As I continued my blog from Las Vegas, I started the drive to Sedona using the black Toyota RAV4 AWD.
I started the engine and used a parking ticket (given to me by Avis) to
exit the Bellagio parking garage structure. The Apple CarPlay navigation
screen appeared, and we started our long 4.5-hour drive to Sedona,
Arizona. We decided to skip the Grand Canyon since Alex was still unwell,
and visiting it would add many additional hours to the drive.
Our first stop was at
But First Liquid Cafe
in Kingman, Arizona, along the famous Route 66. We ordered a few breakfast
items and rested for 30 minutes. All three of us ordered
Avocado Toast, while Inna and Alex ordered Lattes. I ordered a
French Press coffee, but it was too bitter. The warm
Apple Cider was delicious, and I drank it instead of the bitter
coffee.
After the brief stop, we resumed our drive to Sedona. As I felt exhausted,
I asked Inna to drive the rest of the way. As we neared Sedona, we pulled
over at a Chevron to refuel. I noticed that gas prices in Arizona were
about $1.70 per gallon cheaper than in California (in Arizona, 1 gallon of 87-octane
unleaded gasoline was selling for $3.89; in California, it was selling for
$5.60)
Before reaching our
Hilton Sedona at Bell Rock, I stopped at a nearby ranger station to purchase a weekly Sedona
parking pass for $15.00. We reached the
Hilton Sedona at Bell Rock in a few more minutes. We unloaded our black Toyota RAV4 and waited
in line to check in. The line was moving slowly, as only one agent was
working (and I was impatient).
After checking into the Hilton Sedona Room #1072 on the first floor, we
dropped off our bags and returned to the Hilton's Shadowrock Tap + Table for lunch. We decided to sit outdoors, by the fire pit, selecting
the following items:
- Alex: Ahi Poke Bowl, Hot Tea
- Inna: Ahi Poke Bowl, Hot Tea, 20-oz Apple Cider
- Boris: Tacos with Chicken, Hot Tea
The tacos were excellent, and Inna's Ahi Poke Bowl was delicious. The strawberry Apple Cider was
surprisingly tasty, too.
After lunch, we decided to hike around Bell Rock, which was only a few
miles away. I changed into sweatpants and hiking boots, and we quickly
drove to the
Bell Rock Trailhead parking lot. We followed a route around Bell Rock (clockwise). The hike
was excellent, with beautiful views of Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. Alex,
despite being unwell, managed to keep pace with us.
However, we should have started the hike earlier. During the last 30
minutes of the hike, the sun had set, and we needed to use our iPhone
flashlights to see the trail ahead.
After the hike, we decided to stop by Pisa Lisa
Pizzeria for dinner. However, there was a 45-minute wait, and we were
added to the waiting list. We decided to try the nearby
Butterfly Burger next door,
but it also had a 35-minute wait. We added ourselves to the waiting list
and returned to our
Hilton Sedona Hotel at Bell Rock.
A few minutes later, we received a message from Butterfly Burger that our
Table was ready. We returned to
Butterfly Burger and
ordered the following items:
- Appetizer: Butterfly Burrata
- Alex: Butterfly Burger
- Inna: Funghi Sublime Burger
- Boris: Mowee Wowee (Mahi-mahi) sandwich
- Dessert: Affogato Milkshake (non-alcoholic)
My Mowee Wowee Mahi-mahi sandwich was excellent, and Inna raved
about her delicious Funghi Sublime burger. She said it was
significantly superior to Roam Burger in San Francisco.
For dessert, we ordered two Affogato Milkshakes (one for Alex
and one for Inna). Alex enjoyed his milkshake, but Inna
refused to drink hers (as she did not want to consume so many additional
calories). I helped out with the milkshake, and it was delicious!
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Happy Thanksgiving!
After waking up, we initially intended to hike the West Fork in Sedona, but the weather was freezing (40°F), and Inna did not
sleep well. She still suffered from dizziness, and we postponed the West
Fork hike for another day.
Instead, after eating a late breakfast at the Shadowrock Restaurant at
Hilton Sedona (where we ordered avocado toast and coffee), we
decided to see the Grand Canyon. Alex was still unwell and chose not to
join us.
I write about our visit to the Grand Canyon in a separate blog entry.
After returning from the Grand Canyon, we stopped by the
Shadowrock Tap + Table
for drinks. We sat at the bar and ordered the local
Strawberry Apple Cider with some snacks. Inna got a bit drunk,
drinking just one 16-oz glass of Apple Cider (probably due to a
lack of food). I watched the San Francisco 49ers build a 24-3 halftime lead over the Seattle
Seahawks. They went on to win 31-13.
At 19:50, we returned to our Hilton Sedona room #1072 and grabbed Alex for
dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Cucina Rustica. We had an excellent dinner, as expected, ordering the following
items:
- Appetizer: Housemade Focaccia, Burrata d'Amore
- Soup: Garnet Yam Bisque
- Drinks: Hot Black Tea with lemon and honey
- Alex: Filetto di Manzo
- Boris: Gnocchi Della Nonna
- Inna: Chilean Sea Bass
- Dessert: Luscious Lemon Cheesecake
We had a fantastic dinner at
Cucina Rustica, and our
waiter, Matthew, took excellent care of us. The Burrata was
delicious, and the Yam Bisque soup was perfect (though a bit
spicy). My Gnocchi was delicious, and Inna's Sea Bass was
well prepared.
The Lemon Cheesecake was also exceptional.
We had an excellent Thanksgiving Dinner!
Friday, November 24, 2023
I usually wake up at 7:00, but today, I woke up at 10:30. Inna did not
sleep well due to a few symptoms, including dizziness and nausea. I also
did not sleep well, so I was surprised to sleep past 10:00.
After waking up, Alex, Inna, and I showered and got dressed. We decided to
have a late brunch (late breakfast/early lunch) at the
Shadowrock Tap + Table. We ordered the following items:
- Alex: Grilled Chicken, Coffee
- Boris: Chicken Tacos, Coffee
- Inna: Loaded Quesadilla, Coffee
The chicken tacos were edible, but the drip coffee tasted like
toxic sludge, covered with cream to hide the horrendous,
burned-coffee aftertaste. However, we ingested enough calories to prepare
for our upcoming hike.
Since neither Inna nor Alex was fully healthy, we decided to hike the
short, 3.4-mile round-trip
Little Horse to Chicken Point trail
nearby. We thought parking at
Little Horse Trailhead would be
impossible, and we were prepared to drive a bit further to the designated
shuttle stop ahead.
However, we were exceedingly lucky! When I drove to the
Little Horse Trailhead, I circled around and found an empty parking
space. This avoided going to the nearby shuttle stop (and the extra time
to wait for and board the shuttle).
We started our hike around 13:00. Immediately, we felt the soft
pitter-patter of raindrops and encountered a short shower. As it was a
light drizzle, we continued the hike. The trail was very scenic, with
beautiful views of the surrounding red cliffs. On the way to
Chicken Point, we encountered many other hikers and mountain
bikers. The mountain bikers were having a great time, and I wished I had
ridden here, too.
Eventually, we reached the very top of the hike at
Chicken Point,
where a few 4WD jeeps were parked.
Pink Jeep Adventure
Tours offers many Sedona tours, including the
Chicken Point tour. When we reached the top, the wind picked up, and it began to
hail!
We did not expect rain or hail on our hike. This sudden change in the
weather was unexpected (and unforeseen), as the daily weather forecast
never mentioned it.
We had never experienced a hailstorm in Sedona. We had planned to rest and enjoy the view
of the surrounding cliffs, but the unpleasant weather cut our stop short, and we headed back
to the Little Horse trailhead.
We encountered a few more downpours, followed by pockets of sunshine on
the way down. We reached the trailhead at 14:40 and decided to look for a
coffee shop to warm up. However, the road north to Sedona was very
congested, so we decided to look for a nearby coffee shop. We first
stopped by
Firecreek Coffee, but it was closed. We checked
Red Rock Cafe, but it was closed
as well. However, my Apple Maps indicated that Sedona Bike & Beans was
open, so we drove a mile there.
Unlike other coffee shops,
Sedona Bike & Beans was open,
and we ordered a few drinks there, including:
- Alex: 20-oz Latte, Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Boris: 16-oz Mocha, Chocolate-chip Muffin
- Inna: 12-oz Latte
The coffees and muffins were good. I also found out about
renting mountain bikes. A full-suspension mountain bike would cost $59/day
and could be ridden straight from the shop (no bike rack required).
After our quick snack, we returned to Hilton Sedona, where we played a bit
of Scrabble and watched the basketball games on TV.
I was lucky to win in Scrabble (before finishing the entire game) with a
score of 124. Inna scored 110, and Alex scored 102.
For dinner, we drove north to Sedona to eat at
Mole Sedona (Inna made dinner reservations for 18:45). After sitting down
indoors (it was lightly raining outside), we ordered the following
items:
- Appetizer: Guacamole Tasting with chips
- Alex: Skirt Steak
- Inna: Virgin Paloma, Shrimp Enchilada
- Boris: Mole (Chicken Enchilada)
- Dessert: Tres Leches
My Mole Enchilada (Chicken Enchilada) was acceptable, but Inna
liked her Shrimp Enchilada. The Tres Leches were excellent.
I really wanted the chips that came with the
guacamole-tasting appetizer (the appetizer itself was
relatively small)
After dinner, we returned to the Hilton Sedona and rested. Alex made some
hot black tea in our room, and I read my Kindle.
Saturday, November 25, 2023
In the morning, we woke up a bit earlier. After showering, we decided to
have a light breakfast and drink coffee at the nearby
Firecreek Coffee in the Village of Oak Creek. We ordered the following:
- Boris: Medium Mocha, Coffeecake Muffin
- Inna: Latte with extra foam, enchilada
- Alex: Large Latte, enchilada
I ended up eating a part of Inna's enchilada. The mocha was decent.
After breakfast, we headed for our first hike at Fay Canyon. We drove to
the
Fay Canyon Trailhead, arriving at about 12:30 (there was heavy traffic). Fortunately, we
found parking nearby and started the hike to the canyon.
The hike started out relatively flat, with the last part requiring some
rock scrambling. At the top, we had beautiful views of the surrounding
canyons.
We rested a bit and then continued back, stopping to climb to the nearby
Arch (easily missed without an accurate map). Fortunately, Inna had
downloaded an accurate map using
AllTrails.com and knew exactly where
to start the climb.
The climb to the Arch (which looked like a cave) was rugged and steep,
but we finally reached the top. The views of the Arch and the
surrounding canyons were stunning.
After we climbed down, we quickly returned to our Toyota RAV4 to decide
what to do next. As it was 14:30, we still had enough time and daylight
(it gets dark at 17:00) to attempt another short hike nearby.
We decided to try hiking to the
Birthing Cave from the
Long Canyon Trailhead. We drove one mile there and managed to find a parking spot. The hike
to the Birthing Cave was short, taking about a mile or about 30 minutes
one way. The very last section of the trail was quite steep and required
careful climbing.
The birthing cave is enormous. Inside, it felt like being inside a
sphere. I only climbed a little farther into the cave, as it is steep
and smooth and requires careful movement.
We rested here for a bit and then returned to our car. It was a nice,
rewarding 2-mile hike.
After completing the two hikes, it was time for a few bites and coffee.
Unfortunately, traffic back to Sedona was maddeningly slow. We
considered stopping at the nearby
Tlaquepaque Shopping Center, but could not find parking. We gave up and returned to the
Hilton Sedona (stopping at Chevron to refuel and purchase a few water
bottles).
For dinner, Inna made 18:45 reservations at
Cucina Rustica, and we
looked forward to eating there.
At 17:30, our Hilton Sedona had a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony,
offering free cups of hot Apple Cider and Hot Chocolate. We stopped by
and sampled the Apple Cider. For Hot Chocolate,
Hilton provided plenty of toppings, such as marshmallows, M&M's, and
crushed Oreos. There was also free popcorn and cookies. I liked the
Caramelized Popcorn, but the cookies were underwhelming.
We heard Christmas favorites like "Frosty, the Snowman" and "Jingle
Bells" played on the digital keyboard and sung by the staff (with a few
guests joining in). Inna sang along with "Frosty the Snowman" too. I was
too cold (the outside temperature had dropped below 45 Fahrenheit), so I
went indoors.
We arrived at
Cucina Rustica for dinner and were seated in a few minutes. Our server,
Isaiah, brought out the dinner menus (changed from Thanksgiving),
and we ordered the following items:
- Appetizer: House Focaccia, Burrata
- Alex: Classic Bolognese, Earl Grey Tea
- Boris: Luscious Lasagna, Earl Grey Tea
- Inna: Chilean Sea Bass, Earl Grey Tea
- Dessert: Budino (bread pudding with ice cream)
We enjoyed the Burrata and Focaccia appetizers, and my
Luscious Lasagna was delicious. Inna raved about her
Chilean Sea Bass. Alex liked his
Classic Bolognese pasta, but should have ordered Sea Bass
instead since he was on a peculiar diet.
The dessert - Budino - was also excellent. We also enjoyed the
hot Earl Grey tea with lemon.
The live guitar player was also an excellent addition to the ambiance in
Cucina Rustica. He played mellow tunes like "Autumn Leaves" and
"Hallelujah".
Sunday, November 26, 2023
We woke late; everyone was tired, and Inna did not sleep well. After
everyone was ready, we started our drive to uptown Sedona, hoping to find
a breakfast or lunch eatery. We first stopped at a coffee shop, but it was
closed.
Eventually, we stopped at the
Vault in uptown Sedona.
After sitting down outdoors, we looked at the small menu and ordered the
following items (I ended up putting on some fleece, even with the heater
present):
- Alex: Fried Chicken Panini
- Boris: BBQ Brisket Sandwich
- Inna: Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich
We ordered coffee, too, but it turned out to be salty!
We asked our waiter, Robert, for help and switched to hot English breakfast tea, which also
turned out to be salty! Something was wrong with their hot water
dispensing machine, so we just drank cold tap water.
Aside from the drinks, the sandwiches were excellent. I liked my
BBQ brisket, and Inna loved her
Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich. The views of the surrounding red
rock hills were incredible.
After lunch, we drove to the Boynton Canyon Trailhead to start the hike.
The drive was relatively easy, and we parked in the overflow parking area.
See
How to Hike Boynton Canyon
for more details.
Once parked, we embarked on our hike, taking the Boynton Vista trail to
visit the giant rock known as the Vista. We climbed to the rock and
hoped to encounter a gentleman who plays the flute there daily (but he
had not shown up). Inna relaxed around this Vortex, but I felt no
energy.
After a few minutes, we returned to the Boynton Canyon trail, focusing on
reaching the Subway Cave. This was a much longer hike (and more strenuous)
than I expected. It took us another 2 miles to get there. The Subway Cave
is quite impressive and photogenic. The last part of the cave required
some challenging climbing, but the views were spectacular.
At around 16:00, we walked briskly back, hoping to return before darkness,
arriving at our black Toyota RAV4 at 17:10. We changed out of our hiking
clothes and into dinner clothes. We expected heavy traffic and wanted to
avoid having to return to the Hilton Sedona to change our clothes or shoes
(since our fancy restaurant was nearby).
Inna had made 17:45 dinner reservations at the
Mariposa (Latin-inspired)
Grill in West Sedona. She had tried to make dinner reservations at
Mariposa during our past trip but was unsuccessful, so she was excited to
try this new restaurant.
After parking our car and checking in, we were taken to the large indoor
dining room and seated at a lovely table for 4. After looking at the menu,
we discussed the various options and settled on the following items:
- Appetizer: 1 Wild Card Empanada (3 empanadas to share)
- Soups: 3 Butternut Squash Soups
-
Drinks: 3 Hot English Breakfast Teas, Virgin Mango Ginger cocktail
for Inna
-
Main Entree: 32-oz Bone-in Ribeye Steak (shared for all 3), cooked
medium-rare
- Side: Lisa's Lobster Mashed Potatoes
- Dessert: Maple Coconut Flan
I liked the Butternut Squash Soup and the
32-oz Bone-in Ribeye Steak. The Mashed Potatoes were excellent, as
was the Maple Coconut Flan. Inna really liked the
Wild Card Empanada. Service was quick and attentive, and our hot
teas were refilled often.
We enjoyed our time in
Mariposa and hope to return next time we are in Sedona.
Monday, November 27, 2023
In the morning, I showered, shaved, and packed my bags. I started working
remotely and continued until noon when we checked out of the Hilton Sedona
at Bell Rock. We found a nice workspace in the Hilton's lobby, and both
Inna and Alex also worked there.
For lunch, we decided to stop for a quick meal at the nearby
Red Rock Cafe (3 minutes away by
car). After a short wait (about 10 minutes), we were seated in this small,
quaint diner and ordered our items:
- Alex: Cowboy Benedict, Coffee
- Boris: Healthy Scramble, Coffee
- Inna: Red Rock Benedict, Coffee
We enjoyed our light breakfast at the Red Rock Cafe and will surely
return next time we are in Sedona. I had a dull headache that started to
get progressively worse.
At around 16:00, we stopped by Hilton's Shadowrock Tap + Table for a light
snack. Inna and I ordered tea and a muffin (the other pastry was stale).
At 17:00, we started our drive to Phoenix Airport, which was a very close
call. At first, traffic was light as we drove toward I-17.
However, the traffic reached a standstill just a few miles from Sedona. A
significant car accident occurred, and Hwy 17 southbound was closed. We
had to endure the one-hour delay and drive around the congested area.
I was not sure that we were going to make it, as our Southwest Flight
#2624 from PHX to SJC departed at 21:05. I drove as fast as I could,
arriving at Avis Car Rental at 20:17. After dropping off my Toyota
Rav4, we rushed to catch the shuttle heading to Terminal 4. After getting
to the terminal, we had to endure a very long security line (despite
having tickets with a TSA PreCheck). We reached our gate at 20:56, just before
it closed at 21:00.
I could not believe we arrived in time for the Southwest flight. It was
such a close call! I did not even have time to refuel my Toyota RAV4 (and
had to run to the bathroom).
When we landed in San Jose, my Lyft ride didn't work, so Alex used his
UberX to find a rideshare home.
Sedona Trip Report
Highlights
-
Visiting the
Grand Canyon
- Hiking the beautiful Bell Rock Trail
-
Hiking the Little Horse Trail with breathtaking views at Chicken Point
-
Hiking Boynton Canyon with a stop at the Boynton Vista and at the Subway
Cave
- Hiking Fay Canyon with a stop at the Arch
- Hiking from Long Canyon to the Birthing Cave
-
Eating Thanksgiving Dinner at
Cucina Rustica
-
Eating dinner at Mariposa
-
Eating burgers at Butterfly Burger
-
Eating breakfast at
Red Rock Cafe
Lowlights
- Alex feeling unwell
- Inna feeling dizzy
- Too many close calls
-
The entire family was unwell before the flight to Las Vegas. Not sure
about flying
-
Our Lyft driver in a Tesla Model 3 almost ran into a BMW on the way to
SJC airport.
-
Our Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas was delayed by one hour,
causing us to arrive late in Las Vegas and almost miss our first show:
Marriage Can Be Murder in Orleans (we arrived 20 minutes late)
-
Car Accident blocking southbound Hwy 17 on the way to Phoenix airport
-
Boarding the Southwest Flight to SJC 5 minutes before the gate closed!
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