I think I mentioned that one of the early motivations of our “2020 Plan” was to explore the southwest to see if we could ever see ourselves moving there. Sedona seemed like a good prospect. Not too big, bursting with gorgeous scenery, easy-to-access hiking, galleries, restaurants, all the good stuff.
It was just as we pictured. Our airbnb was in a quiet neighborhood on the west side of town, a block away from a network of trails which were well travelled but didn’t take a lot of walking to feel like you were in the wilderness. The landscape was breathtaking. The burnt red buttes; deep canyons; striped, rock walls; pines, junipers, cacti, sun, and perfect temperatures. Waking up to these views was like waking up Christmas morning when I was a kid. So much to look forward to; so many gifts piled up outside the windows.
Each time we walked up to the Sugarloaf Trailhead we chatted about what it would be like to live here. Imagine waking up to this scenery every morning. To have glorious, dog-friendly hiking trails a block away, to have a house with tile floors, hip southwestern décor, and where we could eat green chiles every day…
As we hiked the Anaconda Trail in West Sedona, we dreamed about the power of the pure mountain air, high-altitude exercise and Sedona vortexes to extend our days of healthy living.
Anaconda Trail off Snake Trail
We even spent a little time on Zillow and did a couple of drive-bys. There were options in the range of possibility. It could happen!
Then we chatted with a couple of friends and family who asked what we thought of Sedona with its hordes of tourists. (Whit commented, “it’s like cruise-ship-loads of people are shuttled through there every day.”) And it occurred to us that it was February. Not the height of the season. Maybe it’s not the place. Off to Santa Fe.