Toto, we’re not in Arizona anymore.
We were hoping by the time we got home, spring would’ve arrived in Ontario! Yea right. I think we are a few months off just yet. I still have a few Arizona highlight posts to show you, so maybe this will make Ontario’s clouds and snow easier to digest.
Early Friday morning we set off for Sedona driving the windy 89-A route up and down the mountains providing spectacular views (and some scary cliffs!)
I was that wife screaming at my husband to slow down near the cliffs while I almost had a heart attack.
Along the way, we made a pit stop in Jerome to check out the shops, empty our bladders, and fill them back up again.
Apparently we weren’t the only ones!
Despite the ghost in town, Jerome was actually bustling with people. And fun signs. :)
The cool morning called for some Tazo Awake tea. I was delighted to find out that they had a soy milk option. I always forget how much I love soy milk in tea, especially when it’s a sweet vanilla kind!
After looking at some shops, we set off for beautiful Sedona!
Horrible scenery as you can see. ;)
After some sight seeing, we popped into Chocolatree Cafe, a funky little vegan restaurant in Sedona. We dined outdoors beside a hammock and hula hoops!
I had a loose leaf stomach soothing tea to warm up.
Eric and John both ordered the tomato soup and grilled cheeze sandwich. My mom and I died laughing when they ordered the same thing, yet again. Cut from the same cloth those two are!
After teasing them, my Mom and I proceeded to order the same thing.
We ordered the Thai brown rice bowl with shredded cabbage & carrots, brown rice, raisins, mint, basil, and sprouts, in a creamy sauce made up of almond butter, tahini, lemon, garlic, ginger, chili, and sea salt.
The boys weren’t too crazy about the grilled cheeze (I tried it and agreed it was a bit lacking), but they enjoyed the tomato soup.
The Thai bowl was fresh and flavourful, but the chia crackers really stole my heart. I can’t wait to try making some at home. I assume they are quite easy to make not to mention bursting with nutrition.
After lunch, Eric and I headed to our next hiking destination that many of you raved about: Cathedral Rock!
In my normal fashion, I got cold feet and almost backed down.
I took one look from the base and didn’t want to proceed with the climb. The mountains always look so steep and dangerous from the bottom and the people at the top look like ants! Once you get up there though, it’s really not bad and I find myself looking down and asking, how did I get up here?
I found myself saying two small words that can make the world of a difference: I’ll try.
How many new things would you try if you just replaced I can’t with I’ll try? It’s amazing to think about, isn’t it?
I find the hardest part when trying something new is always the beginning and then it gets easier. This realization has helped ease my anxiety so much. If I can just push through the initial moments of discomfort, it’s usually the worst part. I loved what another reader commented the other day saying, it’s ok to feel unease and discomfort at times! Often we resist negative feelings so much, we forget that they can be completely natural at times. It helps to accept the feeling for what it is and then work through it, without trying to outright dismiss the feeling. I said to myself. “I feel anxious and that is ok, but I don’t have to back down because of it.”
Cathedral Rock is also rated a “strenuous” climb like Camelback Mountain, but it’s a shorter climb just 0.6 miles each way.
As scared as I was, I knew that I could do it…and probably have a lot of fun in the process!
Here’s another low budget (heh) video I put together of the hike. Keep in mind that it’s really shaky in some parts! OK, all parts. Please don’t hurl.
Not surprisingly, the hike wasn’t as scary as I imagined and I found myself tackling the steeper parts most of the time because I just loved the challenge so much!
We both thought that Camelback Mountain was more challenging (and of course twice as long), but we absolutely loved the intimate nature of Cathedral Rock. It wasn’t very busy and we just had a blast with it. Bring a jacket too as it gets chilly at the top (I made that mistake at Camelback).
At the summit, we almost blew away…as you will see in the video.
After the hike, we warmed up with a hot tea while driving to Overlook point.
A short climb led us to this great lookout point.
Found a lucky penny and then left it for someone else.
I also discovered that I scratched up the bottom of my rings from clinging to all the rocks! So hard core, lol.
Our visit to Sedona was short and sweet, but was just enough to get a taste of what the area has to offer. We both agreed if the sun wasn’t going to set, we would’ve gone straight to our next hike! There are so many trails to try out.
Next time we visit, we’re going to stay a night or two in Sedona and spend a couple days hiking from morning to sundown. It’s so much fun!!
This post makes me SO hungry !!!!
Love the pictures, Andrea! Jerome is such a crazy kooky town, it’s really cool. And Sedona has to be one of my absolute favorite places in the Southwest! The colors alone are so beautiful…Thanks for the great recap!
We only drove through Sedona on our cross country trip and stopped and had lunch. Right now I’m a SAHM of 3 and my goal is to travel cross country with my husband and kids before i have to go back to work full time! Next time, I plan to spend time in Sedona. Thanks for the beautiful pictures!
I love these pictures! You are like a pro hiker/rocker climber now, haha! You can do it all!
:)
Have always wanted to go to Sedona, and now I want to go even more. Maybe Aaron and I can take a Spring break?
Also, on another girly note, I love your boots in one of the photos (with the white coat). Can I ask what kind they are? Thanks :)
I have to say, you travel right! I love the idea of browsing shops, finding vegan restaurants in all these different cities, and then hiking and enjoying the scenery of the new destination. and travelling with others, like your parents.
Absolutely! I love being able to say “I’ll try.” It’s why I HATE when people quote “do or do not, there is no try.” Because I think people deserve to feel good for making effort, even if in the end whatever they tried failed. Just because you fail, doesn’t mean you can’t keep TRYing and that effort is worth something.
I live only 40 minutes from Sedona, & it is one of my very favorite places ever…as is Chocolate Tree. Aren’t the chia crackers a.m.a.z.i.n.g.? I love them with the guacamole. :)
im going to the same exact areas in april! now i really cant wait to go! i just added your restaurants to my list haha. thanks for doing the legwork for me, lol
Wow those pictures are beautiful. It’s so neat how totally different each part of this country is, landscape-wise. I love how pretty all the colors are in Arizona, especially at the overlook. Some people think of Arizona as just being a big brown desert, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It really makes me miss living down south. Thanks for all the great pictures. It looks like you all had a really fun trip. Sorry you had to come back to such “wonderful” weather.
I’ve always loved that “Drink Coffee” sign, haha!
Goodness Sedona is beautiful. I went there 11ish years ago when I was in high school with my family. I remember be terrified while my dad was driving on those roads : ) Thanks for reminding me how beautiful it is!
i love love love your coat; is that only found in Canada?
Thank you. It is from Mango purchased in 2010
Those pictures are SO breathtaking! I also love the coffee sign haha. Good job overcoming your anxiety!!!! Glad you had a good trip!
This is my dream vacation! I am glad you have been generous enough to share so much with us. Seeing your photos makes me think of the credit card commercial that keeps coming on –it shows the woman using her rewards to climb in Sedona (I think). Every time I see it I think, I wish I had the courage to that. I am glad to see one of us is facing our fears!!!!
I have never made a vegan grill cheese that was not fabulous, what was missing?
So pretty!
This makes me want to look for some mountains to climb in my state! Maybe.. Mt. Rainier…?
You need to do the hot air balloon ride; amazing!!
I’m from Arizona, and your posts make me miss is so badly! We are in LA now, which has it’s own kind of beauty. I’m glad you enjoyed your time there!
I went to Sedona with my best friend in January and we loved it so I am so happy to see you did too! If you do end up going back you should try to do one of their famous pink jeep tours. They are really spectacular!
What beautiful pics you have! Arizona should totally pay you for promoting their great state because I am definitely going to visit this year. My fiance and I always talk about how much we love visiting Canada, but we can’t live there because we’re too chicken for the long winters. It takes a certain hearty stock to pull that off. :)
When I got engaged, we were visiting Las Vegas, and the day after the proposal we went to a place, i think it was called Red Rock. and i ended up scratching the back of my ring from all the climbing. At first I was upset, because it was still brand new. but then I got over it. It’s kind of funny because sometimes I’ll look at the back of my ring and see the scratches and think back to that time. It was so much fun!
Sedona looks beautiful! It’s on my list of places to visit soon. Good job on tackling Cathedral Rock!
Haha…I have that coffee sign hanging in my house:-)cc
So happy you enjoyed your trip. I was sharing the blog posts with my cousins in Phoenix that I visited in August. We also went to the Grand Canyon and we also went somewhere further (forgot the town name) to some amazing Underground Caves– def a future trip for you, they were amazing. Pristine, untouched earth. Have a question for you, since you have been adding protein powders to your green monsters, I am getting a Blendtec soon and am so excited about trying out some smoothie recipes but I really enjoy my protein/almond milk shakes in the morning. Do you think with the calcium vs. iron absorption that its a good idea to mix a calcium source like almond milk with my greens? I tend to have low iron and Ive always been told to keep the two apart. I guess I could wait a couple hours between drinks but would be easier to combine. Anyway…enjoy getting back to your home routine and thanks for posting, love this blog, I reccomend it to all my friends and also my clients (Im a health educator).
Love your pictures! That used to be our neck of the woods living in Flagstaff. In fact my first bout with motion sickness and pregnancy came going down those switchbacks from Jerome! Not an easy place to stop!
Haha I’m totally that wife too, screaming at my husband to slow down in scary driving situations. What amazing views! Arizona was never a place I really cared to visit but now I want to go. :)
You really do seem to glow, Ang. You rock!
I have thrown coins at that toilet in Jerome in my lifetime. Twice. What a hoot.
Looks like a great trip! Arizona is awesome.
found a penny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck
“How many new things would you try if you just replaced I can’t with I’ll try? It’s amazing to think about, isn’t it?”
This quote is going to become a permanent part of my brain. I love it!
Well who would have guessed that reading a blog post or two could be the reason for me making a large personal victory? I have for a long time been considering trying out a route for my run, yet being insecure if it would be too hard. (Read my anxiety told me YOU PROBABLY CAN’T ). Yet after reading your blog post the last couple of days I decided TO TRY (i mean walking is always an option, and I am not in the outback of australia or anything, busses exist here). And guess what I succeded in minus 10 degrees celcius i ran 15 kilometers and am not even tired!!! And my anxiety? Well he is sitting in the corner sulking for being so thoroughly beaten. Thanks for the inspiration Angela!! throwing away “I can’t” and replacing it with “I’ll try” definitely is so worth it :0)
Aww that is awesome to hear Camilla! You rock!!
All your hiking stories make me want to get back out there! Last week we went to Vermont to ski, but there wasn’t much snow for cross country, so we took a hike. It wound up being 6 hours long after we discovered the trail that was on our map didn’t actually connect in real life. It was so fun following the stream & our instincts to meet up with it again! I’m happy to read about your adventures – and hiking in that sunny weather would be wonderful!
Those mountains look absolutely amazing!!!! And I’m sure they were even more stunning when you were actually there!!! AH! I love nature! God’s creation is glorious!
hehehe, I love that sign “Drink Coffee – do stupid things faster with more engergy”! I have a small mirror in my handbag that has that exact print on the back ;-) So fun!
And I read the recipe for the chia crackers – they look AMAZING!!!! So simple!! I cannot WAIT to try them!!!!!!
this is my home!!! I have been following your blog for quite a while and love it and I couldn’t help but comment on this section, Arizona! It just reminds me of what a beautiful place I am blessed to live in and I am glad you got a chance to enjoy it too!
I actually just came back from a sunny destination too (Caribbean), so I know exactly how you feel about the Ontario weather! Hard to believe just yesterday morning I was in sunshine, when I’m scraping my car windows off!
Come on back for the new Sedona Veg Fest this Jan. 13-15!! Great speakers, great location! http://healthyworldsedona.com/sedona-vegfest-2017/
Great account of an amazing adventure! Next time you go, be sure to check out the giant cathedral rock spire that is visible just beyond where most people stop at the top of Cathedral Rock. More info here: http://bestofzona.com/arizona-sedona-cathedral-rock/