Happy Easter!
We spent three nights at the centrally located Casa Remuda in Sedona. This base allowed us a more relaxed pace and far less driving than during the rest of our road trip, as we drove only 50 km & 29 km on Saturday & Sunday, while adding 7km & 15.5 km of walking. We headed out early to Cathedral Rock, lucked out with parking on our second pass of the lot before it was closed for the day, and beat much of the crowd to the trail. Cathedral Rock is said to be one of the main Sedona vortexes and it affords spectacular views, so visitors will definitely be satisfied. The Cathedral Rock trail is a popular short, steep ascent from the Back O' Beyond trailhead to the saddle points or "gaps" in Cathedral Rock. According to TripAdvisor, Sedona's number one attraction is The Chapel of the Holy Cross. (Parking was a zoo!) Bell Rock is another relatively short climb to an energy vortex. Nestled beneath the shade of the sycamores on the banks of beautiful Oak Creek, Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village provided a relaxing contrast to the exposed red rock hikes and 26 degree weather. Fashioned after a traditional Mexican village, Tlaquepaque, meaning the "best of everything," has been a Sedona landmark since the 1970s. Named for the Coffee Pot Rock Formation, the most popular restaurant in Red Rock Country features 101 omelette selections. Originally owned by Hollywood actress Jane Russell, many Old Hollywood stars including Elvis Presley frequented the restaurant. The Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout sits atop the Airport Mesa Vortex and attracts crowds at sunset. Sedona has garnered a reputation as a spiritual Mecca and global metaphysical epicenter; Casa Remuda is a great place to learn about it. Sunday morning we made it to Soldiers Pass Trailhead bright and early to claim one of only 14 parking spots... only to discover that the lot has been closed, requiring hikers to use the shuttle parking. The shuttle was not running yet, so this added an extra mile to our hike. After quickly reaching the Devil's Kitchen (sinkhole), we continued to the Seven Sacred Pools. We took the fork to the cave; I thoroughly explored the area, even climbing up on top to what turned out to be the Brins Mesa Trail. As the trail continues, the views open up and one finds more solitude. Between hikes, I was "sippin' pretty" on the Casa Remuda deck, enjoying sour fruit beer and sweet chocolate ice cream in the 29° sunshine. Sunday afternoon we hiked the easy, one hour Fay Canyon Trail. When we made our reservations, we hadn't realized that our Sedona stay was the entire Easter weekend. Walter and Vivian included all guests and some former guests in their Sunday dinner. (7 of 12 of us shown below) That evening I enjoyed more beers while continuing to be entertained by fireside tales of alien abductions (complete with body cloning and the implanting of one's consciousness), the source of Sedona's cosmic power (a 250 foot crystal embedded by alien lasers millions of years ago), and its many colourful residents (including Walter Soaring Eagle himself, who created a 7 mile medicine wheel around Sedona). I heard about a "space soldier" celebrating his 50th and 90th birthdays on the same day after having spent 40 years on Mars, fathering an alien child, and killing his own clone. It was a great reminder that people with very different beliefs can not only be respectful of one another, they can become great friends. We found commonality in our faith in love, and I truly appreciated our hosts' generosity, warmth, and caring inclusion.
Happy Easter!
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