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 came up, 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 the Grand Canyon would extend the driving time by many additional hours.
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 remainder. Nearing Sedona, we pulled over at Chevron to purchase fuel. I noticed that gas prices in Arizona were $2.00/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 Hilton Sedona Room #1072 on the first floor, we dropped off our bags and returned to Hilton's Shadowrock Tap + Table for lunch. We decided to sit outdoors, by the firepit, 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 ended, we decided to stop by for dinner at Pisa Lisa Pizzeria. 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 counted ourselves on the waiting list and returned to our Hilton Sedona Hotel at Bell Rock.
In a few minutes, 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: Buttefly 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 outdoor weather was freezing (40 Fahrenheit), and Inna did not have a restful sleep. 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 destroy the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 24 to 3.
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 awoke at 10:30. Inna did not sleep well due to a few of her 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 took showers and dressed. We decided to eat 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 roundtrip
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 to have 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
Chicken Point. When we reached the top, the wind increased and 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, which was a bit unpleasant. Initially, we intended to rest and savor the unparalleled view of the surrounding cliffs. However, we stayed short and started returning 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 highly congested, so we decided to look for a coffee shop nearby. We first stopped by
Firecreek Coffee, but it was closed. We checked
Red Rock Cafe, but it was also closed. 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 were right, and so were the muffins. 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 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 eat a light breakfast and drink coffee at the
Firecreek Coffee nearby 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 a lot of 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, beautiful views of the surrounding canyons were visible.
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 further inside the cave, as it is steep and smooth inside 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, getting a few bites and coffee was time. Unfortunately, traffic back to Sedona was maddingly slow. We thought about stopping at the nearby
Tlaquepaque Shopping Center but needed help finding parking for our car. 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 lots of toppings like 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 (being on a peculiar diet).
The dessert - Budino - was also excellent. We also enjoyed the hot Earl Grey teas 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 turned out to be 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 still needs to show 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 from the cave 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 returning to the Hilton Sedona to change our clothes or shoes (as 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 about trying out 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 we had our hot teas 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 breakfast 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 Coffee 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. Initially, the drive to Hwy 17 usually started with light traffic. However, the traffic reached a standstill just a few miles from Sedona. A significant car accident occurred, and Hwy 17 was closed heading south. 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 Pre-TSA check). We barely made it to our gate before it closed (at 20:56), and the gate 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 refill the fuel in my Toyota RAV4 (and had to run to the bathroom).
When we landed in San Jose, my Lyft ride would not work, and 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
- UberX 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 into 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!
