What do you do when you are in a pandemic and have a three-day weekend? How about joining a family who is already on a road trip? Sounds reasonable.
Grant and I climbed on a flight Sunday morning for Phoenix where we met up with Erica and Ashley. They had rented an SUV and have been driving from San Diego to Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. With a car full of gear and a cat named Molly— they went cruising the highways in search of the notable and obscure sites.
Upon arrival into Phoenix, we rendezvoused with them and headed toward Sedona. Along the way, we stopped at Cave Creek to eat at The Horny Toad. Known for their never-frozen fried chicken, the food did not disappoint after our long wait. Instead of waiting, we wandered down the dirt trail to view some of the shops and look at the Art/Chocolate Festival occurring.
After stuffing our faces, we were off to Sedona. Before we checked in to our hotel we ventured out and went to some of the local shops. Erica and Ashley had buried their winter clothes in the car so Erica went “homeless sheik” rocking a blanket throughout the stores. She hammed it up and was in full character as she crossed streets and entered stores.
We stayed at Sedona Summit by Diamond Resort, which was a nice timeshare. Due to the limited time we were there, we lucked out and didn’t have to get pressured into learning more about the wonders of timeshare ownership. Sedona is a sleepy town at night and by 8:30 pm our food choices were a bit limited so Dominos to the rescue. We hung out in the hot tub until our food arrived and then scampered back in trying to retain any lingering heat from the hot water.
The next morning I woke up to find my computer busted. The screen had somehow gotten damaged, and after discussing with three representatives we finally got it figured out. This soured my mood a bit, but I am gonna blame the energy vortexes.
Erica who had lived in this area showed us around the main tourist sites. She kept pointing out Snoopy Rock and Belle Tower. I literally at one point thought she was just making this stuff up. Grant and Erica had an eye for rock formations as Ashley and I had no idea what they were talking about. We drove to Belle Tower and hiked around this area for a bit. My trusty tripod selfie stick was pulled out a variety of spots and we got some great photos of us.
We went to a few more stops like Grasshopper Point and Chapel of the Holy Cross. Afterward, we went to Wildflower Bread Company and I found out that I left my watch at the condo. Thankfully Ashley asked the time otherwise that would have been another $300 going to Apple. Grant made the call, they found it and we were able to grab it. Sedona and I didn’t get along, but everyone had fun.
Having an hour airplane ride and then turning around and doing a seven-hour return drive is tough. We did stop quite a few times; we picked up a date shake, stopped for dinner in Yuma, and entertained ourselves with cheesy car games. Erica started using cactus as markers “my sister’s house is the red roof one by the cactus...” Umm...we are in the desert of Arizona...I see it...just like I saw the bell and Snoopy. Hahaha.
After driving Ashley crazy with— a is for apple, b is for Bat, C is for Cat, D is for...we finally made it home. A quick trip out with a long return is hard, but the company we had made the trip worth it. Until next time!