After a chilly, snowy Friday the weather Gods have smiled on us. We woke up Saturday to crisp, clear blue skies and calm winds. By early afternoon the temperature was in the mid 40's so we were off to explore a few of the more than 300 miles of trails in the Sedona area.
We drove a few miles out of Sedona to one of the areas major landmarks, Bell Rock. It's a beautiful red rock in the shape of, you guessed it, a bell. There were numerous trails around the rock including one that was supposed to go around the perimeter. The problem was the numerous trails were not really well marked and they crisscrossed, zig-zagged, intersected, and bisected along the way. We were never off a trail but also never really sure which one we were on. We were never really concerned about being lost because we had the massive Bell Rock as a land mark. But, we ended up not finding the trail that would have taken us around the rock. We made it an out and back trail. We had great views along the entire hike. We were also entertained by the "mystical people" along the way. Apparently if you're so inclined to believe this kind of stuff there are "vortexes" (an area of "high energy") along the trail. There were a lot of "vortex hunters" out there and you could spot them from quite a ways away. I guess we never found one because neither of us reported a surge of energy along the hike. We did find a surge of happiness when we landed in the hot tub after the walk.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55230
Earlier today (Sunday) we took advantage of a trail that starts just behind the hotel. It was called the Girdner Trail and it was a good one. It was mostly flat but with just enough rolling hills to make it interesting. There were great views of the Sedona Valley and the Red Rocks in the background. We did about two hours out and back and appropriately enough rewarded our efforts with another soak in the hot tub afterwards. As you well know, recovery is very important and hot tubs are a very important part of the recovery process.
https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/4943363/girdner-trail
We drove to the small town of Jerome, which is about 24 miles from Sedona for a late lunch and casual stroll around this small town perched on the side of a mountain. It sits just over a mile in elevation.
Jerome was founded in the 1800's and was once the fourth largest city in what was then known as the "Arizona Territory". The mainstay of industry for the town was copper mining followed closely by whiskey drinking and prostitution, helping it earn the nickname "the wickedest city in the west". Today, although the town still has a few watering holes, the mine and the numerous brothels have closed. They've been replaced by art galleries, wineries, restaurants, and small local shops making it a great place to spend a sunny afternoon.
http://www.azjerome.com/jerome/
We haven't been in close proximity to a good BBQ joint in a while but we found one in Jerome. It had a little bit of an unusual name for a BBQ place, "Bobby D's BBQ at the English Kitchen". Neither Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips or any other English food was on the menu. They did offer up some mighty fine BBQ. The brisket was especially good and could easily hold it's own against some of the top places in Texas. The history of the restaurant and the unusual name is an entertaining short read that you can get to on the history tab of the link below. It includes a Chinese restaurateur, prisoners, and an opium den. Before you go there take a look at some of the pictures of the food on the home page. I'll bet even if you're vegetarian your mouth will water!
http://www.bobbydsbbqjerome.com/index.html
Best wishes for a continued speedy recovery to a "frequent reader"!
We drove a few miles out of Sedona to one of the areas major landmarks, Bell Rock. It's a beautiful red rock in the shape of, you guessed it, a bell. There were numerous trails around the rock including one that was supposed to go around the perimeter. The problem was the numerous trails were not really well marked and they crisscrossed, zig-zagged, intersected, and bisected along the way. We were never off a trail but also never really sure which one we were on. We were never really concerned about being lost because we had the massive Bell Rock as a land mark. But, we ended up not finding the trail that would have taken us around the rock. We made it an out and back trail. We had great views along the entire hike. We were also entertained by the "mystical people" along the way. Apparently if you're so inclined to believe this kind of stuff there are "vortexes" (an area of "high energy") along the trail. There were a lot of "vortex hunters" out there and you could spot them from quite a ways away. I guess we never found one because neither of us reported a surge of energy along the hike. We did find a surge of happiness when we landed in the hot tub after the walk.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55230
Earlier today (Sunday) we took advantage of a trail that starts just behind the hotel. It was called the Girdner Trail and it was a good one. It was mostly flat but with just enough rolling hills to make it interesting. There were great views of the Sedona Valley and the Red Rocks in the background. We did about two hours out and back and appropriately enough rewarded our efforts with another soak in the hot tub afterwards. As you well know, recovery is very important and hot tubs are a very important part of the recovery process.
https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/4943363/girdner-trail
We drove to the small town of Jerome, which is about 24 miles from Sedona for a late lunch and casual stroll around this small town perched on the side of a mountain. It sits just over a mile in elevation.
Jerome was founded in the 1800's and was once the fourth largest city in what was then known as the "Arizona Territory". The mainstay of industry for the town was copper mining followed closely by whiskey drinking and prostitution, helping it earn the nickname "the wickedest city in the west". Today, although the town still has a few watering holes, the mine and the numerous brothels have closed. They've been replaced by art galleries, wineries, restaurants, and small local shops making it a great place to spend a sunny afternoon.
http://www.azjerome.com/jerome/
We haven't been in close proximity to a good BBQ joint in a while but we found one in Jerome. It had a little bit of an unusual name for a BBQ place, "Bobby D's BBQ at the English Kitchen". Neither Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips or any other English food was on the menu. They did offer up some mighty fine BBQ. The brisket was especially good and could easily hold it's own against some of the top places in Texas. The history of the restaurant and the unusual name is an entertaining short read that you can get to on the history tab of the link below. It includes a Chinese restaurateur, prisoners, and an opium den. Before you go there take a look at some of the pictures of the food on the home page. I'll bet even if you're vegetarian your mouth will water!
http://www.bobbydsbbqjerome.com/index.html
Best wishes for a continued speedy recovery to a "frequent reader"!
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| That's Bell Rock over my shoulder |
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| Trying to find a vortex |
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| The trails weren't always as wide or easy to follow! |
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| Bobby D's English Kitchen-Great BBQ! |
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| We're everywhere in this picture. Can you find us? You may have to enlarge the picture. |
