Day 13, Red rocks of Sedona

 We were almost there. Another night’s journey from Flagstaff to LA and the coast to coast would be complete! However, we still had a day and a car at hand to make the most of. We decided to drive southwards towards Sedona. 


Sedona is at an altitude of 1326m, whereas Flagstaff is at 2106m. As you drive on 89A, you will get to see spectacular views of the valley and hills along the way, packed with coniferous trees. The path itself is a snaking one, passing through steep bends to get you to Sedona. The drive was, put succinctly, quite spectacular.



Once at Sedona, we made our way to the trek that covers the Seven Sacred Pools. Through a short trek of less than 2 KMs (back and forth), you can see some great views along the way of the red rock structures covering the Sedona area. 




After this area, we drove down to the Airport area of Sedona and took to the 5km long Airport Loop trail. This trail is just around the airport, which sits on top of the mountain, while you walk just under it in terms of height - so you don’t get to see the airport, but a 360 view of everything around Sedona. The walk offers incredible views of the surroundings. Now that we had dropped a few hundred feet in altitude the temperature was much warmer and we had to be comfortable in much lighter clothing.




We drove back to Flagstaff, returned our call, took a shuttle to the city, grabbed a pint and a slice at Dark Sky Brewing, and awaited our final ride westwards on yet another overnight Amtrak. To maintain its reputation, the 3 Southwest Chief arrived 2 hours fashionably late. Since the passengers who were in our beds just alighted, the staff took another hour to flip over our beds before we went to sleep - what was supposed to be an early retirement-to-bed evening turned out to be somewhat delayed. Nevertheless, we were brimming with excitement - the trip was almost coming to an end!




Food Tip: Pizzas at Dark Sky Brewing, Flagstaff

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