Last night we drove from Havasu to Sedona with John, Sheila, Keith and Anita for a couple of days of exploring in Sedona, AZ.
Keith was able to get passes for four cars on the Soldier Pass Trail. It is such a popular trail that they had to close it to OHV's a few years ago, and now you can only get in by a lottery. Way to go Keith!
Many of the rides in Sedona head out of town on paved roads, and once you get to the trails they are pretty short (only a few hours), but boy are they spectacular!
When we got to the trail head for Soldier's Pass, there was a locked gate. Keith had the code, which was only good for today. But even with the code and a set of instructions, they still had a bit of a struggle getting the gate open. 😉
But once we were in, the ride was worth it. The trails were easy riding, and the views were great in all directions.
Our first stop was the Seven Sacred Pools. These are natural rock formations that form seven pools leading down a rock like a river. This was a sacred place for the local Indians, and I can see why. It would be really spectacular if the pools were flowing.
After visiting the pools we drove to the end of the road where we got out and hiked to some partial arches.
This cactus is shaped like a peace sign, so someone put rocks around it to finish it. Very clever!
Then back in the RZR's to make our way back out.
Our final stop on the Soldier's Pass Trail was the largest sinkhole in Sedona.
We still have two more rides today, so stay tuned for some more beautiful sights and adventures!
Yesterday we explored the cute old mining town of Jerome, nestled in the mountains above Williams, Arizona. Today we went to Sycamore Falls and Sycamore Point. Both very easy, beautiful rides with very different charm.
We left Williams via 4th street, heading south out of town. When we got to the dirt, we stopped to re-group before we continued on.
We rode through some very nice forest land.
And some silt beds.
When we got to Sycamore falls, we took a short, easy hike to get down to the canyon.
The falls were dry today, since there hasn't been any rain lately, but still a very beautiful canyon.
We followed the loop around to where the two canyons met, then walked up the other side to return to our cars.
I thought this area of the forest looked like we were on an African safari, but where are the giraffes?
They are doing a lot of controlled burns in the area right now. You can see them from every ridge top.
After leaving Sycamore falls, our next stop was Sycamore Point, a beautiful overlook.
We had a little lunch as we took in the fresh air and canyon vistas.
Then off we went again, down the dusty trails south of Williams.
Our next quick stop was JD Lake.
As we made our way back, we realized that we were driving right through a controlled burn area. It was a little eerie, but interesting to see. It seemed like they were just burning out old tree stumps in this area.
Our final stop for the day was a climb to the top of the microwave tower hill called Bill Williams mountain.
The road up was steep and windy, but the views were amazing. Only five of us went up the mountain, the rest headed back to camp. It's probably a good thing, because parking is quite limited at the top.
Our time in Williams was great, with fun people, fun golf and fun rides! We were supposed to pack up and leave tomorrow morning, but we decided we just weren't ready yet, so we booked one more night at the RV park and settled in for an extra day.
We were so glad we did! Just a few more fun times with fun friends before we left.
Ann, stop pinching my fanny!
Now back to reality once again!
