Sedona

Sedona has been our favorite place yet. Its rocks might not be as dramatic as the grand canyon, but they are striking, and everywhere. There are hikes and 4WD trails everywhere, and almost all of the trails are dog friendly!

After seeing Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, and now Sedona I’m finding that geology is so much more fascinating than ever. I can’t wrap my head around the scale of the rocks, or the amount of time it took to create them. I need to find an audiobook or podcast to listen to during the drive to help explain it all — any recommendations?

Devil's Bridge

Kyle getting sucked into one of Sedona's many vortexes

Grand Canyon

It’s funny seeing something as well photographed as the Grand Canyon in person. It was as huge and awe-inspiring as I’d hoped. Dogs weren’t allowed on the trails going into the canyon but the paved rim trail was dog friendly so we took a couple short walks with Rocky at different point along the path.

We picked the best time of year to visit; apparently in the summer the paths are packed, parking lots full and tourists are pushing each other to get to the best views. Despite the shutdown, the park remained open but we were waived in for free again. (Thanks, Trump?)

Joshua Tree

“We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold.”

More like, “we were somewhere around Barstow when the vacation began to take hold…” After checking out of a cheap hotel, we took a scenic drive through Rainbow and Wall Street Canyons just north of Barstow before heading to Joshua Tree.

My Callisto coworkers generously gifted me with an Airbnb gift card as going away present, so we put that to good use and found a cabin near the park. It’s rustic but has a fireplace and hot tub, plus a fenced yard for Rocky. The perfect place to relax for a couple days (and try to kick this cold!)

We ventured into the park not knowing what to expect. Because of the government shutdown, there had been reports it would close today but late yesterday afternoon it was announced the park would remain open. When we arrived, there was a ranger at the gate who gave us dog-friendly recommendations (dogs aren’t allowed on most trails in National Parks) but couldn’t collect any fees.

We were surprised to find a number of 4-wheel-drive-only roads in the park. If we couldn’t hike with Rocky, Kyle could find his happy place and take us on an off-road adventure. I liked the one called “Geology Tour Road,” thinking I might learn about the unusual rock formations. Unfortunately, there were no brochures with info available because of the shutdown. The road is 18 miles long and takes you from the north end of Joshua Tree to the south side, near Indio and Palm Springs. We decided to drive all the way through. What we didn’t anticipate was that about halfway down the road, it turns from cute park-maintained bumpy dirt road to a boulder-ridden. sometimes washed-out forest road that snaked through canyons. It got dicy about 12 miles in — too far to turn back — and even Kyle got nervous (though he didn’t admit this until we got out). I think we’re done with off roading for a while.