Stop 8: Sedona, AZ

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The drive to Flagstaff, AZ was relatively uneventful until signs for Meteor Crater caught my eye! Despite the fact that the crater was only 6 miles off the highway, it looked as if we were driving towards absolutely nothing for awhile and when we arrived, we were shocked by the number of tourists there! I mean…this crater is literally in the middle of nowhere! It was a little bizarre. Unfortunately our story ends here because we decided it wasn’t worth paying $15 each to see a huge hole in the ground! (That’s what we’re going to the Grand Canyon for right?!) However, we do know some fun facts about what we missed out on: 1) Meteor Crater is a saucer-shaped hole 4000 ft in diameter and 600 ft deep and 2) the destructive energy of the explosion was a thousand times that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Anyway, we got back out on the highway and continued our way to Flagstaff.

In Flagstaff we decided to rest a bit (which I really regret now) before heading to Sedona for our Pink Jeep Tour. The drive to Sedona was gorgeous. Imagine a single road winding its way along a river, through mountains and valleys, and practically engulfed by trees and red rocks. There’s almost nothing more picturesque and at the end of the beautiful drive we found ourselves in a beautiful town. Sedona is adorable; filled with little boutiques and restaurants and surrounded by a backdrop of red rock country…it’s easy to see why Sedona has been ranked the most beautiful place in America and why the real estate is some of the most expensive in the country.

We barely had time to eat, and NO time to shop (tear) before climbing in the back seat of a large pink jeep and heading into the heart of the red rock country. A family was along for the ride with us and we all enjoyed driving and climbing up on the rocks. Words can hardly express how beautiful Sedona is. I think we made the right choice by choosing the Sunset Tour because as the sun lowered below the horizon, the colors of the rocks became increasingly more stunning. To add to the beautiful scenery was the experience within the actual Jeep. It was pretty impressive how easily the jeep handled the large rocks and steep hills. Getting bounced around was half the fun in the tour; our butts even left the seat a few times! After two hours of breathtaking scenery and fun, the tour ended and we made our way back to Flagstaff (careful to avoid hitting any elk or moose that may be crossing the road!) and hit the sack knowing the next day would be a long one.

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