Day 4 -September 16
Flagstaff adventures
It feels good not having to break camp and move on in your trip. I am reminded many times over the past few days about my days hiking through Philmont as a Boy Scout (the smells, the landscape, the sunsets, etc.) and today's layover is no different. There is a psychological benefit being able to stay put for a day after being constantly on the move. Granted I still planned on getting on the bike and exploring, but I didnt have to pack up, and head out. I had a home base, and that feels amazing. So I woke up, had some late breakfast (around 11am) then readied my bike for today's excursion down to Sedona. Took the scenic drive down (89A) and it was awesome. A magnificently winding road with tons of scenery starting with trees and meadows and developing into canyons and vistas as you traverse the serpentine road taking you quickly down from 7k ft to about 4k. I probably was pissing off people left and right as I was taking it all in and taking my time (Kodak moments abounded) making my way to Sedona. Once you enter Sedona, the scenery changes instantly, from wooded canyon, to red rock formations all around. Its pretty amazing how Sedona has its own unique vistas compared to the surrounding areas. Its a quaint tourist town offering gorgeous views and many ways to see it (helicopter tour for $50??? Wish I had more time and a giant storm wasn't coming in). I took in some sights, checked out the chapel of the Holy Cross, which is a cool little church kinda carved from rocks in the area. Inside was small, but was a beautiful building. Then headed back to Flagstaff via the highway to see a different route back. It was this day, I found out there was a motorcycle gathering nearby which explained the crap ton of bikers I had seen, or at least helped explain it. Highway didnt seem as amazing as the way down, but that could be due to the rain making the ride back miserable.
I got back to Flagstaff and checked out one of the craft beer stock house, the mobile gas station. No joke, it seems to get good craft beer here, you must go to a mobile gas station. Its like the D&Q on richmond but with gas. So I got a few local brews, and then headed to downtown for an early dinner at Beaver Street Brewery where I had there stout with the meatloaf sandwich. Both were decent, the fries were crispy but airy; I have no other way to describe it. I then proceeded home to do laundry, taste the beers, and get ready for my next few days of adventure till I roll into Vegas for a friend's dirty 40. Tomorrow, I head north to explore the Grand Canyon.
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