Sedona
June 3, 2019
It took us 3 days from when we left NH until we reached our first destination: Sedona, AZ. On the afternoon of June 3rd, we arrived at our campsite at the top of Oak Creek Canyon. The access road looked more like a trail, with its giant bumps and divots. The van was very low to the ground, but Hunter expertly navigates us into the first site. The campsite was not completely flat, which we were constantly reminded of by the sliding drawers and tilted bed. After a short run to check out the view of Oak Creek Canyon, we used our camping shower, which was a rather chilly experience.
June 4, 2019
Today it was a very memorable day. We started the day with one morning mishap; overnight the Garmin and my camera had fallen into the sink, which still had a puddle of water in it due to the incline that prevented draining. Luckily both devices were fine once we dried them off. After breakfast we headed towards Sedona. The switch backs down into the canyon were fun, if not a little bit scary. Seeing the houses in the bottom of the canyon was weird. What are unique place to live! As we got closer to Sedona the views continued to amaze. I had never seen red rocks before, and they were incredible. We headed to the Cathedral rock Trailhead and lathered on sunscreen before we headed out into the 80° weather. This hike was only a mile round trip which was a good start for us; we were still getting used to the heat and the sun. Hunter is susceptible to sun poisoning, so he mad good use of his sun hat! I had also never seen a wild cactus before, and we saw lots of prickly pears on our way up to the rocks. We encountered some lizards as well, which blew my mind even more. The southwest sure is different from New Hampshire. The view between the two rocks at the top was like I’ve never seen before; the red coloring of the rocks contrasted with the green shrubs that dotted the landscape was beautiful.
Later in the afternoon we jogged to Devil's Bridge. We were definitely on the well traveled path, and encountered lots of people on our way. The arch was so unlike anything I had ever seen before - I could have stared at it all day!
When we headed back into town for lunch we couldn't get to the gelato place fast enough! We walked around the cutest little square with fountains and shops. We were already out of water in the van tank, so we needed to find a place to refill. We did a bit of research and found that there was a Spring located at the bottom of the canyon. When we arrived we found an old man filling up his water as well. He told Hunter that there are springs like this all over Arizona, and it’s the best water you’ll ever taste! It was indeed very refreshing. When we were filled up we took off to our next destination: the Grand Canyon. We were given specific instructions by various members of my family that our first view of the Grand Canyon had to be Shoshone point at sunrise. So, we didn’t drive into the park today. We found an awesome campsite about a mile from the entrance of the park. We headed to bed early in preparation for our 3:30 AM wake up time for sunrise the next morning.
Today was special, visiting Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. I have heard about these places a lot from my parents and grandmother who have visited them in the past. It was special to get to see this beautiful place and imagine my family in the same town, years earlier viewing the chapel or finding and exploring caves. I’m so lucky to have this travel experience this summer, and to have a family who has had impactful adventures and who appreciates all the beauty in our world.