Gallery: Road Trip to Sedona, Arizona

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by Mark Stephens on Wed Feb 22, 2012 - (3) Comments

Sedona is just up the road from us and alive with decidedly ultimate beauty. For all of these reasons, and much to our loss, we rarely go and experience the soaring, fire-red buttes, the still trickles of Oak Creek's lesser tributaries, and the whisper that drifts through the hidden canyons. Sure, the area has its crowds but you can find its desolate gems if you're handy with a map. It's all here, hikes, bike trails, dirt roads, killer views, Puebloan ruins, perennial creeks.

But this time we said why not? For the first time in a while, it was just us, our little family of three for this road trip. And that always produces something extra special. At an off-the-beaten-path section of Oak Creek, I stood at water's edge and considered taking my shoes off. Then talked myself out of it. Too much trouble, the bottoms of my feet will get dirty or maybe it'll be too cold, I thought. For better or worse, yes, I was as guilty as a stick in the mud. So I stood there and watched my daughter say, "Can I take my shoes off?"

She didn't wait for an answer, not that it mattered anyway. Off with her shoes, and she grabbed onto my hand and declared, "C'mon, Papa. Let's go in."

It took me a second, but finally, yes my darlin', if you go, I'll go. The chill of the water hit us both and we gasped, laughed, she squeezed my hand harder and said, "Don't let go, Papa." It was as much a plea as it was a comfort. At 4 years old, the pinnacle of adventure for her is as simple as attempting to walk across a frigid creek with the water up to her tummy. We're a long way from the days, long before we had children, of a four-mile approach hike to a seven-pitch 5.9. But the thrills and joys are indistinguishable.

Over the course of four days, we explored cliff dwellings, hiked, found a fresh meadow beaming with yellow wildflowers, drove some rough roads, camped under the glow of red sandstone cliffs, hung up a tree swing, visited a wildlife zoo, and rediscovered the joy of hanging out as a family with nothing to do other than have fun.

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Evelyn
+1 # Evelyn 2012-02-22 08:45
Thank you for sharing these. I haven't been to Sedona since the early 1990's and now that I see your pictures I sure do miss it.

I think this is my favorite
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Suzi Smart
0 # Suzi Smart 2012-02-23 19:55
I have to go... hmmm, how can I make this work?
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Mark
+1 # Mark 2012-02-23 20:22
Just point the car and press down on the skinny pedal. :-)
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