Day in Sedona

Fay Canyon Trail

Fay Canyon

We drove to Sedona on October 20th . . . it is a beautiful, short drive from Phoenix.  The huge red rocks along with the fall colors gave us a breathtaking view.  Once we arrived we checked by our inn (Sedona Lodge) and asked about a shady hiking trail.  The innkeepers told us about a nearby short hike that had trees called Fay Canyon Trail . . . the day was heating up fast, we had no place to keep the wine loaded in our car cool in the sun, and Sparta does not like hiking in the sun so we knew a couple of miles was about all we could handle before lunch.  It was an easy hike with great rock views.

Porch view from Open Range Grill and Tavern

 After our hike we drove to town and put the car in an underground parking garage . . . . in short order we found a wonderful outdoor eating place, the Open Range Grill and Tavern . . . I had a salad and Jon had the pulled pork sliders with coleslaw . . . we each also had one of their drafts . . . sitting on their outdoor patio we enjoyed another view of red rocks.

Then we stopped by the visitors center to see what they had to offer.  We found lots of helpful info at all the visitor centers during our trip.

Labyrinth at Sedona Lodge

Next we checked into the Sedona Lodge and got a tour of the facility along with the rules of what and where we could go on the property.  This place got high ratings in several of our guides, but we aren't sure we agree with the ratings.  We found our room rather cramped, the bed was uncomfortable, and it was impossible to get the temperature adjusted.  Sparta and I enjoyed walking the labyrinth together.  When we visit Sedona again, we will stay somewhere else as we don't think this place was worth the price.

Dinner was an exceptional find.  We ate at Cucina Rustica  (cucinarustica.com) . . . do check out the website as this was quite special.  They seated us outside where we could see all the gorgeous fires and lights around us.  A skillful musician played lovely, romantic guitar . . . our waiter was obviously a long-time professional though he reminded us of what Frasier would be like if he was a waiter . . . and the food was absolutely divine . . . we shared 3 antipasti (had them delivered one at a time) . . . the first was rustic wine lover's platter of cheese, olives, grilled peppers, and crusty bread . . . then calamari . . . followed by beef carpaccio . . . in keeping with European tradition we ate a scrumptious salad after our meal . . . the whole time we were sipping an Arizona red wine (yep, they make some good wine in Arizona we have discovered) . . . since it was my birthday our waiter brought me a piece of tiramisu with a candle . . .Jon and I fed each other the cake . . . . anyone visiting Sedona would do well to track down this unbelievable place. . . . it is a bit difficult to find but worth the trouble.

Totally feeling in heaven we returned to our little room and tried to be as comfortable as we could  . . . . Sparta managed to sleep on the dog bed they provided . . . she never sleeps on dog beds so we were surprised.