Final 10th Anniversary PDF For Printer

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A
breath of fresh air, look no further
than Sedona, Arizona. Gazing upon all
of the glowing red rock formations and
feeling the warmth of the area makes
you relax. The positive energy in this Arizona
town can be felt everywhere you
go. There is a magical quality about it.
The landscape is fascinating with pinetree
lined forests to the north in Flagstaff
and the desert city life of Phoenix to the
south. The sky at night is mesmerizing
as it is lit up with countless stars.
There are many activities available
for you. If you like communing with
nature, there is an offering of hiking adventures
to Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock,
Bear Mountain and Courthouse Rock.
You may also partake in a Pink Jeep
Tour. There are eight different tours
available ranging from one to three
hours. Five of the tours are via jeep and
three are hiking. An adventure guide
will accompany you and point out
points of interest including the geology
of the cliffs, wildlife and plant life. There
is also a four wheeling tour that will
make you hang on tight as you go up
and down steep arroyos zipping through
desert growth of shrubs and small trees.
There are ancient ruins of a 700-year-old
Native American cliff dwelling to view
and learn about the customs, myths,
and legends of the native people. I really
enjoyed this tour, and you will too if you
have a love of history. It is also a great
way to soak up the serene environment.
Prices vary from $59.00 to $110.00 for
adults and $54.00 to $99.00 for children.
Should you be of the more artistic
type, Tlaquepaque Village in the heart of
Sedona might be more to your liking. It
A Sedona Adventure
By Jane Baxley
54
Cathedral Rock Sedona, Arizona
is named for an artsy suburb of Guadalajara,
Mexico and is made up of a collection
of art galleries, craft shops, and
restaurants. I love to shop so this kept
us busy for hours. The builder set out
to replicate a colonial Mexican village
and he did just that. The architecture is
beautiful. The bell tower at Tlaquepaque
is a Sedona landmark. If you happen to
be there in December, as we were, snow,
Christmas lights and decorations adorn
the village and will most definitely put
you in the spirit. Bundle up because it
can be quite chilly in the winter.
There is also Slide Rock Natural
Park. Slide Rock is a natural water chute
in Oak Creek just above Sedona. Warning!
If you do decide to join in, wear old
jeans because the seat of your pants will
be worn out as you go down the slide
and are dumped into a natural pool. It
is a great way to cool down when the
weather is hot. Kids of all ages love it.
Peak times to visit Sedona are in
Spring and Fall with temperatures in the
mid-60s to low 80s. Summer can be just
plain hot with highs in the mid to high
90s. Winter – mid November through
January can bring occasional snow and
cold temperatures.
For me, Sedona is the ultimate
relaxing get-away. You can do as little
or as much as you want. It is up to you.
Star-gazing is a wonderful past-time.
We stayed for two nights at the
Poco Diablo Resort in Sedona. The staff
was very friendly and professional. The
room was spacious and clean and felt
very cozy. The bed was very comfortable
and the linens were of great quality. We
loved having a fireplace in our room
since the nights were cool. Not all rooms
have fireplaces, so be sure to ask for one
that does. There was an outdoor heated
pool and hot tub that looked very inviting.
We did enjoy a wonderful massage
at The Spa of Poco Diablo. Bikes are
available to rent as well so you can take
a bike tour of Sedona. They also offer
wedding planning services. There are
tennis courts and a 9-hole golf course
plus a fitness center. I did not find anything
lacking as far as amenities were
concerned. We were very pleased.
The resort itself was very clean and
the staff was polite and professional.
Making sure you enjoyed yourself was
their top priority. The resort is centrally
located and the grounds are well kept. A
full service concierge is available to take
care of any requests you may have.
T Carl’s restaurant located at the
resort was very nice. We ate there on
our first night. The service was friendly
and the food was tasty, but a little pricey.
Our second night we went to El Rincon
Restaurante Mexicano in Tlaquepaque.
The food was great – traditional Mexican
food and the prices were good.
For two nights at the resort we paid
$166 per night. The value was great and
well worth the price. We would definitely
stay there again when our wanderlust
takes us back to Sedona.