Tag Archives: WheretoGoWednesday

My Sedona: Playing Hooky on the Rocks

Posted on by
Reply
naomi-suzuki-bzm7W4HzyS8-unsplash

Sedona photo by Naomi Suzuki

Sometimes trip ideas come to you in the blink of an eye. One minute you are sitting at your computer wishing you were outside and an hour later you’re in a car driving through a stunning red rock canyon.

Nothing says summer like blowing off responsibilities and heading outdoors for some fun in the sun. I was hard at work yesterday when my daughter asked if we could go to swimming. Like Tom Sawyer ditching piano lessons to go to go for a dip with Huck, I decided that a morning of swimming holes and natural water slides in Sedona, Arizona would be just the ticket for both of us – and luckily we didn’t have an Aunt Polly to answer to after visiting this week’s #WhereToGoWednesday destination.

Sedona, about two hours north of Phoenix and 45 minutes south of Flagstaff, is justifiably famous for the magnificent red buttes that ring the town. The year-round mild climate and surreal, cosmically-imbued formations attract travelers to Sedona like the healing magnets found in the town’s many New Age stores. Less well known are the waters that run through the area which have played their part in carving the majestic slabs. Oak Creek, slicing its way south from the Colorado Plateau near Flagstaff, has sculpted many world-class swimming holes in this spectacular natural setting. Here are some of our favorites:

Slide Rock State Park 
Named by Life Magazine as one of America’s ten most beautiful swimming holes, Slide Rock is the gold (or should I say “red”?) standard for fun in the creek. Located on an old farmstead and apple orchard along the creek, the park offers natural water slides, picnic areas, and cliff jumping. Extremely popular in the summer, the park’s parking lot limits how many people are allowed in the water. As soon as it fills up, no more visitors are let in until somebody leaves. My daughter and I hustle down the canyon and make it just in time, as the lot closed three cars after us. Whew.

We walk through the orchard to get down to the water’s edge. Stunning red rocks, worn smooth by the flow of water, have created natural water slides. Although the air is warm, the water is bracing, making for a refreshing contrast. We start on the lower, tamer set of slides and then work our way up to the larger and faster shoots. S is now old enough to also enjoy hurling herself off the 20-foot ledges down into the water – something that I love to do but that scares me when she does it.
Continue reading →

Loreto, Mexico: Adventure Travel Within Reach, Baja-Style

Posted on by
3
loreto-bay-bryanestep

Loreto Bay photo by Bryan Estep

I LOVE outdoor adventure travel. But logistics can be a pain. If I am planning a trip with limited vacation time, and just getting to the activity from my hotel is going to take longer than the activity itself, I’ll bag the whole deal. On the other hand, some of my favorite trip activities — like hiking, kayaking, and scuba diving –generally involve advanced coordination and transport time. (Sigh). What’s a girl to do? Well, you can travel to Loreto, Mexico — this week’s #WhereToGoWednesday destination. You can fly directly there in under two hours from Los Angeles, and once you’ve arrived, Loreto provides some of the most accessible adventure travel options anywhere.

Last week my husband Bryan and I stole away to Loreto for the long Memorial Day weekend. Loreto is a picturesque colonial town tucked between the rugged Sierra Gigante Mountains and the placid, cobalt Sea of Cortez, about two-thirds of the way down Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Although the town itself is quite appealing — with a well-preserved, centuries-old Jesuit mission and leafy square — the Bay of Loreto National Marine Park is the real draw.

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002, the marine park covers over 500,000 acres and includes a number of uninhabited islands easily reachable from shore. It’s North America’s version of the Galapagos Islands, with some 695 plant species, 891 fish species, and 39% of the world’s total species of marine mammals. This makes it a Mecca for ocean activities like scuba diving, kayaking, and sport-fishing. The calm waters of the Sea of Cortez are the perfect place to paddle around to quiet, isolated beaches. But what amazed us was how easy it was to experience these off-shore delights.

Our resort, Villa del Palmar, is perfectly situated south of town and directly in front of the islands of Loreto. Sitting on our balcony the first morning, we were transfixed by expansive views that included layers of corduroy mountains, a calm, blue bay with a few anchored sloops, and multiple craggy desert (and deserted) islands just off shore. We couldn’t wait to get out there — and luckily, we didn’t have to. After a quick stop by the activities desk, we walked down to the beach where we were outfitting with snorkeling gear and a two-person kayak. Total time investment—about ten minutes. How easy was that?

Continue reading →

Where to Go: Grand Canyon, Arizona

Posted on by
Reply

 

Grand Canyon panoramic view, Arizona

Grand Canyon photo by Becky Youman

Looks like people have been trip planning closer to home, with American’s own stunning and majestic Grand Canyon grabbing the spotlight as this week’s #WheretoGoWednesday most popular destination.

Visit the canyon and you’ll experience the wonder created not only by the national icon’s magnificent beauty, by also by the sheer scale of its vastness. Layer upon layer of pink, red, and orange cliffs and hoodoos extend for hundreds of miles — doing proper justice to the marvels of nature.

There are almost as many way to enjoy the canyon as there are stratum in Grand Canyon National Park’s 1.2 million acres. Active visitors can choose from hiking to the bottom of the canyon for a cabin stay at Phantom Ranch, bicycling along the abyss on the South Rim’s Hermit Road, strolling through piñon and ponderosa pine along the Rim Trail, or going for the ultimate bragging rights with a one-day, rim-to-rim trek. Those looking for a more relaxing stay can watch condors soar over the chasm from a rocking chair on the patio of the lodge at the North Rim, listen to the roar of the Colorado River’s Granite Rapid from the Pima Point Overlook, or get their own bird’s eye view of the park from the vantage point of a plane or helicopter.
Continue reading →