Sedona

They say - "God created the Grand Canyon, but lives in Sedona".

And that is so very true. A small charming town surrounded by the red rocks with a wide range of outdoor sports/adventures, restaurants to help you slide into a food coma, beautiful golf resorts and affordable shopping options - this is definitely a perfect weekend getaway spot! Well, actually you will need more than a weekend to do justice. We were there for 3 days in April and the trip felt really short to explore everything this town has to offer.

Flying into Phoenix, Sedona is a good 3 hour drive from there. But we chose the longer scenic route which basically just takes you through the desert filled with tall cacti at first and then you go onto miles and miles without any sign of life. The desert has its own weird kind of beauty (as long as your car doesn't break down in the middle of it)!

We stopped at Jerome for lunch. It's an old gold mining town which is now filled with haunted buildings, haunted stories and some good eating options. Every street, restaurant and shop has an interesting tale to tell you! English kitchen is a great stop there to have some delicious bbq lunch and enjoy the views of the Wild Wild West.

Most of our day was spent driving through this deserty-scenic drive, but if we had to do it again and if we only had a 3 day trip planned, we would skip the long drive and head straight onto Sedona, though Jerome was fun!

Here are some of the highlights of our trip from Sedona:

1. The pink jeep tour
One of the most talked about adventures in Sedona is the pink jeep tours - it is kind of like a roller coaster drive up the red mountains in a jeep for 2 hours and thank goodness we did not have a heavy lunch at Jerome. We stomachs (and we) were definitely jumping on our seats on the tour. We took the broken arrow sunset tour and was so much fun!!! Definitely a must do for everyone who goes there!

2. Watching the sunset
After a lot of internet research, we found this to be an ideal spot to go in the evening to watch the sunset. Here is a link to the exact location - Crescent Moon Picnic Site. There are some stunning views on the drive to this place as well and we couldn't resist stopping and taking a few pics! The park has some picnic benches and short trails to spend a leisure evening.

 

We got a perfect view of the setting sun rays falling on the Cathedral rock and waited some more to see a fierce full display of colors in the evening sky.   

3. Chapel of the Holy Cross

At the Chapel of the Holy Cross we enjoyed 360 degree views of the red rocks and admired the architectural marvel of the church. 

4. Tlaquepaque and local fairs

Retail therapy always works wonders! While T caught his TV session and an afternoon nap, I loved shopping at the local fair hosted by many local artists and walking at the beautiful Tlaquepaque!

And here is all the shopping I did (except for the Eucalyptus leaves!):

5. Chasing the sunrise

We were so lucky that it was a full moon night, and we were able to capture the setting moon and chase the rising Sun on Sunday morning! We went back to the Red Rock Crossing road and were just in time (thanks to T's driving) to watch a beautiful sunrise in the valley.

We also enjoyed a delicious dinner at Elote Cafe (worth the 2 hour wait!) and my favorite was the lunch we grabbed at Red Rock cafe's patio overlooking the rocks.  Unfortunately, we did not have the time to fit in a hike up the bell rock, but we will save some for the next visit!