Sedona and Jerome, Arizona

2009-05-10

When we woke up in the morning, Ian checked and there was an opening at the Williams Fairfield Inn, so we packed up our things after having breakfast. We decided to have one more day in the area before heading to Las Vegas. Lori had read about a scenic drive and Ian did some research online and soon we were on the Oak Creek Canyon (highway 89A) Drive heading towards Sedona. We stopped at a canyon viewpoint and enjoyed the green trees and rock canyon. Lori looked at the various Native American stands selling things, but decided not to buy anything. We were both getting hungry so we got our ice chest out and had lunch at one of the picnic benches with another couple, Chris and Jeff, from San Diego. We enjoyed talking to them as we had our lunch. They were in town for a daughter’s graduation and recommended the drive that we were doing as well as another winding drive that started in Jerome. We finished our lunch and continued into the canyon. The forrest quickly faded and gave way to red, orange, and white cliffs. The scenery was amazing and reminded us of Arches and Bryce in terms of the colour. There were several places to stop off that had waterholes, but we were not too interested in them and as they were state parks, our pass would not get us in. Sedona was surrounded by the bright colours as we entered the town. It seemed to have the same feel as Santa Fe did, with countless galleries and shops.  Sedona was founded in the 19th century and has been the set for many movies given its scenery. In the 1980s , the discovery of energy “vortexes” made this town a New Age destination. We decided not to stop and continue onto Jerome. The highway winded up as we climbed towards Jerome, which was an old mining town that reminded us a bit of Lincoln, New Mexico. We ended up circling around a few times as our GPS unit seemed to take us up and down backstreets to find the “fastest” route. The town seemed to be filled with bikers and we soon saw why as we continued on highway 89 out of town. The road quickly turned into one of the curviest roads with a very winding 12 mile segment. We wound through the mountains enjoying the views of the valley below. We had an hour and half drive to Williams We checked into the Farifield and relaxed for awhile. We went to dinner a little after six in town at Cruiser’s Café 66, which was recommend in our book. We parked outside the café, which was on Route 66 in town. There was a musician playing outside and there were no seats left, so we took a booth inside. Ian had fish and chips, which were lightly battered and came with some yummy coleslaw. Lori had a garden salad and then some chili, which had cheese, much to Ian’s disgust. We watched TV in the room after dinner and were soon asleep.

Sedona was surrounded by the bright colours as we entered the town.

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