy.
I wasn’t expecting it to be chewy, but it was.
After dinner, dessert. Gelato. It was great.
It was a great caper for my birthday.
Day 5:
Playing tourist.
On my full day in Sedona I decided to play tourist. No hiking. No nature.
Be a tourist in the city and do whatever touristy things you do while in Sedona.
It was my first day of sleeping in also.
My first stop, Jerome. I took my time driving up to the city. I really didn’t have anything planned so I played it by ear.
I drove up, parked, and then went to get breakfast. I knew I was going to do some wine tasting that day, so I needed something to fill my stomach.
After, I went to the Jerome Historic State Park. It was a small little house museum type thing that showed the history of the city. Jerome, the biggest little ghost town of the states. I watched the little video about the city, and it was interesting.
It’s an old mining town and when the mining boom slowed, the town slowly died. Now it’s just a kitschy touristy area.
Overall, it was pretty chill. After, I went back to the city and just walked. I explored like I normally do and then I tried some wineries.
I tried two while I was there. Arizona wine is really really different from California wine. Smoother, lighter, it seems.
Very different. Not many bold notes or flavor that I’m used to.
Just different.
Then I drove back to Sedona. The city was packed with tourists. Finding parking in their many limited free parking lots was time consuming.
I didn’t know what I was going to do either, so I just explored. I walked the small strip, finding stores, and things that interested me.
I knew I was going to get some crystals for Naga and possibly for myself and get an Aura photo.
I got something that I knew was fitting for me in terms of crystals and what I thought would be fitting for Naga. She said she liked it. She’s into that type of stuff.
I didn’t know what to expect when it came to the aura photo. I thought they’d put me in a dark room with some gadgety camera to pick up whatever lights that they think is necessary to put an aura around me. I’m sure that is some of it, but I wasn’t expecting to put my hand on an electro-ball-sensor thing to feed off my energy.
It turns out my aura is blue. Which is what I thought it was anyway. I think I made a post here a few months back about what I thought my aura was when I went floating.
Speaking of which, I think I need to go again.
I got like a 30-page report that discusses all the different colors and something that is catered more towards my color. It’s pretty much what I expected, knowing me and who I am. Overall, not bad.
Next, a psychic.
I didn’t think I was going to do it. I think it was by happenstance and possibly accident that I did. I wanted to check out what was upstairs at this little strip mall thing. I walked up and an old lady saw me and started to get up. Fuck. She saw me and I was too afraid to turn around.
Turned out she was a psychic, so I said fuck it. I got a 15-minute reading. It was a tarot reading.
Instead of all my other readings that I got, when she asked me what I wanted a reading on, I told her whatever. General. I’m open to anything. I usually would ask for love. But I was going to buck tradition and be like whatever about love.
I didn’t know what I was expecting, but from the first card, she told me that whatever big thing I was working on, the spirits or whatever energy she was tapping into said that it is going to work out okay. The project will be a success.
So, I’m guessing from that reading, my database project where I’m knee deep in will work out okay. Everything will be great. The project will be a success.
I’m fucking ecstatic about that news…if it is true. But, I’m open to any energy that is going through me.
Calm. Relaxed.
So, the rest of the reading was mainly geared toward my life and work and project. The project will be a success. I have an opportunity to be an entrepreneur on whatever it is that I’m working on. I am a “consultant” for the media department, so that is kind of like it.
I need to tap into my artistic abilities so I can relax and meditate and get answers if I’m stuck. I need to get out of my head and stop thinking so much and let whatever flow, flow through me.
I do need to take some breaks and get away into nature to relax and reenergize which I try to do as often as I can get away.
For the last card, I pulled a Giving/Receiving card. She asked me if I’m a giver? and Yes, I seem to be a giver, rather than a receiver. I need to start allowing people to give me stuff and to receive stuff from other people. I need to nurture that side of me, so it doesn’t get blocked. Balance.
Be open.
Touristy stuff. Last day.
Psychic readings, aura photos, and crystals.
Sedona.
Vortexes and energy.
Calm. Tranquil. Solitude.
It was much much needed.
After, I was done. I was done exploring Sedona. I was done playing tourist. There wasn’t much to do afterwards.
I drove back to the hotel and read my little aura profile and took a nap.
For my last dinner, I went cheap. I went simple. I didn’t want to drive or explore, so I went to a Thai place that was within walking distance. Simple pad thai and a duck dinner.
Simple.
Simple.
The next morning, I went home.
Done and done.
Another year down. Another #specialweekend and #specialweek trip in the books. It was my last one in my thirties, welcoming me into my forties. A new decade.
A new number.
It was a great and meditative and calming trip. Something that I hope my forties and my future would be.
Calm.
Balanced.
Me.
Bring it.
Mumblings of a Hermit 隐者 