Flagstaff - Sedona, Arizona and Utah Road Trip: Day 5 - Breakfast and Drive Home

In the morning, my friend picked me up nice and early, and we started our drive back home.

I remembered stopping for breakfast at Zion Cafe 4 years ago on my road trip. I wanted to relive the experience. Unfortunately, there was a sign on the door that the Cafe was relocating and was closed, so we drove to the local breakfast spot The Crêpery.

This was another amazing meal I have had. It's been a while since I've had crêpes, and I remember something similar when I was growing up in Belarus. We called it thin pancakes and had them with cottage cheese (tvorog) and raisins or cherry filling. This one was quite different, but so delicious!

It inspired me to try to make something like this at home myself.

After breakfast, we drove straight home and got to SoCal by 3 PM. It was the end of the trip, filled with new experiences and extra pounds. I wish I could do it more often, that's for sure, but for now I am planning yet another trip. More to come soon!

In the meantime, here is one video:

Flagstaff - Sedona, Arizona and Utah Road Trip: Day 4 - Vermilion Cliffs, Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam, Wahweap Overlook and Wire Pass To Buckskin Gulch

Today was an extra day that was planned only a few weeks before the trip. I wanted to see Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon, and it was only 3 hours away from where I was staying. I did not want to miss the opportunity to visit the sites. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 pandemic Antelope Canyon was closed, but still I was determined to see Horseshoe Bend.

The day started with an early check out from the AirBnb, acquisition of a cup of coffee at Matador Coffee that was not very good and a change in plans. Originally, our first destination was Horseshoe Bend, but after a bit of research while in the car (no, I was not driving), the plan was modified to stop by Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. While I knew that being part of BLM lands, the tours were not taking place, my friend has never seen Grand Canyon, so a drive through the area with similar landscape was a must, and it only added an extra hour to our schedule.

We turned left on 89A to continue on the scenic route. Almost immediately I knew this drive was not going to disappoint.

There was a stop along the way to see the bridge and Colorado river from it.

We got back on the original route and finally got to Horseshoe Bend. For a $10 fee (that apparently goes to the City of Page, no other passes are accepted), we parked and walked about half a mile to view the beautiful bend in the Colorado river, so frequently photographed by others. I now had a chance to see it with my own eyes. On a side note, new iPhone pictures are much better than my older Google Pixel 2...

Our next stop was Glen Canyon Dam before we would have lunch. It is a brief detour from the main road, but completely worth it. The dam is gigantic!

Note the car driving on the bridge above the dam for the better scale...

Finally, it was time for lunch. El Tapatio was a Mexican place I bookmarked on Yelp because of high reviews. I am not always a big fan of Mexican food, but I can tell you I am getting there, especially after visiting a place like this. And the two pictures below fully describe my experience.

After a great lunch, we headed out to see Wahweap Overlook. I randomly found this stop as a recommendation on Google maps. It was worth the stop, for sure.

It was raining and windy, and as we were driving towards our next destination, Wire Pass Trail, it was really neat seeing rain in the distance among the mountains.

After about 40 minutes of driving, the GPS directed us to turn left onto a gravel road. Google maps instructed to continue driving for 4 miles, but in reality the trailhead was about 6 miles from the main highway. I was glad we took my friend's Subaru instead of my Civic on this road. At the trailhead, we paid our $6 per person fee (just dropped the envelope with money in the locked box and left the slip on the dashboard) and started the hike. At the start we saw this note, so we were curious what that meant.

Also, there was a usual warning of checking the weather ahead of time to not be trapped in a flash flood. "Really?", I thought to myself. "Flash flood in this desert? No way!"

The weather was hot, but this time I had lots of water and my hiking hat.

Within the first mile we approached the Wire Pass. Many reviewers said that the views were second best after Antelope Canyon, and since we were unable to see it on this trip, this was a must to see.

I have seen something similar on my cross-country trip 4 years ago, but nothing like these colors. As the path became narrower, it ended with a ladder that was broken, so we had to turn around an follow the handwritten sign at the beginning of the hike instructing us to go around. Unfortunately, I did not wear my hiking boots, so we decided not to continue as we got to the top of the detour. It was a bit too steep, and the slippery soles on my shoes did not make me feel very confident. Also, it really was hot, so we decided to go back knowing that we have seen what we came here to see.

On the way back, right near the beginning of the trail I finally saw what they describe as flash floods. There were few clouds on the sky and yet out of nowhere streams started to flow downhill. The decision to turn around was indeed a good one, although there was probably not enough water to really call it a "flash flood".

We drove another hour to Kanab, UT and landed on an outdoor patio of Wild Thyme Cafe where I had the most incredibly made chicken in a while.

It was getting late, and we split up to go to our separate AirBnbs. Mine let's say left some to be desired, but offered a decent night of sleep.

Flagstaff - Sedona, Arizona and Utah Road Trip: Day 2 - Cathedral Rock, Devil's Bridge and Bell Rock Trails

After seeing how hot it could get around here, I woke up nice and early to start hiking. After a quick breakfast of a hard boiled egg with an avocado toast, we headed to the first trailhead - Cathedral Rock Trail. Even this early in the morning, the air was heating up quickly. The trail was short, only 1.4 miles round trip, but rather steep, 745 ft elevation gain.

Driving past Sedona, I knew I was going to see beautiful scenery today. Cathedral Rock trail did not disappoint. After hiking and rock scrambling, the views were incredible.

One of the first views of the rock...

After a bit of hiking...

Right before the end of the trail...

End of the trail (there was more...)

This is that "more" - a steep climb with some rock scrambling again.

Final view of the Cathedral rock

The second hike of the day was Devil's Bridge Trail. Only 4.5 miles round trip, the hike was supposed to be relaxing with some good view on the top. The first mile and a half, the trail was a sandy path filled with off-road vehicles, Jeeps and trucks. I can't say this was very relaxing. Closer to the end of the trail, the pathway narrowed to allow only pedestrians to hike to Devil's bridge. The views even before reaching the destination were incredible.

I was about to turn around thinking that there was no bridge after all, but saw a few people continue hiking further. I decided to do the same and finally reached the bridge. People lined up to have their picture taken were hardly social distancing, so after taking a quick picture of the bridge, I went back down.

It was getting really hot, and I still had one hike planned. I debated whether I should do it or skip, but decided that I would at least give it a shot. Bell Trail was not something I have not done before. At 7 miles round trip with 600 ft elevation gain, it seemed rather easy when I sat on my couch planning the trip. On a hot day after having already hiked 6 miles, the hike turned out to be pretty difficult. I didn't realize that the end of the trail was "the crack" filled with water where people could swim. That attracted a WHOLE bunch of people with loud music, screaming children... There were some good views closer to the end, but the number of people made me quickly turn around.

LOTS of people at the end of the trail...

One of the challenges I encountered was running out of water half-way during hiking this trail. And I knew I needed water to get back, so I asked one of the groups if they had an extra bottle. Luckily, one man offered me a fresh and cool bottle from his backpack. Forever grateful! This was a rookie error not to bring enough water on a very hot day, and I will never be so stupid again.

I finally go to the car and headed back to the cottage for a nice shower. This is why I don't camp. After a long day like this, I cannot imagine not being able to wash off.

Relieved after a nice shower, dinner and some wine tasting was well deserved. I can tell you that the meal at Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room and Osteria was one of the best one I've had. Bruchetta was top notch, and wine was worth going back to Arizona from California for!