HOW ARE THEY DOING THIS?

TRAVELING ON THE CHEAP 

You may read this travel blog (at least I hope you read it) and ask yourself ‘how do they do it?’ You read this blog and wonder aloud why Team VFH gets to see much of a world you only see on the National Geographic Channel. You read this blog and think how can THEY afford it? I mean they’re a couple of retirees. 

You may want to come over to our middle-class garret in Collegeville and pound on the door and demand answers.

“How do you do it,” you’ll yell, spraying spittle in my face as you grab me by the lapels of my smoking jacket.

And, I will give you an honest answer… 

MV FIJI PRINCESS

“I don’t know.”

Admittedly I am afraid to look at my credit card balance, as we’ve booked three international trips this year with each one getting progressively adventurous.

As this COVID pandemic ebbs and the world slowly reopens again for business, we have leaped at the chance to travel again internationally.

Perhaps we are too ambitious?

ISLAND HOPPING

We are first going to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain in April. Then we are vacationing at the Sandals resort on the Caribbean island of Grenada in May. Finally, in September we are sailing in the Fiji Islands. Definitely ambitious and we are spending money, but we're doing it as cheaply as possible, if that is at all possible. The trips are meticulously planned and deals sought for the best return on our investment, and with a bit of luck we will still be financially solvent by year's end. 

LUCK AND R.O.I.

Here’s a quick listing for how we’re getting to where we want to go. Please don’t hate us and remember we’re not rich people.

MV INFINITY

TENERIFE (The gift)

Time Share Points

We don’t own a time share, but we know someone who does own a Diamonds Resorts International time share. We are going to Tenerife on our friend’s expiring points. This will be the third trip they have gifted us over the years. The previous two were on Maui and at Virginia Beach. 

Not to get into particulars, but when you get that call saying ‘please use the points they are going to expire’, Team VFH is benevolent and helps out our friends!

This trip fell into our laps! Lucky us, because it will basically cost us nothing except for the airfare, which we put on the American Airlines Aviator credit card, so we’ll get miles for spending, plus frequent flyer miles for flying on American.

Incentives...

Sometimes if we are feeling especially cheap and sleazy, we will accept the time share company’s offer to sit through a sales pitch presentation to get vouchers for restaurants, but never really intending to buy into a time share! It's not nice, I know, but you get free things 

We are going for two weeks at the time share with the English in-laws joining us for the second week.

DIAMOND RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

GRENADA (loyalty)

Frequent Sandals visitors

This will be our fourth trip to a Sandals resort, an all-inclusive Jamaica-based, adult and couples-only vacation where one never hears the word “no”.

Indulgent, opulent and with FREE DIVING, which is an extraordinary deal, I have become a fan of the Sandals family since our honeymoon to the Sandals Grande Antiqua. Since then, we have stayed at the Sandals Royal Bahamian and Sandals Jamaica South Coast and this trip will be to Sandals Grenada, located at the enchantingly named Pink Gin Beach. 

SANDALS GRENADA

As frequent guests of Sandals we have learned that they offer great deals if you book a future trip while at the resort. We booked the Grenada trip while in Jamaica last spring and received a $1,200 savings on our stay.

Free diving

Long ago on our first vacation together sailing from St. Lucia to Grenada with the now defunct Windjammer Cruises, I went scuba diving with Janet in the waters of the Grenadines. The clarity of the water and the underwater beauty got me hooked and now we’re PADI certified open water and will probably dive nearly every day while we are in Grenada; at no further cost. We checked out prices at the Fiji dive shop and it's $300 usd apiece for two dives.

On this trip we also had to pay for our airfare, but the frequent flyer miles accumulated helped with the next trip to Fiji.

SANDALS GRENADA

FIJI (meticulous planning)

Airline Miles

When you travel on American Airlines, they often offer a credit card application. The incentive varies, but we received 60,000 miles for signing up which got us a free roundtrip ticket to Croatia in 2019. 

Through card use we have earned enough miles to earn a free round trip flight from Philadelphia to Fiji, roughly a savings of $2,000.

Dining

Another way to earn miles with American is through their dining program. Simply associate a credit card, not necessarily the Aviator card, with the program and earn miles whenever you eat (or drink) at establishments listed. A review is requested but not required. Go frequently enough and you can attain VIP status which earns 5 miles for every dollar spent.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DINING PROGRAM

Blue Lagoon

MS PANORAMA

Over the years we have become fans of small ship sailing. As previously mentioned, we sailed through the Grenadines with Windjammer Cruises. In Croatia we discovered Unforgettable Cruises which sailed the MV Infinity though the Dalmatian Islands. We then sailed with Variety Cruises on the MS Panorama along the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Panama. That trip was particularly lucky as we learned about the February departure in December and got the trip for half price. The Panorama sailed with just 16 passengers and 18 crew.

Remember, when a ship sails with empty berths it is money forever lost.

Cruise special

Fiji is a late edition to travel because they recently reopened their borders after leveling severe COVID protocols during the pandemic, including a three day quarantine period. Nearly everyone on the island nation has been fully vaccinated and we are also fully protected so we have no issues with travel. Still it's always a smart idea to check with Sherpa for the latest in travel restrictions to any destination in the world..

SHERPA for TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

Blue Lagoon Cruises has the MV Fiji Princess. She’s a little bigger than the other two with accommodations for up to 68 people (compared to 38 with the Infinity and 49 on the Panorama), but they gave us 30% off for paying in full for the trip at the time of booking, a savings of nearly $2,000 and it includes a cabin upgrade and a $100 voucher for the bar. Sadly, that’s in Fiji dollars which is about $47 usd!  

BLUE LAGOON CRUISES

Don't worry we'll spend it wisely.

We are traveling to Fiji for a week prior to the departure at the modestly priced Bedarra Beach Inn along the Coral coast and not far from the dive shop.

BEDARRA BEACH INN

DIVEAWAY FIJI

 After the sailing adventure we are staying at the Aquarius at the Beach Hotel closer to the airport for three days before our return. 

AQUARIUS FIJI. 

Thanks for reading. Hope you come back again to read about our adventures and if you visit the house while we're gone please water our plants?

love, Janet and greg

© 2022 by Greg Dunaj

 UNFORGETTABLE CRUISES

     VARIETY CRUISES

MV FIJI PRINCESS

LIVING IN A COLLEGE TOWN

HOME OF THE BEARS

For you regular readers of this blog you may think that all our highfalutin travels around the globe means we don’t like to be home. I gotta tell you it is a big world out there and someone has to see it, but we can’t ALWAYS be on the road. So, it’s nice to be in a place that offers a lot when we cannot travel.

Team VFH currently resides in Collegeville, Pennsylvania and I don’t think we are moving anywhere else. Which is fine by me.

Collegeville is about 10 miles west of Valley Forge and under 30 miles from Philadelphia.

Once home to several such educational institutions Collegeville now has just one, Ursinus. It is a small liberal arts college where the author, J.D. Salinger attended classes for one semester in 1938. (His old dormitory room has a commemorative plaque on the wall.)

URSINUS + COLLEGEVILLE = COMMUNITY

The school is literally just a block from our middle-class garret and the college calls the citizens of our little community “neighbors” and welcome all to stroll the grounds and to attend various events and exhibitions. The grounds are dotted with sculptures and long stretches of green fields where our dog likes to chase her tail.

There’s a coffee shop open to the public and on sunny warm days you can sit on the porch to enjoy this elixir of the gods. And, across the street from us is a ball field whose dugouts have plaques stating Ursinus' contribution to building them for the community. 

Recently we started attending a bi-weekly international film festival, which is free and part of the school's film study curriculum. Although they are all obscure films you would never see at the local bijou, we are film buffs and will gravitate to anything “FREE” like bums pouncing on a ham sandwich. Sometimes we stay for the after-film discussion, but we are always welcomed by the administrator who thanks members of the community in attending the viewing.

We recently saw In This Corner of the World, a Japanese animated film about the days leading up to the Hiroshima atomic blast.

IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD

PERKS OF A COLLEGE TOWN 

Such activities and resources are not just found at Ursinus, but colleges and universities throughout the country. When I lived in the picturesque river town of Lambertville, New Jersey we would often drive to Princeton University to go to the museum there, or to attend concerts.

I currently receive my dental care at Rutgers Dental School, at a reasonable price compared to a normal dental practice. Although I like to joke that going to the dental school is like leaving my body to science….and experiencing it at the same time… the care is top notch and always under the close scrutiny of faculty members. 

Indeed, the healthcare facilities of colleges and universities that offer medical programs often offer their patients cutting edge technology and access to an assortment of specialists.

TROUBLES END IN COLLEGEVILLE

Although this last bit about a brew pub in Collegeville isn’t directly attributable to Ursinus College, having such a place within a short walking distance from the house is another plus. About 6 miles from us is Phoenixville, where they shot most of the original The Blob (Steve McQueen’s first film). It is a beer mecca rivaling Asheville, North Carolina with the number of breweries, brew pubs and distilleries located in the town. A pub crawl in Phoenixville often involves a designated driver or a taxi, but with Troubles End, just down the street from us, we are able to walk easily, even when inebriated. 

They offer an array of their own beers, many guest taps and a surprisingly excellent chef offering pub grub and entrees like Chilean Sea Bass. They have live music many nights and Sunday brunch. There’s never a cover charge. The staff is courteous and attentive and it is one of our favorite places to go. 

We’re regulars there as well as at the fantastic dive bar across the street, My Friend’s Tavern. We like to go to Troubles End most Saturday nights and tonight (Feb 19) we’re going to see a 6-piece reggae band called Ear Me Now.

TROUBLES END

MY FRIENDS TAVERN

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy your corner of the world as we do ours in Collegeville.

Love Janet and greg

© 2022 by Greg Dunaj

Ear Me Now

GLOBAL ENTRY

YOU CAN GET HERE FROM THERE  

Now we’re getting somewhere. The world is opening up for travel again. Even England has recently eased restrictive protocols and now allow fully vaccinated travelers into the country without an extra COVID test.

For a long time, England was in a severe, strict lockdown mode and travelers had to follow precise instructions for testing and quarantining, but for now, unless yet another variant crops up, those rules are waived.

So, this means Team VFH can travel with as much freedom since before the pandemic struck, at least to England. Each country has its own approach to COVID protocols so one needs to check their current requirements before planning a trip. In an earlier entry here at Vacations From Home I mentioned Sherpa and that remains a great planning resource.

SHERPA FOR TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS                          

GOT YOU GOING AND COMING

Another great source of easing the logistics of travel is by applying to one of five “Trusted Traveler Programs” offered by the Department of Homeland Security. Sadly, they cost money, but they do save you time, either with TSA pre-check or clearing customs on reentry to the country, or both.

TSA, or the Transportation Security Administration makes sure you get on the flight safely and CBP or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection makes sure our borders are secure.

We will never return to a pre-9/11 level of worry-free travel, but enlisting in TTP makes you feel a little less scrutinized as you are vetted, interviewed, fingerprinted, and you don't mind too much to part ways with some of your money.

There are five different programs. One is just getting cleared for the TSA pre-check, all the rest the pre-check is included. We have opted for the Global Entry, which lets us skip all the long lines clearing customs by utilizing automated kiosks where we will present our passports and quickly get to baggage claim. The kiosks use photo identification and fingerprinting for identification. Global Entry is good for travel into the U.S. by land, sea and air and costs $100 for five years.

Go to the website to decide which program fits your travel plans.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Janet insists that this is a good idea and if makes her happy, well I’m all for it, especially if it gets us on the Blue Route a little quicker after a long international flight.

Thanks for reading.

Safe travels

Love Janet and greg

© 2022 by Greg Dunaj

HOT TIMES IN THE CANARY ISLANDS

CUMBRE VIEJA ERUPTION

We are going to travel to the Canary Islands in a few months. This Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa has been in the news recently because of a 3-month eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma. 

The devastation of Cumbre Vieja

For 91 days Cumbre Vieja spat out lava and spewed ash into the air, destroying some 3,000 buildings, displacing 7,000 people, severing a major highway and forcing the suspension of flights to the airport. At its widest the lava flow was over 2-miles and reached the sea forming what’s called a lava delta, which means more land was created by the cooling lava. Thankfully no one was killed, but a lot of tourists had to be evacuated.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

On Christmas Day 2021 officials declared the La Palma eruption had ended and in late March, roughly 90 days after that we will travel to the Canary Islands.  We are not going to La Palma though, but to Tenerife about 120 miles away. 

Mt Teide, Tenerife

Tenerife does have its own volcano, Mt. Teide, which last erupted in 1909, so with our luck we’re due for an eruption while there! 

Mt Teide rises to 12,188 feet in elevation, and it’s the highest point in all of Spain. If measured from the ocean floor Mt. Teide rises 24,600 feet and is the 4^th tallest volcano in the world. The volcano and the surrounding area are a popular tourist destination and Mt. Teide National Park sees millions of visitors yearly.

MT TEIDE NATIONAL PARK

I DON’T KNOW

To paraphrase the Jimmy Buffett song about volcanos, I don’t know / why we’re going to go!

So, If you’re thinking that volcano eruptions are rare, just look at last weekend’s eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga. If you think that’s a mouthful, look at this video of several views from space of the eruption. 

Space.com

Here's NOAA's look:

Right about now I’ll bet you’re saying “Greg, you is nuts!” But, I'll tell you it is scarier driving home on the Schuylkill Expressway after another Eagles loss.  Besides, the Canary Islands are an extremely popular tourist destination.

Even during the depths of the COVID pandemic last year millions of international tourists visited the Canaries and that doesn’t include the many Spaniards who travel here, lured by a subtropical climate, cheap flights and great vacation packages. Most of the visitors are from the UK, Germany and France, and now us Americans. If you want to go into a deep dive about the data go here:

CANARY ISLANDS STATS 

Canary Islands flag

GOING TO THE DOGS

There’s been enough excitement in this particular entry, so here’s some comparatively droll stuff.

The Canary Islands are just 62 miles west from the coast of Morocco and the bird is named after the island, not the other way around. There are several theories as to why they’re called Islas Canarias. One says it’s from Latin “Canariae Insulae” – Islands of the Dogs. Evidently Pliny the Elder, the historian and not the Double IPA beer from Russian River Brewing Company, said lots of large dogs lived on the islands.

RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING 

The Canary Islands are part of Macaronesia. Not to be confused with Micronesia, the multitude of islands in the South Pacific, Macaronesia, is NOT where the macaroon was invented, but a collection of four archipelagos off the coasts of Europe and Africa. They are the Azores and Madeira, part of Portugal, The Canaries, and an independent West African country, Cape Verde. The name Macaronesia is from Greek meaning “the Fortunate Islands.”

HOT TIMES IN TENEREIFE

At 785 square miles Tenerife is the largest of the Canaries, so there should be plenty of places to hide if Mt. Teide wants to join the recently erupting club.

Most of the tourists to the Canaries visit Tenerife. Before COVID the numbers reached 5 million yearly. As there are so many tourists, competition for the Euro is fierce. This is good! Low-cost drinks and vacation packages are always alluring to your favorite traveling duo. Typical of the Spanish way the revelry throbs deep into the night with bars and nightclubs not really gearing up until around midnight. The port town of Playa de las Americas is the party capital of Tenerife and there will be plenty of choices of watering holes for us to explore.

Thankfully though we are staying at the Santa Barbara Golf and Ocean Club by Diamond Resorts about 10 miles away. Our area may not convulse with a frenetic insistence like Playa de las Americas, but this is good because Janet can’t keep up and needs her rest. We do have to pace ourselves. Most of the naturist beaches are clustered in the South Coast area where we are staying! 

SANTA BARBARA GOLF AND OCEAN RESORT

We are staying in Tenerife for two weeks and plan to do all our exploring the first week and then relax when family flies in from England. We plan on taking an all-day bus tour of the island one day which will take us to Mt Teide National Park among other destinations. Another day we are going on a winery tour. And, we plan on renting a car for a few days to explore some nooks and crannies which may interest us once we arrive.  

This is going to be a great trip, as long as the place doesn’t erupt!

Thanks for reading

Love Janet and greg

© 2022 by Greg Dunaj

PLANNING AHEAD FOR TENERIFE - GRENADA – FIJI

LIVE LOVE TRAVEL?

We are emboldened! We’ve had more injections this past year between vaccines and flu shots and boosters that we could easily think we are indestructible or at least healthy enough to travel.

This pandemic has other plans.

With COVID variants popping up like dandelions on my spring lawn it’s no wonder countries are hesitant to allowing outside travelers across their borders. The logistics of traveling to foreign countries is already a chore without this pandemic, but with the constantly changing COVID protocols adding another layer of details it’s a wonder why we even want to leave the house!

Why?

Because it’s a big world and someone has to see it!

ISLAND HOPPING

Team VFH is ambitious this year and we’re currently planning a trip to a Diamond Resort on Tenerife in the Canary Islands with points gifted by Janet’s step-mother late March into April. We are traveling to another Sandals resort, this time in Grenada in May. And, we are looking for a sailing adventure in Fiji in September. We will be cashing in airline miles we’ve accrued over the years for a couple of free flights.

Yes, it is all very ambitious, but with a nod to all the COVID protocol issues we are paring down our destinations. Rather than taking side trips before reaching any of the destinations we are simply going straightaway to each island nation.

We may have to overnight in Madrid on our way to Tenerife to avoid missing a connecting flight, but at this writing we are (ahem…I mean Janet) trying to figure out how to avoid this.

TENERIFE

CAN YOU GET THERE FROM HERE?

Every country has its own set of COVID rules and it’s hard to keep up with them. Thankfully American Airlines runs something called Sherpa. Updated as changes are announced by governments, this great and free resource helps plan travel around the latest health and travel restrictions.

One could and should go to the individual country’s website for the latest information, but Sherpa lays it out clearly and details not only entry requirements but also return necessities.

Go to the website, plug in your travel information including dates and destination and Sherpa gives you a legible, easy to read guide to the necessary steps to comply with COVID protocol rules currently in place, including any necessary tests or quarantining requirements. Sherpa also gives information for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated travel.

SHERPA WEBSITE

Here is what we’re looking at so far:

Canary Islands

Fully vaccinated travelers from the United States have no need to quarantine or take a COVID test to gain entry, but upon landing will have a health screening consisting of a temperature check and visual check for symptoms. Masks are required in all public areas.

GRENADA FLAG

Grenada

Fully vaccinated travelers from the United States who do not have a travel history visiting certain African countries listed on the website are allowed entry. Another reason to avoid side trips. Upon arrival a COVID test may have to be taken if authorities in Grenada think it’s necessary.

Fiji

This distant island nation in the South Pacific just recently reopened their borders in December and they have the strictest rules. First off you must be fully vaccinated just to gain entry and then spend 3 nights at a certified CFC (Care Fiji Committed) hotel and take a Rapid Test on day 2. If negative then we could travel on our sailing adventure. This isn’t a quarantine in a hotel room, but a “Safe Travel Area” where CFC-approved tours, excursions and experiences are available during this stay. We experienced something similar to this when we traveled to Jamaica last year.

Fiji also requires travel insurance that covers COVID related issues and masks in all public areas.

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

Of course, as we get closer to departure dates restrictions may ease somewhat.

The situation(s) remain fluid though and the new normal of having to deal with this pandemic will never fully leave us. So, check Sherpa and the individual country’s website to keep up to date with these necessities, and we'll keep jumping through hoops in order to see this vast beautiful world.

Thanks for reading

Love Janet and greg

© 2022 by Greg Dunaj

2021 RECAP

INTREPID TRAVELERS

Despite the promises made by the government to defeat this COVID pandemic it has raged on for yet another year, quelling much of our hope for distant shores. With variants of this deadly disease cropping up it was no wonder our travel was largely domestic, though we did manage a trip to Jamaica and then Janet traveled to England in October. The rest of our travels were in the United States. Ours is a vast country and we saw just a bit of it. 

Arizona

We drove down the Delmarva Peninsula to stay in Virginia Beach for a week. We drove to the New Jersey beach town of Sea Isle City to vacation for a week with our extended family. And, we flew to the Red Rock Country of Sedona, Arizona, taking a side trip out to the Grand Canyon one day.  

We wanted to do more and had planned to do more, and Lord knows we did our part to keep healthy; getting vaccinated as soon as possible and boosters as soon as they were available. Difficulty in traveling won out though and it was so much easier to stay in the United States. 

PROTOCOL SPEED BUMPS

Our lone international trip to Jamaica was relatively easy because of the Sandals Resort staff. This was our third time staying at a Sandals and we value the attention to detail they give their guests, which in this particular case was providing free COVID testing for the return and promising to put us up free of charge if we had to quarantine first. They even contacted us to ensure the paperwork required by Jamaica was properly filled out.

Seals Memorial,
Virginia Beach

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD.

Negotiating COVID protocol rules that have been changing weekly by oneself is a difficult task. We had wanted to travel to Malta and then to England, but discovered quickly the headaches of testing and quarantining for two separate countries. Plus, the normal flight that we take from Philadelphia to Manchester England had been cancelled by American Airlines forcing us to fly in and out of London, which was another whole set of logistical problems. So, we decided instead of Malta and England together, Janet was off to see the grandkids on her own. That way if she had to quarantine she had a place to stay for free. And, even traveling to England by herself was quite difficult because of the testing England required of her before and after her arrival. Without help from the English family members finding tests for her it would have been extremely difficult. 

Sandals Jamaica South Coast

YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE

There's nothing more discouraging than finding a great deal and not being able to take advantage of it. We had found a half-price sail from Variety Cruises though the Seychelles, but then the Omicron variant from South Africa broke out. We had sailed with Variety in Costa Rica and Panama and knew it would have been a great experience, but that outbreak stopped us in our tracks. 

REBOUND YEAR?

So, 2021 was a long malingering crapshoot and there's no guarantee '22 will be any different. But, fingers crossed, we are planning plenty of international trips this year. We are traveling to the Canary Islands in April, Barbados in May, and Fiji in September. We'll keep you posted! 

Thanks for reading

love Janet and greg

© 2022 by Greg Dunaj  

JEEP TOURS IN SEDONA

IT’S GONNA BE A BUMPY RIDE
The Sedona, Arizona Chamber of Commerce estimates that an average of 3 million tourists descend on this city yearly. Lured by the majestic scenery of the Red Rock Country, and the history, and the thriving art community, and perhaps the chance to espy a UFO or to seek personal enlightenment is such a draw for hikers, artists and spiritualists that it threatens to overwhelm the 10,000 residents of Sedona. Despite the traffic congestion and overcrowding it all has a positive economic impact of roughly $1 billion per year and supports 10,000 area jobs.

WANT TO GET METAPHYSICAL

There are certainly plenty of activities in Sedona to choose from. Hiking for us was the main draw of Red Rock Country and trails ranging from easy to difficult are everywhere in the immediate area. Download the AllTrails app to find a trail that suits your interests.

AllTrails

Not to get into the details of Sedona’s Vortex, but these spiritual energies that evidently course through the Sedona area and the several vortices supposedly found in the area are a huge tourist draw. Whatever your feelings about what some consider pseudo-science, people do gravitate towards these phenomena and claim to experience tingly skin, or vibrations emanating from the ground whenever they enter a vortex. They come here for spiritual healing or rejuvenation and these “emanations” generate a lot of tourist revenue.

In Sedona there are plenty of crystal shops and healing centers and tours that support those on these spiritual “new-age” hadj and all it takes is a couple of keystrokes in an internet search to find that cure all tour.

FOLLOW THE RUGGED ROAD

Spiritually sound we opted instead for a good old standard rugged jeep tour to help us explore this beautiful Red Rock Country and in Sedona there are plenty of tour companies to choose from. The ubiquitous though oddly named Pink Adventure Jeep or Pink Jeep Tours was recommended to us by friends, so we went with them, and were happy for the choice.

Pink Jeep Tours is a massive presence in Sedona, with the main “office” in the heart of Uptown, though we booked our Scenic Rim 2.0 tour for Thanksgiving Day at their kiosk at the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village. The company is well organized and courteous. When we had to postpone our tour until Saturday it took just a phone call and it was done. In writing this article I had a question and phoned the main number of Pink Jeep Tours. They were gracious and had all our information and necessary answers at the ready!

Worlds colliding, Sedona, AZ

Pink Jeep Tours is one of several tour companies in Sedona, but they also operate at the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, and would consider them for any future excursions.

PINK JEEP TOURS

HIGHWAY TO HELL!

Perhaps the most fascinating part of Sedona is that everything is RIGHT THERE! Despite the crowded Uptown area of Sedona with all its restaurants and shops and art galleries, you don’t have to go very far to get away from it. We had parked our car at the Los Abrigados the sister resort to our Sedona Summit Resort and walked up to the Pink Jeep tour center and all along the way the beauty of the Red Rock Country was off to our right, the Oak Creek below. Across the street commerce brimmed, but to our right were the rock formations that have lured outdoorsmen like Kit Carson, and artists like Max Ernst, although you would be hard pressed to find Sedona represented in this surrealistic painter’s art, but it was easy to see how all this beauty made for great scenery in countless Hollywood westerns.

MOVIES SHOT IN SEDONA, AZ

The beauty we admired as we walked was the Bear Wallow Canyon and it was where our jeep tour went.

The tour went on a road that was once used to transport goods to and from Flagstaff. It’s called Farm Road 153 or Schnebly Hill Road, which starts innocently enough in Sedona at a traffic circle, but soon becomes a steep, twisting unpaved road of rocks, ruts and washboard ripples. It’s definitely only for high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles especially in the lower part of the road.

SCHNEBLY HILL ROAD

Schnebly Hill Road was first laid out as a way of getting produce and wares to Flagstaff and this road eventually does connect with Route 17 which is a major highway, but those 12 miles are as treacherous as the scenery is spectacular. 

Our tour took us as far as Merry-Go-Round Rock (one of them there vortices), which is evidently a great place to see sunrises, sunsets and stargazing, although I would not want to drive on this road at night. We snapped some pictures, although they would never do the vista justice before picking our way along the rugged road back to Sedona.

Along Schnebly Hill Road, Sedona

We purposely sat in the back of the Jeep and as we bounced in our chair and drooled over the stunning landscape our guide told us the history of the area, the different animals and the varied uses of plants by the indigenous people. The trip was fun and educational. It was a Saturday on a holiday weekend though, so there were a lot of vehicles also enjoying the late afternoon drive. There were several other tour jeeps, and people in their private vehicles, either OHV (Off-Highway) or 4-wheel drive plying the road. There were smiles everywhere, although we did pass one disabled vehicle and the owner looked despondent because it looked like a broken axle!  

The Pink Adventure Jeeps are specially outfitted for the terrain, so we had no such concerns.

PRICKLY PEAR

Prickly Pear Cactus

Afterwards we waded into Uptown and had drinks and dinner at 89Agave Cantina. We had margaritas, but instead of tequila we had them mix our drink with smoky mezcal! Janet had her “mezcal margarita” with Prickly Pear syrup, which they called the “Funky Cacti!” Our tour guide had mentioned the Prickly Pear and how the fruit of this flowering cactus makes a sweet drink.  They made guacamole right at our table and street tacos for food. A nice way to end the day.

89Agave, Sedona 

Drinks and guacamole at 89Agave

Merry-Go-Round Rock

Max Ernst - Nature Dawn

Thanks for reading

Love Janet and greg

© 2021 by Greg Dunaj