Alex and I were fortunate enough to tag along with the crew at E.M. Motors Boise & Launch Vans on their trip to Sedona for the 2021 Overland Expo (West). What an adventure it was! Neither of us had been to Sedona or the Grand Canyon so we were excited to experience all these places had to offer an adventurer. Add to that was the opportunity to get Vannah out on a long road trip as well!
Our trip took us from the E.M. Motors lot in Boise to Las Vegas and then on to Sedona the following day. The drive was uneventful (thankfully) and mostly freeway driving…not a ton to see but it was pretty driving through the pass outside of Vegas. This stop allowed us a place to rest and throw down a couple dollar bills in the casino. None of us are gamblers so after a run into the I Love Sugar store and dinner at Chayo Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar (highly recommend the pineapple habanero margarita!), we hit the hay to prepare for our drive to Sedona.
Driving through the Lake Mead Recreational area and into Arizona looked a little like what I imagined Mars to look. Alien-like landscape that was interesting and beautiful in its own right. This landscape gives way to a more flat landscape with mountain peaks breaking up the flat horizon.
The closer to Flagstaff we got, the more forest-y it became. This reminded us a little more of home and we spotted many areas we want to go back to on another trip…lots of good boondocking spots in the Flagstaff area!
Flagstaff is at about 7000 feet and Sedona is at 4350 feet. Dropping down and seeing the landscape change to a beautifully colored backdrop was incredible. We took I-17 in and when we left several days later we took the more scenic route via 89-A. Still, never having been in the area, Alex and I were constantly “ooohhhh”-ing and “Oh my goodness”-ing the entire time. The red rock the area is known for is gorgeous when you see it in person.
We stayed in the Village of Oak Creek so didn’t go all the way into Sedona the first day. We found our AIRBNB and broke out our bikes to bike up Valley Verde School Road a couple of miles. We were very close to several trail heads, one of which was the Baldwin and Templeton Trails that lead up to Cathedral Rock. We stopped there near the creek and took in the stunning view. The sun was starting to set as we rode back to the house for dinner and the colors were incredible. Alex made some delicious ahi with spicy ponzu for dinner and we stayed up to watch the moon rise into the night sky.
The next day we rode our bikes back to the creek and trailhead. We could not get enough of the scenery and the weather was perfect. While the crew went into Flagstaff for the expo, Alex and I drove into Sedona. Wow. I mean…..WOW. More red rock structures rose up from the valley floor. We passed by Bell Rock, Courthouse, and Chapel of the Holy Cross on our drive in. We parked and walked along the street (89-A) looking out over Munds Mountain Wilderness to see Munds Mountain, Camel Head Rock, and Snoopy Rock, and other rock formations. Along the way there were informational signs you could read and learn more about the area. We read about the vortex energy – energy that is both electric and magnetic depending on the spot and said to help people find balance in life, live in harmony with nature, and walk the earth with grace.
The red rock the Sedona area is known for comes from the iron oxide layer deposited in the rocks. Did you know the red/orange colored sandstone is found only in the Sedona vicinity? The beautiful rock formations we see today were formed by erosion from wind, water, and sand washing over the rock. Hard to believe the area started out as soft mud and sand…over 300 million years ago.
We read about how Sedona got its name which was interesting. It was named after the wife of the city’s first postmaster, who was Theodore Carlton Schnebly (TC). Sedona Arabella Miller Schnebly’s mother supposedly made the name, Sedona, up because it sounded pretty. When establishing the post office, a name for the little town was needed. So, TC suggested names for the area to Washington DC such as Oak Creek Crossing and Schnebly Station but supposedly a one word name was more desirable. So TC’s brother suggested naming the area after his wife. Hello Sedona! Check out www.sedonamuseum.org for more info.
We had lunch at a cute little place called Creekside American Bistro (www.creeksidesedona.com) where we had the Chef’s Umami Burger Bowl and the Crab Cake combo…their blueberry margarita was also pretty tasty! They even have a menu for your pups! While we dined indoors, they did have a patio section overlooking Snoopy Rock and Camel Head Rock. Cute place to stop in for a good bite to eat!
We headed back to the AIRBNB to wait for the crew and jumped in the pool to relax. The next day some of us planned to hike to Cathedral Rock then the whole group would go on a Razor ride through the area to see the Honanki Cliff Dwellings.
