Oh the Places You Go in Arizona: Seeing Sedona
Should you could you see it in a car
No, I should not would not see it in a car
Should you could you see it from a far
Would you could you see it from a plane
You could, but I would not see it from a plane
Would you see it by foot
Maybe I would see it by foot
Would you could you from a bike
You could and I would from a bike
You could even see it from a hike
But I would and could see it better from a bike
I found a 40 mile bike route on one of the local bike shop websites (Absoulute Bicycles) that we chose to take that started right from our B&B after a lovely breakfast at the Inn with the other guests. We headed back down rt 179 away from town on the new and improved road with bike lanes, but after several round a bouts, the bike lane came to an end and we had to negotiate a narrow shoulder on curvy roads to get to the turn off at Beaver Flats. As I started climbing up the first steep hill, I had a moment of regret and panic about the task at hand only to learn that the climb was not as long as I had anticipated and 6 miles of rolling hills on a plane were what was in store on the way to s small town called Cornville. It was not an uphill battle, but a rolling windy downhill rural trek with a few livestock sightings and not too many cars on the 2 lane road. After 6 miles we got to an intersection and had a short climb over another pass and into Page Springs where we were surrounded by a few miles of broken down ranches with horses, goats and other 4 legged creatures. I thought I was going to have my first race with some dogs but luckily they were fenced in. We were not sure exactly where we were headed as the road started curving around a ridge and then more curvy windy roads. Soon we came upon a few wineries. We learned that Arizona does indeed have wineries. The road continued on with a little more climbing and one more steep section to get to 89A which is the main drag that connects Cottonwood to Sedona. We got to ride about 10 miles toward the beautiful red canyons and into town. The guy at the bike shop had mentioned a climb into Sedona but the first 5 miles appeared to be downhill (not without a strong headwind) and then we found the hill. The views were spectacular and my husband would ride up ahead and then take pictures of me pushing up the hill! Eventually we reached west Sedona and had to negotiate through a bit of traffic for a few miles until we reached rt 179 where we headed 8 miles through the deepest red rocks up, down and around magestic rock formations. When we reached our starting point, I had a few more minutes of time on the bike, so I took my husband on the route I had run the night before. I was only scheduled to ride for 3 hours and he had not had enough, so we parted ways and he stayed out for another hour while I went back to our room.
Later we headed out to sightsee and find some good eats. We searched for a vegan joint called Chocolata Tree where they grow their own food and make chocolate. It was yummy and it was nice for my husband to find a place were everything was dairy, egg and beef free to suit his dietary needs. Then we went back to our room and passed out.
The next morning I rose at 6:30 and went for my 7 mile sunrise run before breakfast with my camera in hand. I took a few pictures of empty lots that were for sale wishing we could make Sedona our home. My husband went for another mountain bike ride while I soaked up the view for a few hours. I decided my legs had enough. I really thought I got my fill, but after lunch my husband wanted to go explore this area we found called Soldier's Pass. We parked at a trailhead and were only getting out to take pictures and 4 miles later we returned to the car!
Oh the Places You Go. Just in Arizona alone there are so many places. To see it on a bike is even more amazing then seeing it on foot or in a car.
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