MLK Day in Sedona

Since Martin Luther King Day is one of only 3 holidays North Americans get per year*, we decided to better make good use of. We could not really think of anything fun to do in Flagstaff, since the snow up here is about 3 weeks old and very crusty, yet it still has not melted. We had heard a lot about this small town - about an hour south - much lower elevation - therefore quite a bit warmer - an outdoor enthusiast's dream. Sounds like our kind of place, right? So we chose it as our adventure destination.

What can I say? After spending the day there, Sedona has now joined the ranks of most-amazing-place-t0-enjoy-the-outdoors-in-the-spring-and-fall. Closely followed by Moab and St. George in Utah. But nothing beats Sedona's proximity to our hometown.

Nevertheless. An hour in the car is enough to get me antsy. Unfortunately, our hiking guide was far from ideal. It did not help that we, accidentally, left it at home. Once we found the trail head of our carefully chosen family hike, all 15 parking spots were occupied and our car did not display the required Recreation Pass. That would have been some pretty nifty information to have received beforehand...

We were not off to a great start, but luckily 3 out of 4 family members kept their cool**. We purchased a pass and a map, and decided on a different hike closer to town. After a few more minor issues, we were finally free! 70 lovely degrees and blue skies. Noah is ready for shorts.

Getting the jiggles out.

The loop was perfect for two energetic young boys.

Noah got a CTR ring from his primary teachers a week ago and has not taken it off since. Maybe it is time I start wearing my wedding ring again...

Somewhere we have baseball hats that actually fit these guys. But Karl's extras work pretty well, too.

Grinding red rocks into red sand. Noah kept thinking we were in Moab.

After our lovely hike and some lunch, it was time for serious business. More about my ride here.

My 3 boys headed over to Midgley Bridge, hiked down to Oak Creek and played in the mud!

My two favorite buddies.

After some major key issues (which involved me lying under the car for a total of 20 minutes, a few frustrated phone conversations with Karl, a disappeared spare key, and a helpful couple), I was able to join my family at the creek for some snacks and the hike back up.

What a great day! We had a few ideas for Spring Break in March but now we are very heavily leaning toward spending the whole week in Sedona and surroundings. We love our backyard!

Hope you had a great MLK day as well!

* Germans get about 3 holidays per month. And I don't think they are any less productive...

** No. The Black Sheep was not Max. For once. It was me.