Fall Road Trip 2023 - Sedona to Prescott

By the time we arrived in Sedona, I’d had enough of this hacking cough for the past two weeks and decided something had to be done about it. We stopped for coffee while I googled for a medi-clinic. There was one nearby with supposedly no one in line. Hmmm...I'm skeptical.  I called the insurance company and spent about 20 minutes on the phone to get a claim number. So many questions! 

Amazingly, I was the only one in the waiting room when we got to the medi-clinc and, including time needed to fill out forms, I was in and out in 50 minutes. Diagnosed with acute bronchitis (the doctor said he could hear me coughing from across the clinic!) and given a handful of prescriptions. A stop at Safeway to fill them and, fingers crossed, feeling better in about 5 days. 

 

Canadians always seem to be bragging about what a great medical system we have but I know that in BC I wouldn’t have been able to get into a medi-clinic without an appointment days/weeks in advance and it would have taken at least a day or more to get a tele-health appointment. So I was pretty happy with how this all went. And yes, I fully realized I’m speaking from a perspective of great privilege. 

Nice sculpture near the medi-clinic.

Anyway, all this was settled by midafternoon and we went for a short hike on Lower Chimney Rock loop trail. With me being sick, all our hikes have been relatively short and not too much elevation involved. But wherever you are, the views around Sedona never seem to disappoint. I love the shapes and colors of the rocks. 

We found a really nice hotel, Los Abrigados Resort and Spa, for a great last-minute deal, browsed the nearby shops in an artsy district called Tlaquepaque, and had supper at a fancy restaurant called Rene. 

Tiramisu in a clay flower pot

The next day we hiked the Broken Arrow Trail via Hog Wash and got almost to Chicken Point when we saw a pink jeep tour ahead of us. Definitely not our style so we turned back early. It was a nice loop, and we really didn’t see too many other people until we got closer to the end. 

We also stopped for a short walk at Sedona Wetlands Preserve before having a very late lunch and wine tasting at Paige Springs Cellars. Very nice! 

Wine tasting and lunch at Paige Springs Cellars

We decided we had enough time left in the day to get to Prescott and find a campground before dark. The route goes through the old historic mining town of Jerome which is basically built into the hillside with one main road going through it. We decided to stop and pick up coffee which took forever! 

Sun setting as we leave the town of Jerome

This put us arriving in Prescott after dark, frustratingly couldn’t find a campground that had space and was open. But we lucked out by again getting a last-minute deal at the very nice Forest Villas Hotel. We spent the evening having a glass of wine in the very comfortable lobby and continued the never-ending process of trying to catch up on photos and blog posts! 

Phoenix Zoo and Hiking near Sedona

After invading Dad & Elaine's place in Apache Junction long enough, we stopped at the Phoenix Zoo before we left the area. It certainly ranks right up there with good zoos. You know it's good when I have to wait for Andrew to take photos and we haven't even gotten to the entrance yet! Here's his photos.

I always find Prairie Dogs so humourous!

We then headed to Sedona where the plan was more hiking and climbing. Unfortunately, the weather was starting to turn so one our first day there we did a quick ~15 km, very scenic hike (a combination of the Hiline Trail and various other trails in order to make a loop) and had only a few spits of rain just before and during. (Unlike the wind and torrential downpours we experienced after that.)

Evening sun on the mountains. View from our hotel.

Views from the Hiline Trail

Not on the Hiline but on another trail that completed the loop. 

In Sedona we found some very good off-season rates at the Inn Above Oak Creek. The Inn used to be a B&B and the present owners purchased it less than a year ago. It's in a great location right beside the Creek, walking distance to several nice restaurants and galleries, and a short drive to various hiking trails. We first stayed in a lovely "creekside" room and then got moved to a suite for one night. The suite was really over the top. Apparently the previous elderly owner gave the designers full rein to do whatever they wanted and money was not a concern. The upstairs had a large balcony/deck, living room and dining room and a kitchen with a counter that fit 12 chairs in front of it. This elaborate setup made much more sense when were were told that cooking classes used to be held here. The lower level also had a huge balcony/deck, a single bedroom, a walk-in closet the size of a small room, and the largest bathroom, largest shower, and fanciest jet tub that I've ever seen!

Luckily the rain and iffy weather didn't stop us from visiting Page Springs Cellars Winery which is a short drive out towards Cottonwood. While there one afternoon we noticed that Chris Jamison was scheduled to play there the next day. We'd heard Chris play at the Holland Hotel in Alpine, Texas on our around-the-USA train trip just over a year ago and really liked him so decided to head out to the winery a second time. Chris is a very good singer/songwriter and we had a really nice evening.