Kay, Peter, and I started our day with a super quick hike to the Hole in the Rock in Papago Park followed by breakfast at D’Lish (and yes, it was delish!). Then, Peter and I drove another 2 hours to Sedona to ride ATVs in the Red Rock State Park.

— caught the last few minutes of sunrise at the Hole in the Rock —

Compared to others, I felt like I was driving like a grandma. I was so paranoid that I would damage the ATV or cause it to flip over that I drove slower and more careful than everyone else. At one point, we were driving up a rocky hill and I almost didn’t go fast enough to go over a boulder. Any slower and I would have gotten us stuck and any faster, we would have flipped the ATV over and flown off the bike. Despite the terrifying ride, we had a really fun time.

Before we returned the ATV, Peter and I drove it to the Devil’s Bridge hike. We left the ATV behind and hiked a little bit up into the canyon. A few days before our trip, the weather had been cold so parts of the trail were wet and icy. When we got to Devil’s Bridge, I was in full-blown panic mode. People were walking on the edge of the cliff, parts of which were still icy, to take photos. Photos don’t do this place justice. It’s difficult to tell but the trees/greenery in the bottom middle of the photo is actually in the background, seen through the hole under the bridge.

After returning the ATV, we stopped by Cathedral Rock to take photos at sunset.

We also stopped at what is known as the Airport Mesa Vortex. Vortexes are popular sites in Arizona where many believe the earth is exceptionally alive with energy. It’s called a vortex because it refers to the place where the earth’s energies swirl together and draws everything near it to its center.  Trees in the area often have swirled trunks and branches as a result of this “vortex pull”. By the time we reached the vortex (or the general location of it), it was already late and dark. We couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the vortex and we had already attempted to hike further into the side of the mountain only to give up and turn around in the pitch black darkness. We didn’t get to experience the vortex but we got to see a spectacular view!

Arizona Road Trip-025

That night, Peter and I had dinner at Cafe Jose before taking the 2 hour drive back to Mesa.