Ready for our Pink Jeep tour, we got a phone call at 9:30 that the off roads were closed and the early tours had been cancelled; there was a chance they might open the roads by noon but there was no guarantee. So... up, dressed and ready for the day, we headed to L'Auberge, THE restaurant in Sedona, for brunch and snowball fights on the gorgeous creekside grounds of the inn. What a fun and beautiful couple of hours.
After brunch, we went to the local information center to pick up some maps and get advice on the best driving tours, which we proceeded to take throughout the day. First up was the road to the Sedona airport, which affords spectacular views at any time of day, but apparently is wall to wall people at sunset. During our time there, we shared the rocks with a dozen or so others, including the tour guide for the Pink Jeep city tour, where we were able to listen in on some of the tour :) (for instance, John Wayne apparently build a film studio at the foot of Coffee Pot Rock, but it was later torn down in order to build houses :(
After going on the gorgeous Upper Red Rock Scenic Loop drive, we decided to head to Jerome, to see in the daylight what we had driven through near midnight on New Year's Eve. As we drove in we were amused/frightened by the sign boasting that this road is open 365 days of the year. The few locals we have told about our alternative return route have gasped in disbelief. "You drove through the mountain?! In that snowstorm?!" So... yeah... there was a degree of incredulity mixed with gratitude (and on Dana's behalf, a bit of pride) that we managed to make it through - at night in a snow storm - a rode that apparently warrants t-shirt bragging rights for mortal men on regular days.
At 5:30, we went to Elote Cafe, the #1 restaurant in Sedona that people regularly wait up to two hours to enjoy. We put our names in, grabbed some snacks and a couple of margaritas (with complimentary water for the kids), grabbed an outside table by the heat lamp, and settled in for several rounds of Botticelli while we waited. 90 minutes later we were seated. It was worth every minute of the wait. Our waiter told us that Jeff (El Jefe ;) ), the chef and owner, is very hands on, which, we all determined, must be the recipe for such a successful restaurant. Regardless, it was the perfect way to end our perfectly lovely trip.
Tomorrow, we awake, pack up, check out and await to see if the roads have cleared for a final off road tour before hitting the road to Phoenix and home. If so, we'll have one last adventure before closing the chapter on this wonderful Arizona vacation.
1 comment:
Dad and I just looked at the beautiful pictures on my desk top so we could see them on the big screen :) and we were so impressed by the beauty and stunning views. Have a safe trip home, we can't wait to see you all hugs and kisses xoxoxo
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