Cacti and red earth (Week 3)
Next, we drove North past many abandoned towns and decrepit buildings, moving from the desert to a tall piney forests. It had spiky pinecones but little underbrush; the sun's golden afternoon rays shone through the canopy, giving everything a magical feel.
The road to the Gila cliff dwellings was long, winding and narrow; each switchback had a nerve-racking blind spot, and the fully loaded car wasn't too sure about climbing the slopes. The detour was worth it though; the National Forest was very beautiful and the short hike up to and through the cliff dwellings was informative and interesting. After Gila, we aimed for Southern Arizona. New Mexico, though a bit chilly this time of year, had made for a quiet and very beautiful first destination. |
In Arizona, we found (yet another) amazing and beautiful place, past (yet another) half-dead little town, up a rough dirt road and through a mountain pass: Chiricahua National Monument. We drove through a canyon past giant stone columns with precariously balanced rocks, up the mountain ridge to the trailheads, and hiked around the spectacular area. Unfortunately, the campgrounds were all full. We tried a forest road the ranger recommended for free camping on BLM lands, but the road was horrid and most of the property private, so we said our goodbyes to Chiricahua and continued westward.
Suddenly, something felt different. I looked around...and noticed some scrawny trees dotted the landscape. Then I looked closer...they were Saguaro cacti! The giant cactus is only found in the Sonoran desert; in its 150+ year lifespan, a cactus makes millions of seeds, only a few of which will reach maturity. They are impressive giants that really add a new flavour to the landscape.
We didn't stay long in the Sonoran desert. A day's worth of hikes was plenty so we pushed on, due north to Coconino National Forest, better known as the Sedona area. So. Many. People. Sedona is arranged along one long stretch of road dotted with roundabouts, and is a highly popular destination - it has breathtaking red earth buttes, canyons and forests, plenty of outdoor activities, too many resorts, and many thriving new age companies offering everything from hot yoga to vortex tours. We were immediately put off by the constant crawl of traffic, ATVs ripping around, and just the whole commercial feel of it all. "Hurry up so I can relax" became our Sedona catchphrase. |
Luckily, we heard of good places for dispersed camping, so off we went past the throng of people, down a gravelled forest road to find a lovely little spot for our tent. There were others around, mostly RVs, as usual (which make up about 95% of "camping" areas), but we were lucky enough to get a tree, allowing us a bit of late afternoon shade. But everything has its price...we were not the only ones who liked being under a tree. Once the sun fell, a bunch of black widows came out to hang, upside-down and flaunting their blood red hourglass patches, in their messy webs. They don't tend to roam very far, so we figured our nearby tent would not be too appealing for them (we made extra-sure it was welled zipped-up).
Apart from all the people, we had a lovely time around Sedona, and went on a few gorgeous hikes, including one up the picturesque Cathedral Rock.
Apart from all the people, we had a lovely time around Sedona, and went on a few gorgeous hikes, including one up the picturesque Cathedral Rock.
Oh, want to hike in Sedona? You have to get to the trailhead early to get a parking spot. Having failed to find any spots at any of the trailheads (opting instead and by total chance for a surprisingly cheap helicopter ride - which, I'll admit, was super awesome), we arrived at 6:45am the next day to secure a spot and climbed Cathedral Rock.
By the way: no, you don't need hiking shoes to hike. I went barefoot as soon as we cleared the pebbly part of the trail. Feet are much better for grip and balance, and made climbing the smooth rock much easier and more fun, though the passing tourists could not help but gasp and comment if they happened to glance down at my feet. Who knew that my feet - clearly minding their own business - could make so many people frown?
By the way: no, you don't need hiking shoes to hike. I went barefoot as soon as we cleared the pebbly part of the trail. Feet are much better for grip and balance, and made climbing the smooth rock much easier and more fun, though the passing tourists could not help but gasp and comment if they happened to glance down at my feet. Who knew that my feet - clearly minding their own business - could make so many people frown?