Sedona, AZ

With the beautiful red rocks and mythical vortexes, Sedona is one of those places that we've had on our radar for a while.  I really only had two things on my to do list for my birthday weekend - go hiking and enjoy some beautiful vistas. 

Before we left Phoenix for Sedona though, we had to make a stop at Matt's Big Breakfast. We remembered it being one of our favorite breakfasts ever and it definitely lived up to our high expectations.

We stayed at the Sky Ranch Lodge in Sedona, which was perfectly adequate, but was really nothing special. The location, however, was amazing! It was located on top of the airport mesa and had us perfectly positioned for our first hike. We started off on the Airport Loop Trail (3.25 miles) and we were able to make it all the way around the mesa to watch the beautiful sunset. This whole area is within a "vortex". This is an area with a high concentration of positive energy - what Sedona is known for! I don't know about that, but we really did feel that this hike was wonderfully refreshing.

After our hike, we went back to our hotel, freshened up and had an aperitif in our room. For dinner, we went to Elote Cafe. We had heard the wait could be crazy (2 hours seemed the norm), but we went there around 8:15 and waited about 5 minutes to be seated. Wow, this meal was incredible. We started with the elote (Mexican street corn) and margaritas. Jason got the carne asada and I had the lamb adobo for the main dish. Incredible! One of the best meals both of us have had in a long time.

Saturday morning, we had breakfast at Coffee Pot Restaurant. It was a cute little diner with pretty yummy food! Right after, we drove over to the trail head for Chuckwagon Trail. This was a fun hike, BUT it was supposed to lead up to the Devil's Bridge Trail. We got a little lost (maybe 3-4 miles?), but eventually found our way. Devil's Bridge was definitely worth the effort and we spent a lot of time here taking in the views.

I'm sure you can see the water and clouds in some of those pictures above. Well...we got caught in a downpour after we left the Devil's Bridge, got lost, and ended up running about 3 miles back to our car. Good thing we just ran that 1/2 marathon? We got completely soaked, but we definitely had a good laugh about it (after we were a little warmer & drier)! Sedona was a great little weekend trip and a perfect start to my 29th year!

Next up: We're hoping for a quick getaway here in a few weeks - maybe Sonoma or Orlando?

Phoenix, AZ

So, Jason and I got back from Phoenix on Sunday. It was definitely a great trip! We got some GREAT deals on hotel and rental car, so it was super affordable as well.

We got to the Dallas airport and got onto the flight with no problems…we’ve been super lucky so far.  We arrived in Phoenix pretty late with a brief stop in El Paso along the way. One annoying thing about flying out of Dallas is that the Wright amendment restricts nonstop travel to states that don’t border Texas. This only applies to Love Field travel – and therefore all Southwest travel. This will be over in 2014.

We woke up really early the next day because we drove to the GRAND CANYON! It was such a surreal experience. It really looked fake – like I was standing in front of an amazing painting.

Not until we hiked into the canyon, did we really experience how massive it is. It had snowed a few days before we got there which made our trek…interesting. For the first 30 minutes or so, we were sliding downhill, hoping not to fall off the side. Really. It was crazy slippery and Jason fell on his butt twice…haha. People along the path were wearing special gear for the ice and we were obviously unprepared. After a little while, the trail opened up to the sun and we had a nice walk down to “Oooh Ahhh Point”. When you get to the point, the canyon really opens up.

Notice the ice/snow on the trail

At Ooh Ahh Point

We ate our lunch down at this point and admired the views. The way back up was MUCH easier! I would definitely recommend going in the winter as no one was there and we got to park right next to some amazing trails and views. I can only imagine how crowded it would be in the summer. I wish we had more time take the mules to the bottom, but apparently you have to reserve this over a year in advance.   We drove back to Phoenix that night and got ready for our day in Phoenix!

Tebowing at the Grand Canyon

We woke up and went to this AMAZING breakfast place called Matt’s Big Breakfast. I think there were literally 15 tables in this entire restaurant, so we waited for about 30-45 minutes. It was definitely worth it…Jason said it was the best breakfast he’s had in his life! Mine was also amazing.

We left completely happy…only to go to one of the lamest places ever, The Desert Botanical Gardens. I don’t know what we were expecting, but it was insanely boring. If you’re retired and own a fanny pack, you might like it. Otherwise, steer clear. We lasted maybe an hour before we went to explore downtown Scottsdale. We ended our day at Pizzeria Bianco. According to Rachel Ray, it’s the best pizza in America. It’s also on the top ten of many other lists. Maybe it’s a Phoenix thing, but MAN! These places are tiny! We grabbed a bottle of champagne and waited for our table outside in the beautiful weather.  It was definitely worth it and maybe the best pizza I’ve had in my life.

 

Overall, Phoenix was fun and super outdoorsy. The Grand Canyon was amazing – definitely recommended! We picked a great time to go – the weather was perfect and only the locals were around. I wish we had a little more time to go hiking in Phoenix, but that’s a 3 day weekend for you!

Our next trip is in 2 weeks. Not sure where we're headed, but stay tuned for more adventures!