We have been in Sedona for 2 days now and the first thing of note is the change in weather. We finally have some warm weather with temperatures reaching 20c. It is positively balmy and nice to be able to ditch the clothing layers!

• day 1 distance hiked = 10.54 miles

Yesterday we went to Red Rock State Park in the morning. It’s like a nature reserve that has a lot of trails running in and around the park. It was a very peaceful place and even had a hummingbird garden which we sat in for a while.

Apparently in the warmer months you often see rattlesnakes and tarantulas, but the closest we got to these was in the gift shop – Dad, we’ve bought you one as a gift!

The afternoon saw us visit Bell Rock, a rock formation which apparently looks like a bell. You can either make your way up the rock itself or you can do a trail around the base. We chose the latter.

By the time we got back to our hotel it was still nice and sunny so we walked to Sedona Beer Company, a brewery pub that was only a 15 minute walk away. It’s the first time we have had the weather to sit out in a beer garden which was nice and the views of the rocks beyond were stunning. One pint quickly turned to two pints and then food etc so it was dark by the time we left.

Day 2 saw us do the trail named “Sedona’s most popular hike” which was called Devils Bridge Trail. We had read that parking could be difficult for this so we got up extra early in order to secure a spot in the carpark…which we did.

• day 2 distance hiked = 12.28 miles

The walk itself is about a 4.8 mile hike, initially walking along sandy paths, before getting more

steep as you climb up rock staircases in order to reach the arch. Unlike the many other arches we have seen in the parks this is one where you can actually walk out and stand on top of the arch. Apparently in the summer there are queues of up to an hour just to have your picture taken on the arch. Crazy really, and fortunately there was no such queues today. Si opted out of this part so it was just me that went.

We also chose to do another hike nearby named the Birthing Cave trail, which is a short and steep hike to the “birthing cave”. We’re not sure how it got its name, you can draw your own conclusions, but it was very cool once we’d clambered up there. We actually got lost a few times trying to find it as the trail wasn’t very well marked, but we are glad we persevered owing to the uniqueness of the cave itself. We sat in there for a while and got chatting to a couple from Santa Cruz.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Last but not least we visited this Roman Catholic church which is situated on the side of the red rock formations. It really is a sight to behold sitting along the cliff side. A truly beautiful setting for a church.

Inside the chapel itself is really lovely, albeit small, and they hold various masses throughout the week.

Went to Oak Creek brew pub for happy hour (4 – 6) for some much earned beers and then had dinner in a local Mexican. The margaritas we ordered (also at happy hour prices) were on fire which was different!

We have one more day in Sedona before moving onto Tucson (in Phoenix) so watch this space.

Lucy