20. Sedona (Desert Road Trip Part 2)

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I'm Johnny Mack and this is episode
two of our Desert road trip. Last

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time we did Phoenix in Scottsdale.
We are making our way up towards the

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Grand Canyon. There are two ways
to go. You could take the Interstate

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and be there in about four hours. I've done that, but don't do

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that. Let's take the scenic route. And by scenic, I mean very

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scenic. If you've never been to
Arizona and you don't really understand it,

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you think it's Phoenix and it's a
city in the desert, you don't get

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it. I made that mistake the
first time I went there. You need

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to drive around a little bit.
We're gonna make our way up State Route

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one seventy nine and we're going to
head towards Sedona. It usually takes about

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two hours if you drive straight through, but we are not going to do

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that. We'll stop off at Black
Canyon City, which is forty six miles

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from Phoenix. Black Canyon City gives
you a slice of Arizona's nature with Bradshaw

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Mountain is a very picturesque location along
the Agua Fria River. In the late

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eighteen hundred, the Black Cannon area
served as a stagecoach stop on the Phoenix

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to Prescott line, and we're gonna
eat while we travel. Grab some pies

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at the Rock Springs Cafe. Four
types of cream, seven types of fruit

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pie, ten types of specialty pie. This diner opened ninety years ago and

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has become an icon in the restaurant
industry. Back in the car, sixty

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seven miles from Phoenix the Agua Fria
Monuments seventy one thousand acres of unadulterated natural

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beauty. And get out the camera
because you were going to see antelope,

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mule, deer, bobcats, and
a lot more. Can't guarantee that you're

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going to see them, but you're
supposed to see them. Back in the

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car. Ninety four miles from Phoenix, it is Montezuma Castle, one of

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the most well preserved ancient dwellings in
Arizona. A five story structure built into

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a recess and a white limestone cliff
about seventy feet above the ground. It

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has twenty rooms. I will warn
you you're no longer allowed up inside the

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actual ruins. Humans tend to ruin
things, but you can still do a

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lot of things, and there's a
lot of instagrambable places, and that's all

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your teenage daughters get to care about. Anyway, She'll get the insta and

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we're good. Back in the car. Let's add up to Sedona Cathedral Rock.

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The hike to Cathedral Rock is only
a mile long, and you can

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start on the easy, breezy trail. The initial climb is pretty easy,

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but occasionally alden counter staircases of rocks. Just before you reach the junction of

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Cathedral Rock Trail and Templeton Trail,
you'll arrive at a platezeaux where you can

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rest for a bit and savor the
breathtaking view of Sedona. When you reach

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the second plateau, that's where most
tikers take a break, and you'll also

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see how close you order the summit. A sign at the top says end

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of trail. Take the hint,
but your eyes will tell you, yeah,

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we're here. Take some pictures.
One of the most popular trails you

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can hike in Sedona other than Cathedral
Rock is the Devil's Bridge. But don't

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be scared. The trailhead starts in
the unpaved portion of Dry Creek Road and

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you need to secure a high clearance
vehicle to access. Only then, where

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you allowed to park at the Dry
Creek Road trailhead. At the paved section

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about three quarters a mile from the
parking area, the trail will come to

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a fork and you'll turn left and
you'll wind up at the base of the

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Devil's Bridge. Then you'll continue up
a natural rock staircase, from which you

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will see all the beauty of Sedona
and Sidona is gorgeous. Again, if

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you've never seen the desert, you
don't get it. It is not just

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sand. The Airport Mesa Loop trail
offers jaw dropping and onspiring views of Sedona

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Vortex and Red rocks. You can
get a two hundred and sixty degree two

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sixty, not three sixty two sixty
panoramic view of almost every red rock landmark

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at an elevation of forty five hundred
feet where your good shoes. It's called

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a vortex hike because it's believed that
the trees at these magical sites often exhibit

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swirling or twisting of their trunks because
of the powerful vortex energy at the core

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of a Sedona Vortex. The Chapel
of the Holy Cross is unique because it

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sits among the surrounding red rock formations. The chapel perfectly blends into the environments.

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I'm looking at a picture here.
It sure does get there early,

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it gets crowded. It's also suggesting
you get there right when they open so

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you can see the fog rolling out
during the colder months. I've seen the

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fog at the Grand Canyon Desert fog
is really cool. The Oak Creek Canyon

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hike we're outside this episode, are
we not. This hike will take you

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through eight Canyon hence the name,
and a rushing creek and a lush forest

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relatively easy for casual hiker. And
then let's head to the shopping area.

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The name it's complicated. Luckily this
pronunciation guide salaka paca hope, I got

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that right. It is the most
distinctive Sedona shopping experience that you can find

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in the Southwest, a landmark since
the seventies, great architecture, plenty of

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places to dine and shop. You'll
need a break. If this is your

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scene and you like wine, wine
soeurs. Wine sewers usually range from three

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hours to eight hours or even longer, and can be customized for your group.

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And make sure you check out Red
Rocks if you like. You two

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live at Red Rock sound familiar.
Sure does hike, bike, or horseback

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ride on trails winding through Sedona's iconic
Red Rock formations. The two hundred and

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eighty six acre nature preserve also houses
green meadows, juniper, abundant wildlife,

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and Oak Creek. Ten developed trails
offer scenic sites. Take a quiet hike,

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meander around Red Rock cliffs. At
Oak Creek. Horses are also welcome.

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Did you bring your horse? I
forgot mine. I'm hungry. Let's

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take a break. We'll come back
and eat. For breakfast, we are

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going to the Coffee Pot restaurant.
You've seen this on the Travel Channel.

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You've seen this on the Food Network. Family owned one hundred one omelets ranging

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from the traditional bacon and cheese to
the downright bowled jelly, peanut, butter

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and banana. The menu also features
a whole stack of authentic Mexican dishes,

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So come with a big appetite.
If you want something gorgeous, how about

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for lunch? We hit in Mariposa, a Latin inspired grill. It's just

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west of downtown Sedona. It is
beautiful, stunning views of the Red Rocks.

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Indoor and outdoor seating. I'm sitting
outside my wife. Yeah, no,

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my ey, it's pretty cool.
We're sitting outside. I don't want

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to be inside. I didn't come
here to be inside. Great service,

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big wine list, I gotta drive. I'll pass on that. Latin American

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cuisine including steaks and seafood, halibut
with grilled corn, black beans, and

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quinwa to on a different field.
The Cowboy Club in the nineteen forties and

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beyond the celebrity favorite Oh Creek Tavern
was the original social center in Sedona.

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Today it's known as the Cowboy Club. Cowboy Raic charm permeates the family friendly

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steakhouse complete with Western memorabilia, a
striking antler, chandelier, cozy fireplaces,

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leather furnishing. Stay traditional with a
prime top sterloin, or go to a

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culinary wild West with elk shops,
dry age, bison ribi and cactus fries.

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I'll take the sterloin, please.
Teo Gavo is a South American restaurant.

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This is located within the Enchantment Resort. It's got a firebit lined outdoor

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terrace, gorgeous views. Some of
the food regional Tamali bowls filled with brave

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short rip, summer squash or chili, shrimp house made fresh guacamole, brick

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pair margarita's. M might have to
have the wife drive this next trip,

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all right? A Feeling Healthy Chicola
Tree Organic Oasis. It combines a spiritual

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wellness center at health food restaurant,
an airbnb, and a coffee shop a

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one organic vegetarian menu, including many
vegan and raw options. It's small caliform,

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produces chocolates devoid of process sugar and
gluten. And if you're underway to

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go hiking, grab something from the
daily case for the road. Let's stop

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there when we come back. Next
week, we're going to head out from

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Sodona. Enjoy the evening. We
got another drive next time on Travelers Back

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the Grand Canyon. All right,
if I had one day in Sodona,

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h what would I even do?
There's so much to do. I might

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just go Chalk Cathedral, Rock,
Devil's Bridge, go, grab something to

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eat, have those pair margaritas,
let the wife drive back to the hotel.

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I will keep it simple because we
got to go to the canyon next

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time. Follow this show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google podcast Plenty of

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episodes in the back catalog. If
you missed a Desert road Trip Episode one.

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That was last week Phoenix and Scottsdale. Next week we'll hit the canyon.

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We're eventually going to make our way
to New Mexico. See it then,