Arizona: the 48th state to join the contiguous United States and by serendipity is also the 48th state on our road trip. It almost feels like the last few states we have visited have tried to outdo each other with scenery and geology and Arizona most definitely stepped up to the challenge. From Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border we headed to Page to visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
If you have not been here yet, you need to put this on your list of places to visit. And more specifically, you need to do a tour with Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon Tours. This company takes you to a secret slot canyon on private property in Antelope Canyon, one that is only accessed by them, thereby avoiding all the crazy crowds that flock to this area (up to 4000 people per day in summer!). They also take you to a private Navajo viewpoint, again away from the crowds, to look over Horseshoe Bend. AND, if you’re lucky enough to have Brandon as your guide, you’re in for a treat when he plays the Indian flute inside the canyon with acoustics that cannot be beaten.
After giving us plenty of time to wander through the canyon and take a million photos, Brandon took us over to Horseshoe Bend. Standing 1000ft / 300m above the Colorado River below us, it was a breathtaking sight to behold. And even better, the sun came out at the exact moment I needed it to, making for some pretty great photos.
We have mostly stayed in Airbnbs throughout this trip and they have all been great in one way or another. But the view that was waiting for us at the back door of our Sedona Airbnb just about beat any other view we have had, and my goodness we have had a fair few amazing ones. This one was so good, in fact, that when we arrived approaching sunset, there were a dozen or so photographers with tripods camped out in the creek waiting to get their perfect picture.
Cathedral Rock is considered a strong upflow vortex and is revered by Native Americans as well as those seeking to find spiritual well-being and enlightenment. We were just happy to sit with a cup of tea and revel in our excellent taste in Airbnbs.
A couple who sat next to us in a pizza restaurant in Seattle told us that when we visit Sedona, we must do the Broken Arrow drive with Pink Jeep Tours. Six months later when we got here, we took their advice and weren’t disappointed. Our guide and driver Gene took us up, down and over Sedona’s famed red rocks as he drove us through the area where several westerns have been filmed, including the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie Broken Arrow. Yet again, we found ourselves surrounded by dramatic scenery different to anything we’ve seen before.
Then after a morning of off-road adventuring, we went in search of some local cuisine for lunch and found it in the Cowboy Club where we dined on cactus fries, rattlesnake sausage and bison skewers.
Pat yourself on the back Arizona! We’ve truly had a great time here and we need to come back to finish exploring, but what we have seen so far has been outstanding. Thank you!
S&P