Day # 47 - Sedona, AZ

It’s a great day for hiking! AJ was feeling better and fever free so we decided to head back into Sedona to do a little more hiking in the Red Rocks. We made breakfast then set out for Sedona.



We didn’t want to push too hard today given that we weren’t sure if AJ was 100% or how everyone else was feeling. We made our way over to Airport Mesa. There are several hiking trails there on and around the mesa and most of them are relatively easy with little elevation change. Everyone enjoyed stomping around in the red dirt, but Abby seemed the most excited (except for daddy). The views were nice and just the simple act of getting out on a trail and away from people changes your perspective.


The girls were having fun being our leaders and looking out for the cairns that marked our path. The biggest problem with this is that they can become a little over zealous and get too far ahead of us. This poses a couple of obvious problems. The first is that AJ can’t stand for his sisters to do anything that he can’t and so he tries to race ahead. He somehow isn’t as mindful of the drop offs as we are, so it’s a constant struggle to get him to stay beside you and hold your hand.



The other problem is that we are in a wild environment and the kids can’t seem to get it through their heads that there are actual things on these trails that can hurt them like cactus, rattle snakes (4 different varieties I’m told) and scorpions to name a few. Even still… we had a very enjoyable time.



It was in the upper 90’s so it was pretty warm out on the trail. We had plenty of water with us, but AJ was starting to get tired and started saying repeatedly that he wanted to go “back to the bye-bye” (that is what he has taken to calling the truck this trip). So he and I headed back to the car while Tony and the girls took another trail. The trails in this area are incredibly well marked with red rock cairns inside chicken wire baskets with wooden signs letting you know what trail you are on. Given my directionally challenged issues, I was still sure that we could find our way safely back and wasn’t worried about splitting up. AJ and I headed for the car, cranked up the AC and watched some of one of his current favorite movies, Air Buddies. The other half of the crew arrived after making a loop around one of the large rock formations. We headed back into town to walk the streets some more and grab a bite of lunch. Tony and I had sandwiches and adult beverages while the kids enjoyed standard kid cuisine (chicken strips and hot dogs). After lunch, we walked back up the strip to our car. It was getting to be late afternoon, so reluctantly we headed back to Williams to begin packing up for the next leg of our trip. The kids took care of the campsite KP while Tony tackled the outside duties. I buttoned up the inside. Everyone grabbed a much needed bath, then we hit the sheets early so we can try to get an early start in the morning on our drive to Gallup, New Mexico via the Petrified Forest.