Sedona Amazement - Day 2

So stuck in Sedona overnight because of road closures due to snow. Waking up December 30th we spent some time figuring out what the situation was at that point. It was freezing, and it had been snowing during the night. I-17 (north to Flagstaff) and I-40 (west towards Nevada) were still closed, and after a walk around time looking at shops and talking with people who advised us to not try the roads, we decided to stay in Sedona for the day and another night.

Having made that decision we called the hotel in Las Vegas where we had a reserved room 30th-2nd. Luckily they agreed to cancel our room that night with no charge. :) We talked with the super nice Sedona Motel owners again, who suggested what we could do that day - a short hike in the gorgeous red mountains. Equipped with maps and loads of warm clothes, we jumped in the car, passed a grocery store to get things for lunch and some snacks, and then headed up the highland.

Its hard to describe just how magnificent the scenery was. I was in Sedona also in late November but there was no snow, and it looked completely different at this point. Please do check all the pics in the Roadtrip album! :) We got a 5$ parking pass, and headed up the short trail we were suggested. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, the clouds cleared off and the sky became super blue! With the red rocks, green trees and white snow it was an amazing sight! I was wearing my new boots, very grateful that Helene suggested to buy those instead of some hiking shoes which would not have worked as well in these conditions. So already they have been worth the money! Helene was wearing running shoes that worked alright until the very last bit of the hike, where she slipped into a ankle deep pond. I did the same stunt, but left with dry feet. :)

On the way back from the mountain we drove towards the scenic point by the airport, where I had also been with Hillary and Aizhan. A totally different scenery this time. :) Well home in the motel room with soup to warm in the microwave and bread to dip in it we had a nice end of the afternoon. Helene went for another short walk in the city while I was writing my blog and editing pictures. For dinner we bought a pizza from the across the street Italian restaurant, and ate it at home while watching a movie. And then we went to bed early in order to get up and on the road again Friday morning, December 31st.