Arizona Part 2 - Sedona🌄
I was so fortunate to be invited by my friend Joy to join her for a hiking/yoga and wellness retreat in Sedona. With all the chaos going on in the world it sounded like a perfect opportunity to go to a beautiful place and just spend time in nature nourishing my spirit with great healthy food and peaceful meditation. It was organized by two lovely women Joy knows through previous classes and retreats she has been on with them. I know Julie planned all the delicious meals and Diane taught the yoga and planned the hikes. The other 7 of us were their devoted fans very quickly. I can’t think of a single thing that could have been any better.
We stayed at a brand new amazing AirBNB that was setup for exactly this kind of gathering. Had a large main area for a living/dining and kitchen space and then wings on both sides with the bedrooms and bathrooms. Plenty of room in the main area for yoga and even had brand new yoga mats, blocks and straps. A hot tub, fire pit and rooftop deck. Plus spectacular views of the red rocks.
The schedule was to take a hike in the morning that was usually about 4 hours after a fantastic breakfast buffet of avocado toast, a yogurt/granola and fruit bar, some type of eggs or overnight oats, and even a salad if that was your thing. Julie even made from scratch a fresh blueberry compote for your toast or yogurt or whatever you wanted to put it on. Maybe ice cream I’m thinking🧐 Joy put this great pic together of some of the plates people were having one morning.
After the hike you had a few hours to do whatever you wanted. Head into town for lunch and shopping, back to the house for the hot tub and relaxing, taking a nap etc. One afternoon Joy and I drove up through Oak Creek Canyon all the way to Flagstaff and had lunch. It’s listed as one of the prettiest drives in the country and you elevate quickly on switchbacks through the gorgeous trees. Your ears will be popping! Here we are at the top.
The dinners were fantastic. Especially for someone like me that doesn’t like to cook so resorts to making large amounts of soup and eating it with a salad every night. We were there 4 nights so every night 2 people helped Julie with the prep for the meals she planned. We had chicken kabobs, salmon, turkey taco bowls and shrimp. Always great sides with at least two or three fresh vegetables, quinoa or wild rice. She even made us treats! Chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate haystacks. Sara, Cindy and Julie the night we had salmon. Great job ladies!
Joy, Julie and I on our night. We made the shrimp, wild rice and asparagus. It was delicious! (Thanks to Julie! Joy and I just did what we were told - as always very nicely from Julie😊)
Getting up the first morning I got back was a little sad. Just me and a sad English muffin. No fresh blueberry compote☹️
Then after dinner and some relaxation we would do a yoga class. It was so relaxing that I think there was the thought that at the end when we were in Savasana (corpse pose) we would all just fall asleep. We did manage to move our bodies to the beds but what a great way to end those perfect days. Diane is a wonderful teacher and even did her online class with us from Sedona.
The first morning of hiking was in the snow! Nothing stops us and it wasn’t that cold anyway. You could spend weeks in Sedona just hiking. The plan was to hike the Mescal Mountain Trail to Devil’s Bridge.
We made it!
Day 2 was hiking Bell Rock to Space Ship Rock. Sedona is famous for its vortexes and Space Ship Rock is one of them. In 1987 there was a rumor that a spaceship would emerge from the top of Bell Rock and depart for the Andromeda galaxy. I think they are still waiting for that. In a nutshell a vortex is an energy source. The whole area of red rock is considered to be a vortex but there are a couple of spots where people have experienced an even stronger surge. I’m not going to disparage what people have experienced. I will say it’s so beautiful it’s safe to say if you take it in you can feel a stronger sense of peace and less anxiety. That definitely gives me more energy.
Our last day we took on our most challenging hike. In Boynton Canyon there is a climb not even listed on the tourist information hiking maps. It’s called Subway Cave and not recommended for children, people without hiking boots and poles, or fear of heights. Diane had found out about it from a hiking blog so that was our goal. First we made a stop at Boynton Vista - another important vortex to get some additional energy. Diane said you get energy through your back so laying down would help. I’ll give it a try!
Now off to find Subway Cave. We asked another hiking group if we were heading in the right direction and they said yes - look for the arrow. They forgot to mention it was an arrow made of rocks on the ground! Luckily one of our eagle-eyed group spotted it. I was starting to feel like Indiana Jones!
We made it! And it was a challenging climb but so worth it. Spectacular views!
Have you heard of a Javelina? I have not but we saw tons of them in Sedona. They look like a wild pig to me, but actually in the peccary species. It’s a hoofed mammal that lives in herds and eats plants, insects and garbage. When we saw them there was always a group of them in varying sizes. They were just walking on the streets and through people’s yards looking for food. It’s illegal in Arizona to injure, trap or kill them. They seemed to leave people alone but I wasn’t tempted to get very close and try and make friends with them.
Two other stops worth mentioning are the Chapel of the Holy Cross right as you’re driving into Sedona from the highway, and Montezuma Castle close to Sedona on your way north from Phoenix and right off the highway.
Joy and I stopped at Montezuma Castle on our way to Sedona. It can be a quick stop as you only need to walk about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot to see the main attraction. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass it will be free for everyone in your car. The castle was built by Southern Sinagua farmers between 1100 and 1300. It’s a five-story, 20 room dwelling and occupies a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley. They originally had exterior ladders to move between the levels and access the dwelling. There was a good water source at the base of the rock that they used to irrigate their crops.
On our way out of town we stopped to see the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The chapel was commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswick Staude. She initially attempted to build it in Hungary with the help of Lloyd Wright son of Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1930’s, but that attempt was unsuccessful due to the outbreak of World War II. She later decided to build it in her native Arizona and it was completed in 1956. The architect was August K Strotz.
I have been in a lot of churches in my life and I think it has the most beautiful cross I’ve ever seen. If you go up to the alter on the left side and look up it is as if Jesus’s eyes are looking right at you.
Also on the alter they have a frame with relics from all 12 apostles, Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas on display. On the terrace behind the chapel are amazing views of the red rocks. Top left Cathedral Rock, lower left the mother and child, lower right is an eagle - but we all thought it looked like a Jayhawk😂 The top right is a granite head of Christ from the Cathedral in Chartres, France and I have visited that beautiful place in September of 2023.
Well that was our wonderful time in Sedona. I highly recommend putting it on your list and don’t think you would be disappointed. We ate almost all our meals at the AirBNB, but lots of good restaurants if that’s what you are looking for. A legendary place that has been there for decades is called the Coffeepot - because it has Coffeepot Rock right behind it. I had lunch there twice but forgot (or was just too hungry) to take pictures. Very casual but well known for its 101 omelet menu, Mexican food, sandwiches and daily specials.
At some point you reach the end of the trail - or in my case the end of the trip. But I’m going to try and keep the feeling of reduced anxiety and peace with me as long as possible. I wonder if I can order a delivery of vortex energy when I’m running low? Take care of your mental health friends. Take a break when you need it and focus on what you can control🩷
