SICKNESS IN SEDONA

CANCEL CULTURE

Before anyone gets worried about our health or my misappropriation of a current trendy term, know this, we have saved a lot of money malingering in our deluxe one-bedroom suite at the Sedona Summit Diamond Resort. It's big enough that we were able to sequester in our preferred corner and only meeting up when we both needed the bathroom at the same time. The stomach bug went through us over the course of three days and our Thanksgiving Repast was oatmeal, saltines and chicken bouillon. 

We started cancelling or rescheduling excursions Tuesday morning. Don't worry there are no COVID concerns here as we both have our booster shots on top of our vaccines!

STORMY WEATHER 

Tuesday was a dreary cold wet day and Sedona Stargazing, the outfit we selected for our much anticipated star-gazing expedition contacted us and rescheduled for Friday when the weather was more conducive to viewing the heavens. Janet laid on the couch all day while I fetched Imodium and Pepto Bismol from Basha's. 

WINE NOT

I was still feeling well enough on Tuesday, but Janet figured it was best we cancel the wine tasting tour she had scheduled us for the next day, Wednesday. Sadly I had to agree with her. I phoned the tour and said it was a no go for us.

Later we decided to drive to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday. Janet said that if she felt better she would ride with me, but had suggested I should at least go see it myself. I had never seen the Grand Canyon before, but Janet had rafted down the Colorado River a couple of years ago. At certain spots where there were crowds the wearing of masks was required by the NPS.

I felt good all day at the Grand Canyon and surprisingly Janet was doing well enough, but on the way back I started feeling under the weather. On our return we both fell into bed and slept until morning. 

IT'S GONNA BE A BUMPY RIDE  

On Monday after our hike and obviously before we got sick, I booked a Pink Jeep off-road tour for Thanksgiving morning. Pink Jeep Tours came highly recommended by several friends, but that would have probably destroyed us. We called, explained our situation and they thankfully allowed us to reschedule for Saturday.

We spent the holiday hoping nothing would come up and watched football in our deluxe one-bedroom suite in the Sedona Summit Diamond Resort.

Our deluxe one-bedroom suite has, by the way, a fake fireplace that kinda looks okay, but throws off no heat.

PYRAMID TO SCORPION

After three full days we left our home away from home weak and disoriented from the bright sunlight and decided to go on a short, moderately difficult hike and we found one literally across the street from our resort. To reach the Pyramid to Scorpion Trail Loop we left the resort and drove down the road a bit and there it was. Even in our emaciated state the stunning views of the landscape were enough to lift our spirits and near the end of the 2 mile hike we were graced with Cathedral Rock views. We went counter clock wise on the route, with the steeper potion on a descent. This way too we could see the majestic Cathedral as we hiked and not have our back to it.

DAY OF THE DEAD

Perhaps emboldened by finally seeing sunlight for the first time in three days we didn't want to return to our deluxe one-bedroom suite and decided to take a short drive down to Cottonwood, Arizona. It's old town looked like a mini version of the main drag in Sedona, but with more rustic buildings. Plenty of bars restaurants and shops. 

We stopped for a hearty lunch at Calavera's a Mexican Family Restaurant. Big tasty portions that we could not finish.

Calavera's, Cottonwood, Arizona

We're on the mend! Don't worry. A Margarita is a great reward. 

Thanks for reading.

Love, Janet and greg

© 2021

By Greg Dunaj

 

SEDONA, ARIZONA HIKING

DOE MOUNTAIN

On the ascent at Doe Mountain

Before we left for our hike we explored the resort. We wore hiking pants. We worked up a sweat finding all the pools and spas and changed back into shorts. 

Janet picked the Doe Mountain trail about 5 miles outside of town. It's a moderate hike but big on views. The trailhead is on the north side of the flat topped mesa. A series of switchbacks clamoring over rocks and a sometimes disappearing trail leads to an incredible panoramic view of the surrounding Red Rocks Country's area. Janet had downloaded the AllTrails map of the Doe Mountain Trail and it helped us get back on course a couple of times. If you download the map you can use it on your iPhone without need for service. 

DOE MOUNTAIN

ALLTRAILS DOE MOUNTAIN ARIZONA

When we finally climbed to the top we had lunch on the north rim of the mesa before heading to the south side to see distant landmarks like Chimney Rock and closer points of interest like a cul-de-sac with some massive homes threatening to climb up the mountain itself. 

GOOGLE EARTH VIEW OF DOE MOUNTAIN

SOUTH VIEW FROM
DOE MOUNTAIN 

WHAT ARE WE MISSING?

It was a short drive from our resort to Doe Mountain but we passed several evidently much more popular trailheads along the way. For at least a quarter mile in either direction the shoulders were choked with cars. Doe Mountain's trailhead was very quiet in comparison. Learned later it is something called the Boyton Pass Vortex. What may you ask is a vortex? Why, it's believed by some as a "special spot on the Earth where energy either is entering the planet or projecting out of the Earth's plane".

HUH? I lifted that last bit from a blog about Sedona vortexes or vortices.

WHAT IS A VORTEX

Evidently vortices are found throughout the world and have a spiritual cleansing transformative effect on visitors and if you decide to wade through the crowds you will probably encounter people meditating or yoga, or "energy cleansings". 

Timid about going into this whole thing alone there are several tours offering advice and guidance including this one called: 

SEDONA  ANGELIC / UFO AND VORTEX TOURS I'm sure you'll get a rise out of that one!

VORTEX TOUR 

BACK TO DOE MOUNTAIN

At Doe Mountain's trailhead there was a pay station for daily and weekly passes, at $5.00 per day and $15.00 per week. We have an Interagency America The Beautiful (senior) pass that we paid $80 for at Shenandoah last summer. We left the pass on the dashboard and thankfully no ticket on our return.  Actually the NPS website confirms this.at

NPS DETAILS

ATOP DOE MTN.

REWARD

There's no hiking without a beer involved and our reward was the Oak Creek Brewery in Sedona proper. We were able to park at the Los Abrigados Resort in town, another Diamond Resort in Sedona. We had tried but failed to get a room here. Seeing the area we were thankful  because of all the traffic and commotion downtown our visit to Sedona would have been completely different. 

From the resort it was a very short walk to the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village. We scored a couple of seats at the bar and had Imperial sized (20 oz) beers for $8.00 each. Janet had their Hefeweizen and I had their Snake Bite IPA. Both were good. We munched on meaty chicken wings for $17.00. We always order chicken wing sauce on the side, and they only had one type of hot sauce.

OAK CREEK BREWING

MORE REWARDS

Stopped at the Bashas’ again for tequila, limes and popcorn, and headed to the Mesa hot tub back at the resort in the hopes of catching the sunset. There is an open infinity pool area obviously designed for this, but the winter sun set further off behind the buildings, but at least we watched the mesas glow from the waning light of the day. 

It was a great first day.

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg

© 2021

By Greg Dunaj

SEDONA, ARIZONA NOTES

DAY ONE IN THE DESERT 

We took a 6 am, 5 hour nonstop flight out of Philadelphia that was crowded. The rental car building is a 10-minute courtesy bus ride from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport and started off for Sedona nearly 120 north.

Flagstaff is much closer to Sedona, but flights are more expensive there and the rental car costs more too. Total extra cost would have been approximately $500 more. This way we at least got to see some of the beautiful country.

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES, SAGAURO CACTUS AND COTTONWOODS  

Definitely very low humidity, my eyes felt very dry just a few minutes into the warm air of Phoenix. Mid morning and it was in the low 80 degrees, but before we started out on Route 17 we stopped for a hearty breakfast at a Country Boys Restaurant, a small chain of Phoenix area diners. Yep, chicken and waffles for me! Janet had a spinach omelet that came with a massive biscuit and gravy.

COUNTRY BOYS RESTAURANT 

Despite the great distance between Phoenix and Sedona it was a quick ride. The speed limit varied from 55 to 75 mph with traffic pushing into the 80's. The desert landscape changed as we headed north and rose in elevation. Phoenix is about 1,000 feet in elevation and Sedona rests at 4,300 feet. Stoic, gigantic Saguaro Cactus filled the sides of the highway at the "lower" elevation and arid climate of the Phoenix area. They only grow in this area of southern Arizona. Janet read off some facts about the Saguaro as we sped along. 

SAGUARO FACTS NPS

The road climbs and the elevation rises to over 5,000 feet at times. The Saguaros disappear and Mesquite, Juniper and Cottonwoods now dot the arid landscape. 

We passed an ominous sign advising travelers to avoid overheating by turning off the air conditioning in the car. Average Phoenix temperatures in July are around 106 degrees! Sedona's average temperatures in November average 68 degrees.  

We stopped to admire the austere beauty of the desert at Sunset Point Rest Stop where the vending machines are caged to prevent looting. The stop offers an unending view of a ridge line, grey and foreboding.

SUNSET POINT REST STOP

RED ROCKS OF SEDONA  

North of here the desert changes again with the red rocks of Oak Creek and Sedona rising majestically from the floor like vast ships. Colors of the striations in the rock and the different hues of green adorning the sheer cliffsides was very beautiful and thankfully as we neared the towns the speed limit and the several traffic circles slowed us down enough to gawk. 

We tried to park at the Broken Arrow Trailhead, but as it was a Sunday and the start of a busy holiday season it was extremely crowded. We inched around the little circle long enough for Janet to snap some pictures.

SEDONA SUMMIT RESORT 

We are staying at a Diamond Resort again, courtesy of Janet’s step-mom, and late father. This is our third visit and second one this year. I would never buy into a timeshare, but if anyone wants to unload points that are about to expire if not used, please send them our way! 

Before checking in to the Sedona Summit Resort by Diamond Resorts International we stopped the tourist board in town for maps and hiking advice and then at Bashas’ a local grocery store for supplies. Our deluxe one-bedroom suite comes with a full kitchen.

The resort is a cluster of apartments scattered over a spacious property. There are several heated pools and spas. The place caters to families with several grills dotted all over and thankfully there’s one adult only pool and spa and another, called the Mesa pool set away from all the rest with a brilliant unobstructed view of the red rocks. Hopefully we can see the sun set from a heated spa!

Thanks for reading.

© 2021

By Greg Dunaj

SEDONA, ARIZONA?

 YES, DEAR!

“YES DEAR!” 

They are the two most important words a man could ever utter. It could mean a matter of life or death, or at least a happy marriage...

“Yes Dear!”

Usually followed by an effusive nodding of the head, “yes dear” can make your life easier, because we all know a happy wife means a happy life, and rather than fight the inevitable beat down into submission it’s best to just say….”yes, dear!”

Of course, I say all this in jest, but truthfully Janet IS the captain of this ship. Detailed oriented and tenacious Janet works out everything, finds the best deals and when she proclaims we are good to go I say “Yes, Dear.”

Seriously. She revels in details. Comparatively, I am an idiot.

MALTA

But, even her head for details can explode when there are too many variables. We had hoped to travel to Malta and then to England this past October, but because of the COVID protocols in place at the time, there were too many loose ends like quarantining and testing, so we decided (she did) that it would be best if she traveled to England by herself to see her grandchildren.

That was a very easy “Yes, Dear” for me. I got to stay home and for two weeks I didn’t have to put the toilet seat down OR make the bed.

Malta was an alluring destination, and I really enjoy visiting Nantwich, Chesire, where her family lives, but given the COVID issues at the time it was easier this way.

JANET KNOWS ALL

So, instead of an exotic destination Janet has planned us a trip to Sedona, Arizona over the Thanksgiving Holiday. “Yes, Dear,” I say and I know better than to interfere. Though Sedona would never be on my travel radar Janet has researched and planned the trip to the smallest detail. Flights, rental cars, side trips once we’re there; Janet has planned it all. 

THE MILKY WAY

One night we are going to go star gazing with a guide. Hopefully I will finally get to see the Milky Way. Arizona, by the way has 6 of the 16 Dark Sky Communities in the country. Dark Sky Communities are those committed to keeping light pollution to a minimum….and one of them is Sedona.

Another day we’re going on a wine tour and there’s talk about taking a train to the edge of the Grand Canyon. I’ve never seen that either.

More than once, she has said I will be pleasantly surprised by this trip.

And to that I say, “Yes, Dear!” and this time I truly mean it.

Thanks for reading. Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday. We’re double empty nesters; our children are scattered across the globe, so rather than sitting home trying to figure out how to carve a turkey properly we are going on this trip.

Love Janet and greg

© 2021 by Greg Dunaj

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS HAVE EASED

IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING

Despite the seemingly unending threat of death from COVID and its dastardly variants that seem to spring up constantly like all those never-heard-of-before family members if you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, the United States is now accepting “legal” visitors. The country has never stopped allowing illegals in, but now, if you’re fully vaccinated with the approved list of vaccines and a negative test within 72 hours of your arrival, you are welcome. Have passport (and all those other things) and you are good to come.

This is great news for the future of your favorite adventurous VACATIONS FROM HOME traveling tandem, who quite frankly are getting tired of being “HOME”. Sure, I grew enough peppers in our humble garden this summer and made so many variations of hot sauce I may have to call it COVID VARIATIONS HOT SAUCE…maybe I should leave out the COVID in the title?

Yeah, the world is open to us, but the sticker shock is alarming. Costs are way up for travel. Inflation has raised the price of gas and food to the point of being debilitating to planning anything. Everything costs more, but gosh we can leave the house!

Yeah, I know this entry is hedging on political, but inflation is the highest it has been in 30 years and it has us the meager traveler in a stranglehold.

But the good news, in case you were wondering, our dog is much better. TLC from Daddy while Mom was in England! 

 © 2021 by Greg Dunaj