I decided in 2019 I want to see more of the US. The United States is such a beautiful country and as residents, I think we take the abundant diversity of our country for granted. There are so many beautiful sites to see, national parks and historical landmarks to explore, all in our back yards.
My first stop: Sedona, AZ. I had a week off and was contemplating a trip to Anguilla or Mexico and happened across an article about Sedona on the internet. A little research and I found that the Grand Canyon was just a few miles from Sedona. The thousands of dollars I’d save by traveling to a domestic destination just an hour and half flight away made it a no-brainer. I went ahead and booked my flight and hotel through Expedia.
Sedona doesn’t have a commercial airport so you can’t fly directly there. You can either fly into Phoenix and take a shuttle, bus, or drive the 115 miles to Sedona or fly into Flagstaff, which is about 29 miles away. We choose to take the Flagstaff route via American Airlines. They have a shuttle plane from Phoenix to Flagstaff airport, which is super small but so convenient for a trip to Sedona. Sedona is a straight shot from the airport on HWY 89A. We rented a car and made the 45-minute drive.
The drive from Flagstaff to Sedona is beautiful! Though the ride down the mountain is a bit scary, the views are gorgeous. You’ll pass through Sliding Rock State Park. The sandstone formations that tower over the winding road look more like something you’d find in Cappadocia, but this is America. The rocks are filled with vibrant colors and naturally form what look like castles in the sky. I felt so small and was reminded of how old our planet really is.
Sedona is a small town. I learned that there are only 11,000 residents, but they have upwards of 3 million visitors a year. There is one main road that takes you in and out of the city. Uptown is the tourist area, filled with restaurants and specialty shops. Further down the road are residences and local spots. We stayed outside of the (very small) tourist area at the Courtyard by Marriot Sedona. The property is new. The grounds are beautifully designed with a pool, hot tub, outdoor fire place, gazebos and they are currently working on adding a roof top bar. Each room also has a balcony which is perfect for looking out to the rock formations that encircle the area. Sedona is a sleepy town, which means most of it closes at 9, which was perfect because this trip was meant for relaxation. As soon as we got to the hotel we took the coldest nap ever.
The next day we woke up at O’dark:30 for our Grand Canyon tour. Ty from Ultimate Grand Canyon Day Trip picked us up at 7 AM and the three of us along with four other guests headed up the hill (mountain) to the Grand Canyon. We were there during the government shut down so unfortunately, we weren’t able to see all of the designated stops on the tour, but Ty was great about explain the situation and giving us different options to make up for Trumps foolery. Our first stop was Cameron Trading Post. This is a Native American marketplace and resort full of handmade trinkets, souvenirs, dreamcatchers, clay pots and Native American weapons like tomahawks. They even make hand-woven rugs. During our visit I met a lady at the back of the store that was working on one. She told me it would take her six months to complete one. Needless to say the purchase prices of the those rugs were $600 and up. I’m not on that level yet so I just admired their beauty and tipped her for letting me take a photo.
After the trading post we continued our journey to the Grand Canyon. The higher up we got, the colder it started to get. It was cold cold—and windy. The second stop on our tour was Little Colorado River Gorge. Wow! Talk about out of this world! I never knew we had natural wonders in the US like this. It was like looking down onto the set of Avatar. The huge crater was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years and covers hundreds of miles, extending out from the Grand Canyon. As we were driving to the lookout our tour guide brought to our attention the lines in the rocks above us that looked like water lines. He explained that they believe the Colorado River used to extend to those rocks. Looking down into the gorge however the river looked like a tiny stream. I couldn’t even imagine the water being high enough to reach the rocks above the road. The mysteries of this earth are so amazing. I was definitely geeking out.
We spent about 20 minutes at the Colorado River Gorge because as I mentioned, it was cold COLD. The wind was getting crazy, and by that time and we were all ready to get back to the heated van. We continued our trek to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. As we approached however, our driver got word that the roads within the park were closed due to bad weather. It had begun to snow at this point and the roads were getting slick. We were all disappointed with the news but Ty let us know he would continue on the road to the Grand Canyon until we reached the closure in hopes that it would be reopened soon. We eventually made it to the park, and as the dispatch said, the road was closed due to an accident earlier in the morning. There was a lot of snow on the road and the wind was blowing really hard, so I personally was nervous the whole ride up. The ranger told us the road would be reopened within about an hour. Near the entrance of the park was a small market place with a coffee shop and restaurant. Ty decided we should have lunch here and wait for the road to re-open. Lunch was included in our $170 tour fee, so he paid for our Navajo tacos, soup, sandwiches, chips and drinks. A Navajo taco is basically a regular taco on flat bread. It was…something.
During our wait we spent some time in the lookout tower taking photos and gazing out over the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is grand for real. It’s huge and vast. It covers so many miles you can’t even see to the end. My thought while looking over the edge of that cliff was “this world is freaking huge!” followed by, “this drop off looks terrifying and there’s no guard rail so let me step back and stop playing with my life”.
After lunch we jumped back into the van and got great news that the road was open and we could proceed! We stopped at several lookout points with the most beautiful being the last. The sun was starting the go down and rays were peaking though the ridges making for some amazing views and photographs. Ty let us know nature was giving us a real show that day as the sun danced through the canyon. I agree! It was breathtaking. Man, everyone should do themselves a favor and visit the Grand Canyon. You realize that this earth is much greater than us. it was here long before us and will be here long after us. Our lives are just a little blip compared to the plant we inhabit. Living to 100 is great but can you even fathom a million?
Before we left we stopped at El Tovar Resort within the park and enjoyed some cocktails. Bartender Anthony made us a Steamer 29, which was a mix of Kahlua, Bailey’s Hennessey and coffee. That was a one hitter quitter for me. On our way out of the park we encountered a mouse! She was so beautiful and definitely knew we were admiring her. She literally stopped traffic by slowly trotting into the middle of the road, stopped for a little bit to hit a few poses and then trotted back into the woods. Yas girl—we see you!
We made it back to our hotel around 6:30 PM. The day was long but I do feel we got $170 worth of adventure.
The next day I wanted to explore the spiritual world of Sedona. The area is deeply rooted in Navajo tradition and is known as a spiritual and energy center. There are several energy vortexes hidden within the rocks with one of the most well known being Stupa. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit Stupa on this trip but I did make my way to the Center for New Age for a tarot card and energy reading. I’ve had tarot card readings done in the past and I am always amazed at how closely what the cards reveal to the reader relates to where I am in life and reconfirm what I’m already feeling. The energy reading was more like a guided meditation. I am not a meditator, so this exercise was really great for me. It helped me have a greater understanding of how to align my spirit with my will—if that makes sense.
Later in the afternoon we enjoyed some site seeing while driving through the neighborhoods, then had “linner” at Mariposa, and enjoyed some Mariposas, which is the restaurant’s signature cocktail. They were goowdt! This is a Latin inspired, woman owned (whoop whoop!) fine dining restaurant with a beautiful patio overlooking the hills, complete with fire pits and an international wine and cocktail list. We enjoyed some small bites since they weren’t serving dinner yet, which turned out to be more than enough. They were also goowdt!
The next day we were headed home, once again waking up at O’dark:30 to drive up the winding hill back to Flagstaff. I am so happy we left when it was still dark outside because driving and being able to see how far my car would roll if we were to go down a cliff terrifies me!
Sedona was great! There is so much to do there that I didn’t get to experience like wine tasting, the spas, helicopter rides, hiking the energy vortexes, Antelope Canyon, ATVing, and rock climbing. With regard to nature, you name it, Sedona’s got it. I wouldn’t say Sedona is built for the turn up however. I didn’t notice any bars and like I said, the city pretty much shuts down at 9. I’m glad we went during the winter because despite the cold, it was relatively empty and hassle free to get to all of the best overlooks at the Grand Canyon (with the exception of the snow of course) and the city was pretty much ours. There wasn’t any traffic or crowding. Our hotel was also much cheaper than it would have been during high season. It was cold and extremely windy however at the Grand Canyon. My wig almost blew off at one point. Literally—it came up off my head and I had to catch it before it below away, so make sure you’re secure sis.
Thanks for reading!
-Khristal Talyse
