Our next destination was Sedona. I’d been there back in 2003 with my girlfriend Tonya. We stayed out in Jerome, about 25 minutes away. I remembered hiking the Oak Creek Canyon section, and spending a few hours by the river looking at Cathedral Rock.
Sedona’s big draw is its beautiful red rock canyons and rock formations. This time we’d be doing some hiking but I’d also meet up with some friends I’d not seen in ages. My friend Ruth Ann, who’d moved to Arizona from Portland and I hadn’t seen in 9 years would meet us. And my high school friend Kim Kroeger Miles lives in Sedona. I had not seen her since the mid 1980’s! We all had a cookout at Kim’s house, which is surrounded by the red rocks. I was a little nervous seeing people I hadn’t seen in so long! So much history has gone on since last we met. Children, marriages, near-death experiences, travel, and triumphs.
It turned out to be a lot of fun. Kim made a unique Caesar Salad, whipped up some burgers for the grill, and created an amazing dessert made with some of the fruit from her orchard. So good to visit!
The following day Ruth Ann, Tully and I set out to get outside to see some of Sedona’s outdoor attractions. What I discovered is that Sedona is an international magnet for tourists, so much so that it might not be possible to visit on a budget. And its roads are jammed with tourist buses and cars. The main road just cannot handle all that traffic! And while beautiful, every trail we visited charged a fee, from $5 to $20! It was so busy the Oak Creek trail was “sold out.” I imagine locals know other less busy trails to get out on.
The first park we visited was Slide Rock State Park. It was open, and not busy. We learned it really doesn’t have trails, just a swimming area and picnic area on the river. It would be busy in warmer weather!
Next, we decided to visit Red Rock State Park and Cathedral Rock. We’d be driving through downtown Sedona to get there. Wow, what a traffic jam! On the single-lane on the other side of the road, it was bumper to bumper for a couple of miles. Lucky for us, our side wasn’t so bad. I’ll cover those parks in the next post!
Cabin Fever Chronicles - Getting Outdoors with Rod 
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