Hello, I am a Scottsdale, Arizona Native. There are times when I feel like I’ve seen every square inch of this Valley but I forget that there is a lot that my husband and kids haven’t seen. A couple of months ago I decided we were going to go to Sedona for the day. It’s a quick, fun drive especially if you have a cool car! We woke up, ate breakfast, threw on some hiking clothes, put the dog outside and off we went.
Our first stop in Sedona was Snoopy Rock. It’s was so beautiful, the homes, the parks, the streets… it doesn’t seem to end. Then we drove over to eat lunch at Ken’s Creekside Bistro. The owner is a character of a guy. He walked around talking to everybody and telling us stories of his glory days. Our kids thought he was crazy. The best people are, right? Our lunch was surprisingly yummy! I had braced myself for “health food” (being Sedona) but all of the dishes were delicious.
We got back in the car and drove over to Slide Rock. The weather was still a little cold but we all got our feet wet took some stunning photos. About 15 minutes later I had a run in with a green rattlesnake. Who knew? I scared it more than it scared me. I always wondered what a rattlesnake sounds like. Now I know!
After some light hiking we were told by a park ranger to check out the Airport Loop Trail at Sunset. It’s a nice groomed trail that rounds the mountain and it’s suitable for kids. As we hiked around the bend we were hit with the Classic Sedona “Vista”. The Mesa’s in the distance were strait from a postcard, purple, orange, and red, with blue skies and light wispy clouds, just lovely.
Overall, it was a fabulous day! What made me the happiest was that we didn’t shop! The whole day was just nature and family. It really was a dream day trip. We drove home that evening and talked in the car about how we would all design the coolest home in the world with a waterslide, big windows for mountain views, outdoor Jacuzzi, art studio, room for a zip line and lots of dogs, built on top of the highest mountain in Sedona of course! It’s free to dream right?
Deborah Brown
Phoenix, Arizona