The second day in Sedona, (e:paul) and I went to see the famous Sedona vortex. Somehow Sedona is famous with the new agey crystal people for being a spot with many mystical vortexes. Our motel clerk even gave us a map and told us where they'll all be.





It seems like rich Californians definitely outweigh crystal hippies now (or maybe the hippies just have money now). But (e:paul) and I went to a famous vortex site by the airport. It really seemed like an easy hike to me but maybe I'm secretly allergic to vortices

After that we went up a road right in the town to a place called Jordan Pass. It takes you to a trailhead for Brin's Mesa.

The trail starts off in the desert and takes you about 500 feet to a grassy mesa. All along the way (e:paul) and I ate prickly pears. You probably shouldn't since it robs the desert life of nutrients but it they were way sweeter and juicier than anything Basra ate. I hope he gets fresh ones, wherever he is (e:joe,60672)

The mesa descended into a pine forest with a dry creek/wash. You go all the way out to an ATV road, ~3 miles away.

At the ATV road we went a mile south and ended up at Devil's Bridge. The hike is steep but easy up to this stone bridge, jutting out over a valley. It looks way scarier than you'd thing. (e:paul) freaked out a little but it was always at least 5 ft wide always.

We didn't have very much water for an 11 mile hike but we did have coconut water and a few Modellos. So those tided us on the walk back. I don't think we saw anyone else on either direction of the Brin's mesa trail, outside of the first half milk.

The same day we hiked the west fork of Oak Canyon. After the desert heat I thought I'd want to swim but it was a cool forest with a freezing creek. I loved it.

I can't believe how big some of the smashed rocks are at the bottom. The rock slides here have to be like meteors hitting the earth.

(e:paul) and I thought the sheer cliffs on the side looked like a desktop background while the sun went down.

Was the first hike (e:paul) and I did in Sedona. It was the first real rock climbing I've done besides something like little rock city.

The sun was super intense on the way up. The rock is rough sandstone so shoes stick to the side and you can walk right up to the rocks that jut out in the middle.

Once we got up there I slipped a little and my stomach dropped. I freaked out, (e:paul) had to coax me to keep going around the rock. I really thought I was going to fall off and die.

Eventually we made it all the way to the highway side of the rock, and tried to climb to the top via a canyon. We kept getting stoned by ledges that were way taller than us.

Luckily this native Sedona guy, his GF and sister came walking by and offered to show us the way up.

It was a lot easier, besides the cactus I got stuck in my hand. We made it all the way to the top, where (e:paul) and (e:terry) had made it last time (e:paul,45458). There's a book you can sign, and we took pictures while the couple did weird yoga moves standing on each other. They almost fell off once, no fucking way would I descend if that actually happened.

The view was incomprehensible. We were so high up, it's hard to believe we actually climbed up all that sandstone.

After being the at the top coming down was nothing. Even when the climber had us hugging the wall on a 4 inch ledge. If the sister could do it while talking on the phone, we could do it with both hands.

After we got down (e:paul) and I went out to lunch at a cheap tamale place called Sedona Tamaliza. I never had a tamale before but it was basically Mexican spiced polenta in a corn husk. For only $5 you got a super spicy vegan spinach and mushroom tamale. (e:terry) would have loved them.

To be written about

Before we dropped (e:terry) off to go home, we went for one real hike up Papago Park, in the middle of Scottsdale near the airport. It juts up in the middle of the flat sprawl, with a zoo and golf course nearby.

It's pretty easy to get up and has a 360 view of endless Phoenix.

Afterwards we ate Filiberto's and dropped (e:terry) off for his flight home. I really missed him, and wished he could have come along ;(