Arrival in Sedona - a view from our car
Saturday, August 09, 2008 (Tucson - Phoenix - Sedona): I awoke at 4:00 a.m. and jumped right into the shower, the excitement growing with each passing moment. I had to leave the house at exactly 4:30 a.m. if I was to meet the 6:30 a.m. deadline to be at the Hampton Inn Hotel in Phoenix. I love my morning showers and 10 minutes was torture, but then again, it was my suggestion that we all meet at the Hampton Inn, which was the most central location I could think of given the fact that I had wanted on two occasions to spend the night there. All were in agreement and it worked out fine. I left my apartment at exactly 4:30 a.m. and hit the freeway ten minutes later. The ride was smooth with very little traffic headed west of the I-10. Of course the construction zone is almost ten miles long, but that was no impediment in any way. Two hours later I was at the Hampton Inn; Dante, Keith and Dema (I finally got the correct spelling, sorry Dema) were already waiting. FUNNY, Adrian was not there and his phone was turned off.
Dante, Dema, Adrian, Keith and Me
We waited for about 25 minutes before Adrian showed up at the hotel. I was very hungry at this time because I left my apartment without taking even a cup of tea. The lady at the reception area was not very helpful either. Dante had earlier asked her to call Adrian at his house, but the lady was unwilling. I asked if we could have breakfast at the hotel and she said we could not since we were not hotel guests. ‘Can we pay for the breakfast?’ I asked, ‘well I don’t know how much it costs’ the lady responded. Sheer luck on concern on her part, I thought. I went to the little shopping area behind the reception desk and took a pack of Starbust candy. Just about then, Adrian called in to say he had over slept (imagine that)! I immediately told him that breakfast was on him, since he had delayed us • but I did not have to say much because he had told the lady at the reception to allow us to have breakfast.
The group; Keith, Dema, Adrian, Me and Dante
We had breakfast, not the typical American breakfast because there was no bacon, scrambled eggs and pancakes, but I had yogurt, sweet ham and poached eggs, a cup of coffee and I was back to my old self. The party that left for Sedona included me (www.travbuddy.com/africancrab), Adrian (www.travbuddy.com/acowboy), Dema (www.travbuddy.com/demachelles), Keith (www.travbuddy.com/kchrist454) and Dante (www.
By this time, we had lost Dema and Keith
travbuddy.com/intacto)
We left right after breakfast taking two cars for ease of driving. Keith drove his car and we took mine • Dante the designated driver. DANTE, you did an awesome job driving and I was particularly impressed.
Sedona is the home of the well-known red rocks that glow brilliantly reddish-orange when the sunrays hit on them. These breath taking red rocks create an amazing backdrop that inspires senses to a higher level. I remember telling Dante that I, thought an artist would find so much inspiration if they visited Sedona even for an hour. Something sacred and almost spiritual about these rocks and the surrounding areas. Besides these highly elevated red rocks, Sedona hosts some great waterfalls and huge pine vegetation that runs along side the Oak Creek River.
Sign at the entrance to the hiking trails - Call of the Canyon, it's called
When I contacted my party initially I had suggested we take the jeep tours which are very popular and allows one to see a larger area of the canyons. I had red online about the pink jeep tours and the Red Rock Western Jeep tours, both sounded adventurous. One a little pricey that the other. To my understanding we would do the jeep tours as well as hike a smaller portion of one of the trails. But once we got to Sedona, Adrian remembered he head forgotten his wallet (no kidding, he woke up jumped out of bed and got into this car forgetting his wallet but not his Camera: not to mention the camera was not charged). What were you thinking Adrian? Eventually we all had fun deciding to go and hike THE CALL OF THE CANYON on the northern circuit of the creek.
The hike was nothing like the one I did with the Las Vegas travbuddies when we went to the Red Rocks in Las Vegas.
I followed Dante inside the cave, it was very small
This was a casual hike with so much green around, water flowing down the creek, birds singing and pines literally growing towards the sun. Adrian and I got busy having fun, jumping down to the creek basin and shouting up to Dante to take a photograph for TB, lol! Dante faithfully took photographs (actually most of the ones that had Adrian and myself in them), thanks Dante.
I absolutely loved Sedona. I look forward to going back sometime soon
