Sedona 2019

We loved this place so much last year that we came back again in 2019. The major upgrade was the addition of our long-time friends the Bakers and the Marschiloks. This was the first time that the six of us had been together in 25 years and it was a blast. One minor surprise was the weather – the night after we arrived it started snowing and didn’t stop until there was well over a foot and many of the surrounding roads were closed. The Bakers were driving in from Phoenix and refused to be deterred – they forged though the treacherous roads to not only arrive at their Airbnb, but to join us for a nightcap. …. and demonstrating that despite living in North Carolina for 20+ years, they still have their upstate New York arctic survival skills. The snow melted over the next few days, but this allowed us to witness the beauty of snow on the red rocks of Sedona. The Marschiloks arrived a few days later just in time for warmer weather.

Tremendous fun was had including: hikes, park visits, shopping, dining, drinking, train traveling, visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and the Marschilok Dinner Theatre where Steve single-handedly bent the internet to his will.

Our Verde Canyon Railroad trip took us on a very scenic 20 mile ride up the Verde Valley. It consumed about 4 hours and passed through gorgeous Arizona scenery while we sipped on cocktails and nibbled on munchies. This was one of those “journey, not the destination” trips that was quite relaxing and fun. We all took a lot of pictures.

We visited three National Monuments with ancient Indian ruins including Tuzigoot, Montezuma Castle, and Montezuma Well. Each one of these is quite interesting, had unique stories, and was well worth the trip. However, none hold a candle to Grand Canyon National Park. Half of our party hadn’t seen the Canyon and the other half hadn’t seen it in a long time. It is simply awesome. We covered the entire South Rim side of the park and gawked from many angles and sun positions.

The six of us went to Jerome for an afternoon. It’s an old mining town that has largely turned into an artist and craft haven. It is somewhat eclectic, but retains a bit of the mining town aura. There are a lot of interesting shops and we all came back with something we bought there.

All-in-all Sedona was a great stop. It has a unique beauty that never gets old. It’s spotless, easy to get a round, and has a lot of very good restaurants. People are friendly and considerate. The weather (with a few exceptions) is great. But for us, this trip was about our friends. People we grew into adults with and influenced our lives in many subtle ways. Although we lost some time while raising our families and moving to different geographies, it just made the reunion that much better. We’re already looking forward to the next one.