We decided to take it easy our last day in Sedona. The tourist advice lady had warned us of the crowds. We wanted to go to Cathedral Rock which is very popular. She told us be there by 8 AM or you won't get a parking space. We balanced sleeping in and a space and decided to risk it.
We arrived at Cathedral rock about 10 AM a tad after 8AM. Given the time change you could argue that it took us till 1PM to get our butts in gear but we are on vacation. The primary lot is small and we just missed getting a space but the secondary lot 100 feet away had a space waiting for us. So much for expert tourist advice.
Cathedral rock is initially an easy hike. It turns into a moderate one and then a real scramble. The end is basic rock climbing. We decided we didn't want to fall off the rock and stopped short of the summit. The view from where we were was good and we did not die.
We worked our way down which was actually harder than up and relocated to a nearby scenic overlook. We did the Bell Rock trail. Again getting most of the way up afforded us great butte views without undue risk of death.
Our next challenge was the Fay canyon trail. This is a less popular easy trail to see a hook shaped rock. It was just 11 minutes from our hotel. Arriving at the trail head we saw 4 rescue vehicles. There were no lights or activity so we were a bit confused why they were there.
The trail is a mostly flat walk through the canyon which crisscrosses a dry stream bed. There is supposed to be a waterfall and water but not this time of year. It is about 1 mile each way so pretty easy. It is also about 50% shaded. We arrived at the trail end and saw some gear strewn on the ground. While looking at the cool rocks we met a nice Australian couple. We learned that a person had hurt their ankle rock climbing the cool looking rocks.
The rescue team was trying to get them down. We stayed a bit and enjoyed the view and then headed back with the Aussies. They were on a seven week USA adventure. They were also from Perth area which we had vacationed in at the end of 2015.
Our next challenge was two miles down the road, Doe mountain. It was a pretty vertical hike up the side of a big hill. At the top you were supposed to have great Sedona views. We made it about 85% of the way to the top and once again hit a stretch of trail which was more rock climbing than hiking.
Since the rescue team was already busy, we decided to avoid falling off the mountain and were satisfied with some excellent butte views. As we left the trail head we drove back by Fay canyon. The rescue team was packing up and there was an ambulance there. We assumed that they either completed the rescue or were leaving the tourist in place as a warning to others. Either way we were pretty hungry.
Sedona has lots of art galleries but a dearth of fast food. We searched for a local taco stand figuring we were in the Southwest. No luck, the closest was a Taco Bell 20 minutes away. Searching some more we found Senor Bob's. Bob sells dogs and burger. It is a pretty limited menu.
We went with dogs and a side of fries. He makes really good fries. Thin and crispy. I have no pictures because we were hungry and ate rather than take pictures. The Dogs come plain but but they have a great topping bar. I did spicy mustard, red onions, kraut and chili. It was really smothered by the time I was done. Messy but tasty.
If you look at the pictures you will see a theme, red dirt. I had started with clean white sneakers at the beginning of the trip. They now have a permanent red tinge even though I have washed them.
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