Air travel will never not amaze me. In a matter of just a few hours, you can be in a completely different place. This week, that different place is Sedona, Arizona.
I had an early start today, with my Uber driver picking me up at 3:45 this morning. Normally, I’d drive myself to the nearby Logan Express lot, but I didn’t want to have to (potentially) dig my car out from the snow in the lot when I get home. My flight took a bumpy, circuitous route across the Great Lakes before heading southwest to Phoenix. I flew jetBlue Mint and snagged one of the throne seats, giving me my own private studio suite to enjoy for the 6 hour flight. Breakfast consisted of a warm croissant, chia seed pudding, and French toast with strawberry compote. Then I put the seat down and managed to nap for a couple of hours before landing in the warm desert of Arizona.
First stop: In-N-Out Burger for a cheeseburger and some fries. I’ve been to In-N-Out before and find it similar to other fast food burger chains, but it’s a novelty we don’t have at home so I felt compelled to stop.
Next up: traffic. I-17 was shut down thanks to an accident on the highway, so I sat parked in my car on the highway for about 90 minutes before finally getting to Montezuma Castle National Monument. (Thankfully I bought a box of Girl Scout cookies at a rest stop so I enjoyed a snack while I sat and waited.) Montezuma Castle is an ancient cliff dwelling first used in the 12th century by the Sinagua people. There are about 20 rooms built into the cliff which housed around 30 to 50 people. While you can’t go inside, it was interesting to see. By the time I arrived I only had about 25 minutes to explore the ⅓-mile trail before it closed.
Then it was on to Sedona. The red rocks are gorgeous and were glowing in the late afternoon sun, but I was flat out tired after my long travel day. I opted to skip dinner and instead went to the Safeway grocery store and picked up a snack tray and cheesecake mousse for an evening “meal” in my room. More adventures tomorrow…
Traveling with Laura 