Red Rock Crossing - Sedona

After our hike and some acai bowls the plan was to go to Slide Rock in northern Sedona area.  I knew it was a popular area and there was a possibility the park was to capacity, especially early afternoon, but we tried anyway.  Unfortunately there were 20 cars waiting in front of us when we got there with another 10 quickly lining up behind us.  I had to make the quick decision to pivot which disappointed the kids.  They remember how fun Slide Rock was two summers ago.

We ended up going to a jewelry story nearby where a local told us about Red Rock Crossing, on the south side on Sedona.  I figured it was a worth a try and I am so glad we went!  It ended up costing less to get it and was just as beautiful and fun.  We got rained out after and hour is Slide Rock wouldn't have worked anyway.  The waterwheel in the picture above was actually functioning.  The kids loved exploring and picking blackberries while we found a spot of our own to put our stuff down and get in the water.

The water was chill but not too cold with the warm Jul weather.  The rocks were real slippery so the kids found sticks to help with balance.

It would have been nice to spend a little more time there but we were ready to go home.  Now we know about Red Rock Crossing we can bring Andrew and Elliot next time.  We drove straight home after, just in time to grab some tacos and watch a movie before bed.  Such a fun way to end summer break.

Fey Canyon Trail - Sedona

Hiking in Sedona is legendary and something on my hike/travel list for a long time.  With summer almost at an end this was the time to squeeze in one more adventure and Sedona was the perfect place to do it.  Elliot and Andrew were busy with a stake YM weekend so I took the other four kids on a day trip up north.

I checked out the All Trails app for kid friendly hikes and Fey Canyon Trail ended up being just what we needed.  Did the kids complain about more muscles or wanting a break? Yes.  And they still did it and had a good time.  Honestly, the kids are such good hikers, sometimes I think they forget that. ;)

When there's a boulder you must climb on top of it.  Because of rain the week before the trail was nice and green but not muddy because it was sufficient time to dry.  We also were surprised with how sparkly the trail was.  Sedona is known for all that red rock but I didn't know it was sparkly.  The red and black rock and sand was so sparkly, it was so pretty in the sun.  Sedona being north of Mesa was also noticeably cooler which is always nice in July!

This was the trail end, which was sooner than the maps showed.  We went a little farther but it went straight up so after a little climb we looked around before turning back.

I had read comments in the All Trails app about an arch off the main trail you can hike up to.  A nice family on the hike from New York pointed us in the right direction where we made a steep incline up the canyon to this arch.  Bea impressed me and hiked most of it on her own!  The off trail was challenging and there were lots of boulders and cacti but such a view!  Nature is incredible.  Someone at the top kindly took a group photo of us.

After finishing the hike it was lunchtime and I'm sure you can imagine, we were famished.  Wanting to fuel up with something nourishing (not burgers and fries) Berry Divine acai bowls was refreshing and surprisingly filling.  We shared two acai bowls and a smoothie and each had our own favorite.

Probably a result of poor connection, Run Keeper app didn't give an accurate record or the trail.  The map on the right was from the All Trails app.  The 1.64 miles was more accurate than 2.6, and we hiked two hours.  We had a good time and I really want to tackle another Sedona trail soon.  Since this hike was in July I have kept my goal of a different hike every month in 2021.  Still need to hike this month!

Navajo Bridge & the North Rim

 

(not sure why this is blurry)

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim with this group.  I started training three weeks before.  It really wasn't enough but I did my best with the time I had.  We set off last Saturday from Rachel Willis's house.  She's my running buddy.  We hike with her brother Ben, his son James, his daughter Marianne, her friend Brigette, and Gary (Ben's father in law) was the driver.  He's hiked rim to rim many times and it was great hiking with him the last few weeks and having someone experienced there.  Ben and Marianne were also experienced rim to rim hikers.

After a lunch break in Flagstaff we headed north.  This was our stop at Navajo Bridge.  There's the bridge for driving and a bridge for walking. 

Look at that background!  Those are the Vermillion Cliffs behind me.  I have memories coming here when I worked at Jacob Lake Inn the summer of 2005.  So nostalgic!

This was looking down from the bridge.  Just stunning!  And that water was moving pretty fast too.  Just north of here is Lee's Ferry where a lot of rafts get started but we didn't see a single floating device all weekend.  The Grand Canyon North and South rim visitor centers closed the week before so we were there at the beginning of off season.  

Thankfully the weather was perfect! It got much colder a couple days later.  I live in such a beautiful state!

Here's where we camped near the entrance to the north rim.  It got nippy as the sun went down and was a low around 35 degrees at night.  My bum was called all night but warmers kept my feet warm.

Loving the fresh air and ponderosa pines!  Arizona has the most beautiful forests!  There must have been a fire a few years ago because some of the drive south of Jacob Lake had burnt forest.  It was strange having a view down to the vermillion cliffs.  Normally there's forest in the way from that drive.

Rachel and I shared a tent and she made some yummy soup we shared too.

I brought the cookers, Trader Joes corn chips, and homemade chocolate chip cookies.  It would have been nice to have a camp fire but the fire was only a ring of rocks, not a metal ring, and with the fire hazard we had to do without.

As usual the moon and stars were so pretty at night.  It was so windy, the wind blowing in the trees kept me up much of the night but we tried to have an early start to bed since we needed to be up early.  I went to bed around 8:30 and had broken sleep all night.  I ended up not being able to sleep past 3:30 which wasn't too bad since we had a 4:00am start anyway.

Wish I slept more and drank more, but not a terrible way to start the hike.  Such a pretty day!  I was surprised how fast it felt getting to the north rim in one day.

Seattle date night

 Beatrix is such a sweet third wheel.  She was so good on this trip, whether on the airplane for her first time or being worn in the wrap while I walked all over the city.  She also slept well in the crib the hotel provided.

Andrew is patient with me and my need for elevator selfies. :)  We did this on our last trip too.  Last time we staying in the Men's Athletic Club hotel, around the corner of where we stayed this time; the Sheraton Hotel next door to the Seattle Convention Center.  That's where Mozcon was located.

 Mod Pizza for dinner.  Have you been before? I like that you can customize your pizza.

 Have you heard of Salt & Straw?  I thought they were only in CA but apparently they started Oregon and have a location in Seattle too, lucky for us!  It's a delicious and unique ice cream place.  Very popular for good reason.  The line was out the door!  They have classic flavors and monthly specials with some local ingredients. Checkout that cool chalkboard menu above.  Very impressive.

Andrew had the Strawberry with Balsamic Vinegar & Pepper and I got the Birthday Cake & Blackberries. 

It was so fun have a special date while we were there.  It ended up being our only one since Tuesday night we watched the Manning kids until late so Julie and James could go on a date and Wednesday night I was out late with Geneva and her sister Alecia who was visiting.  We try to make dates a weekly occurrence but that doesn't always happen.

The Emerald City

 When I first visited Seattle two years ago I had no idea how big a city it was. I mean, look at those skyscrapers!  It's such a cool city but like all big cities it has interesting people, interesting smells, good food, lots to see by just walking around, cool places to go to like museums and unique sights.

 The Market is a must!  So many cool shops to walk around.  There's a fish market, gorgeous flower bouquets, honey, homemade jam, food shops, etc.  Monday morning I enjoyed walking around and grabbing some breakfast.  It was just so nice to go places on my schedule and not worry about the kids.

 This is one of my favorite food stops across from the market.  This is greek yogurt marionberry crumble form Ellenos.  The lemon crumble is also really good!

 Just the prettiest flowers!  And so reasonably priced too.

Since I didn't meet up with Julie and her kids until lunchtime I went to the Seattle Art Museum to pass the time.  Not super kids friendly so once again, it was nice to meander on my own. :)

Ok, this painting was way more amazing and impactful in person but someone was nice enough to take a picture of my next to it.  The green trees, stormy clouds, and waves captured a scene nothing like home in Arizona. 

 Julie was such a trooper to bring all her kids into the city.  This was her first time so I got to show her around a bit.

 Crumpets are very English but it was so nice having them fresh with toppings for lunch!

 Everything was delicious, the only problem was that we all wanted more.

 So we got some Beecher's homemade Mac and Cheese.  Beecher's make yummy cheeses in store, you can even see the big vat they make it in.  Their Mac and Cheese has such a good noodle to sauce balance with a little bit of kick.

 Say hello to the gum wall!  It's actually a gum alley.  Thousands upon thousands of pieces of gum.  Gross, yes, but also fascinating and a tourist must-see.

 The city is right next to water and it was a lovely day!

 This is one of my favorite pictures I took.  Such a beautiful day!

 We hiked up this big hill so I had to take a picture of how strong Josie and Jason were.  It was not easy and they were getting tired of walking everywhere.  I barely made it up!  I'm so out of shape from not working out regularly since early pregnancy.

 Here's the Space Needle.  Andrew and I still haven't got to the top so it's another reason to come back to Seattle some time.  There's a really cool playground the kids played at near the Space Needle while we nursed the little ones and rested our legs in the shade. 

We took a monorail back closer to Julie's car and my hotel at the end to give the kids (and my!) legs a break.  It's a cook way to see a bit of the city in a different way.