Happily, as I am shopping for a new car, my rental car was a hybrid -- a Ford Fusion -- very nice, amazingly efficient, no drivability issues, but there were some alarming sounds from the brakes at a couple of points. Still I wouldn't hesitate to go hybrid; it left a good taste in my mouth. Maybe a RAV4 hybrid -- or a CMax. The rental spec Fusion left a lot to be desired in the infotainment department. It connected to my tablet but would only play songs on any given album in alphabetical order and then only after a solid five minutes of "indexing". It was XM capable but no one had bothered to activate it. I should have tried myself. Still I'm sure that was just the low end rental version. I suspect Ford's actual infotainment options are significantly better.
But I was travelling Out West, which is what this post is about. This time for a half marathon in and around the city of Page, AZ and Lake Powell. It was shaping up to be unpleasant; cold (about 40) and windy (wind is worse that cold) and dark start. I had to get there at 5:30 AM to pick up my packet and race didn't start until 6:30 AM. Sunrise was going to be after 7 AM. As a result, I was not in the best frame of mind waiting in my car to stay warm for the start. But the glow of sunrise had begun at gun time and the wind had died considerably and race adrenaline kicked in. After about 3 miles through the town of Page, the sun rose and we were treated to jaw dropping views of Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon dam and the majestic red rock mesas and surrounding mountains. And it wasn't just a brief glimpse, the views surrounded us the rest of the way the rest of the way. I have run quite of number of scenic races out west and this was easily the most beautiful of all.
The next day, in contrast, the temps were touching 80. I made a visit to Lee's ferry and a brief hike along the Colorado river. There is quite an interesting beach there, of all things, I'm confused why in the hot weather there wasn't anyone else there. It seems tailor-made for an afternoon dip in the cool water.
About Page: it's a small town -- not poor, but there are no luxuries to be found. You will find no meals beyond sports bar level and no lodgings superior to, say, a Hampton Inn. It has a dominant Navajo population and a preponderance of Christian churches of various denominations. There appears to be little industry besides tourism, which is steady, although there is a large factory of some sort just outside town. There also appear to be sections of upper middle class housing that I would guess are rental homes. Some of these homes would have views out their living room windows that would make an acrophobic blanche.
I stayed a bit longer in Page because the following day I made a mad dash in the morning to Kanab Utah, about an hour away. You see there is a hiking destination called the Wave that is a dream hike for many. The undulating layered red rock is iconic, but there is a catch. Only about 20 people a day are given permits to hike there. You can get in a lottery for one of ten permits months in advance -- I tried and was not selected, or you can show up the day before and get in a lottery for one of another ten permits the next day. That's why I headed to Kanab -- that's where the lottery is held. For next-day permits, the process is to show up by 9. You are led into a room with everyone else and you fill in an application and given a number (1 per group). Then, like bingo, the ranger draws numbers and if your number comes up your group can go provided there are enough permits left to cover your group. If chosen you have to hike the next day or not at all. If not chosen, you go home muttering about the unfairness of it all. There were about 35 groups vying for 10 permits. I ended up going home muttering. Some people had been showing up multiple days in row and had been rebuffed multiple days in a row. On the one hand, it is really annoying and inconvenient, and the randomness makes trip planning a real crap shoot, he muttered. On the other hand, it makes for a story and raises the status of having hiked to the Wave and make you an object of envy if you get there. I'm sure I'll try again some day.
In any event, I consoled myself with a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The snooty, outdoorsy types will tell you the the North Rim is preferable to the South as it is less crowded and less touristy. True. There is a single lodge, a spare couple of retail outlets, and a herd of Bison. It's also a solid hour to anything remotely considered a town. It also, I think, contains more visual drama in an accessible dose. The South Rim is so sprawling that it's really hard to grasp in a single view. That said, if I was travelling with a family, I would take the fun, amusement park style South Rim with all of it's commercial ventures.
Page is a great base of operations for exploring Northern Arizona. It is central and reasonably priced and with great infrastructure. I could easily see settling in there for two or three weeks and just racking up the explorations and experiences. But I didn't have two or three weeks so I moved on, leaving much undone.
Next came relocation to Sedona. Whether approaching heading south or leaving heading north I highly recommend taking route 179 rather than the more indirect but faster freeway route. It winds and climbs through something approaching a thick alpine forest -- just a stunningly beautiful drive. I'm not sure if it is technically alpine forest or not, but it is as richly and thickly wooded as any place you would call the north woods. Coming in from the north you climb through the woods and then descend into a more traditional red rock area, but you are still at a much higher elevation than Page or the low desert around Phoenix, so the red rock vistas infused by patches of evergreen forest.
Sedona itself is remarkably wealthy. Enormous mesas and mountains loom in every direction as a backdrop to the town, and many people have built modernist mansions in the foothills. You can see them peppered about looking precisely positioned to maximize their views.
Sedona is also the global leader in new-age-ism. They speak of vortexes where the world energy is focused and there are numerous psychics in town and they must do a decent business because I have seen them in business for many years now, often in posh diggings that cannot be cheap to rent.
Hippies aside, judging from the crowd the big demographic, tourist and otherwise, is retirees. There's a lot of gray wandering about the red rocks. And good for them. When I'm in my seventies (which is sooner than I like to admit) I hope to still be plowing through the red rock trails. It beats the hell out of mall walking or shuffleboard.
Unexpectedly for such a high end town, dining options aren't that great. There is a lot of Southwest cuisine, plenty of American Bistros (often cowboy themed), but surprisingly little that stands out as high quality and interesting. About the best place in town is called The Hudson which is on the chic side, but with a friendly happy hour and an emphasis on the fresh and creative. Apart from that, the best food I had was actually at my hotel, The Hilton Sedona at Bell Rock. I think it goes back the retirees again. They might be more inclined toward standard and reliably good, as opposed to the creative and, let's face it, probably overpriced.
Snooty griping about luxuries aside, Sedona is a top notch outdoor destination. You can, and I have, easily fall into a rhythm of a hike in the morning and afternoon drinks by the pool. My first full day included a hike of Brin's Mesa, in which I only got lost once so...victory, followed by some work on my tan.
The next and final day my thought was to rent a mountain bike and hit the trails, but I am not a young man anymore and frankly, after a week of solid activity I decided to chill. I took some time in the morning to wander around the Chapel of the Holy Cross, an iconic landmark just south of town. Architecturally fascinating, it appears to emerge directly from the red rock perch on which is sits. It is a Roman Catholic chapel, though not a church as there are no regular services -- though there appears to be a weekly prayer group led by a local priest. It would serve well as a quiet place for meditation and prayer -- very appropriate for Sedona -- although it seems more used as a stop for tourists to get some photos of the startling views. I certainly took my share of photos.
After that I headed into town for a quick lunch and to remind myself of what a beautiful little spot Sedona is, pretentiousness aside. It's as if the town in the possession of, or perhaps under the protection of, the surrounding imposing mountains. It's easy to see how the hippies came to believe this spot had a special connection to the world. For my part I took a walk along Oak Creek -- a river that runs behind the row of shops and high end resorts on the east side of town. A day tripper would never know of it's existence, but a crooked, patchwork walkway can be followed a for half a mile or so. It's just a lovely peaceful stroll from the north end of town ending at roughly the ultra high-end L'auberge de Sedona resort.
It was a terrific way to spend my final day. That evening I gave in to the call of reality and began packing my clothes and checking email and generally prepping for life back home. Throughout this trip I was getting the urge to stay longer -- that is to say, I have never been away from home for more than two weeks in my life. I'm beginning to wonder if it would be a good experience to try to arrange something longer -- a full month, say. Not on the move the whole time, but actually settle in somewhere for a month and see how it feels and what new experiences I would have. Somewhere in the southwest might be a likely spot for that -- given my familiarity. Worth contemplating.
For now, I'm just glad I completed a half-marathon and therefore haven't aged beyond the ability to do that. I've also confirmed my impressions of northern Arizona as pretty much road trip heaven. I doubt I have seen the last of it.
Apropos - My previous trip to this area.
