What is the most popular, touristy thing to do in Sedona? A Pink Jeep Tour. And what did I do today? A Pink Jeep Tour. More on that in a minute.
I woke up at 3:30AM feeling all congested after yesterday’s flight. What to do, what to do? Oh, I know! Why not head out for a sunrise hike? Yes, it was crazy and spontaneous but I was feeling ambitious. My biggest dilemma yesterday morning was which coat/jacket to bring. I decided I couldn’t rationalize bringing two, so I opted for my heavy-but-not-too-heavy L.L. Bean winter coat. I’m glad I did! The temperature was only 26 degrees when I started my hike and I was thankful for the warm layer on top of my sweatshirt.
Doe Mountain (technically a mesa) requires only a 0.75 mile hike to get to the top, but the summit provides a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. Once at the top, the mesa is flat and you can walk quite a long distance around the top. I went just a little ways and found a rock to sit on and soak in the views. Although I had just missed the actual sunrise, I got to witness several hot air balloons taking off from my perch at the top.
Unfortunately my early morning hike didn’t leave me enough time to have a proper breakfast, so I stopped at Sedonuts and grabbed a “Mini Vortex” (glazed cinnamon bun reminiscent of a Honey Bun) and quickly ate it in my room before walking down the street to my Broken Arrow Pink Jeep Tour. I took a Pink Jeep Tour on my last visit to Sedona, but I have no idea if it was the same one I did today. The tour uses bright pink open-air Jeeps and heads off-road onto the red rocks just south of uptown Sedona. Alan was a knowledgeable guide and pointed out landmarks and history as we bounced and bumped our way to two viewpoints: Submarine Rock and Chicken Point.
By the time we returned the temperatures had warmed up. I took a quick break back in my room and then set out to wander through some shops as I made my way to Tlaquepaque, a small arts village modeled after the village of Tlaquepaque in Guadalajara, Mexico.
On the way back to my hotel, I had a late lunch/early dinner at Hideaway House, where I enjoyed a peach and pancetta pizza with whipped ricotta. It was a weird combination of ingredients and not my favorite. For dessert, I stopped at Cream and Cake Couture for a scoop of Salted Malted Cookie Dough gelato.
After watching the sunset from my balcony, I am curled up in bed watching some YouTube with the fire going and am ready to call it an early night!
Traveling with Laura 