Saturday
Saturday I woke up a bit later than usual, and felt really unmotivated. I didn’t come up with a plan the night before, and that usually results in me being pretty anxious and unsure what to do with my day. I think it’s a great habit for me to plan out the next day a little bit the night before. It gives me a plan to follow & helps get me started with my day.
Once I got out of the camper, I made a cup of coffee & read, enjoyed my morning in camp. I headed to Whole Foods to restock on food & sparkling water (I go to Whole Foods like, 3-4 times a week..). I also filled my pressurized water thing (Nemo Helio LX) at a vegetarian cafe spot called ChocolaTree. They’re pretty popular amongst the local van people, and let you use their hose.
I had heard a lot about Bell Rock, so I headed there for a mid-day hike. It’s a short hike, that kind of ends in a free for all scramble to get to the top. It’s a super popular hike, but the crowds thin out the higher you go. I got some photos & scouted it out so I could come back at sunset.
After Bell Rock I went to Broken Arrow trail, unsure if I wanted to do the Jeep trail or the hike. I made lunch at the trail head & read for a bit, eventually deciding to save the 4x4 trail, and do the hike. I got on Broken Arrow, and enjoyed the hike so much I took a few other trails as well, including Twin Buttes & High on the Hog trails. Really pretty spot, it was also a perfect sunny and 70º day. Just felt good taking my time & snapping photos along the way.
I took a short break & got an iced coffee at ChocolaTree, & went to set up my ground tent at a campsite in the BLM land outside of town to save it. Kayla will be driving to Sedona from Joshua Tree, so it was nice to be able to send the exact coordinates to the “saved” campsite.
I went back to Bell Rock for sunset, I’m so addicted to golden hour & sunset... It was an incredible evening, with the clouds coming in at the last minute and exploding. Giant purple & orange/yellow streaks. Beautiful light! Got some photos I’m really happy with.
After the hike I went back to camp & met up with Kayla. We split a 6 pack of cider & caught up around the campfire. Had a late night, compared to the usual 9:00ish bed time… Had a really nice night!
Sunday
I got up a bit after sunrise & made coffee. I didn’t edit my photos on Saturday night, so I spent the morning in a GoalZero advertisement, me sitting in a camp chair next to a rock fire ring, editing photos with my macbook plugged into a portable battery. It got a bit bright, so I was mainly merging photos & organizing them in Lightroom so it would be easier to do the final edits later in the day. Ate a banana & wrapped that up so we could go hiking!
Kayla & I decided to hike the Hike Munds Wagon, Cow Pies & Hangover Loop. It was about 9 miles, super pretty hiking loop. Took us most of the morning, getting back to the van & Jeep around 2:00 to shove chips & dips into our mouths and chug some sparkling water & catch our breath in the parking lot.
After our hike we were pretty drained, so we decided to go to Creekside, get a chai and relax on the patio. I edited my photos from Saturday’s hike while Kayla read, & we both enjoyed the patio views! Such a great spot…
After our coffee we set off to find a nice spot for the sunset. I would love to take a photo at Red Rock Crossing over by Cathedral Rock at sunset. Unfortunately the parking was a total shit show, so we bailed on that idea & went to hike Little Horse Trail, another 4 mile out & back. It was another awesome sunset!! Next time definitely bringing a blanket to sit on & some snacks... maybe even a “summit beer”
Monday
Worked Monday morning from Creekside’s patio. Around lunch time drove over to Cottonwood AZ to grab an iced coffee & food from Firecreek Coffee. Wrapped up my work day at Firecreek & bought a day pass to the rec center to shower. On that comfortable twice a week shower schedule! Any more and it feels like a waste of time, and any less and I feel a tad too dirty…
After the shower I met Kayla at the Cathedral Rock trailhead, and we went off in search of the Red Rock Crossing, a pretty popular photography spot. I’m kind of not into the idea of “getting the photo” that everyone else has, but going to those popular spots & finding unique angles can be really fun. We made it about a mile before we met Martha, the mom of a super cute golden retriever named Sophie. I snapped some photos of Sophie playing in the water, and Martha lead us to her favorite spot along the creek to watch the sunset over Cathedral Rock. We chatted on the walk, her little side trail spot to the creek was awesome! I brought a few beers & an avocado + salt shaker & chips for us to snack on while I took photos & we watched the sunset.
The sunset was really pretty, & being near the running water for the first time in a week or so was really magical. Just felt good! After the sun had set we started the hike back and HAD to stop to get some astro photos… I’m using the 16-35 F/4, which isn’t really a great lens for low light (definitely not NO light), but it’s working! Got a few exposures that I was happy with & we headed back to the camp spot for the night.
Tuesday
Tuesday I spent the morning working at Creekside, and ran into someone who it turns out I have met in Moab, Bend, and now Sedona! She has a super cute white husky who I’ve asked to pet in each of those cities 😂. We chatted for a bit, and she gave me a key to the hotel she’s in so I could do some free laundry! After lunch I went to the resort & took advantage of the offer, and we talked for a bit about art & photography. Eventually we’re going to collaborate on some photography & fine art projects! Really cool. It’s always fun to see people you’ve accidentally seen in other places. Totally random & cool
After laundry I wrapped up my work day at the library. Turns out it’s an awesome place to work, incredible wifi, outlets everywhere, wifi reaches the parking lot, everything you could ask for in a work space.
Kayla & I went out on an adventurous hike to find a “secret cave.” Ben (who I met at the laundry mat & then Birthing Cave) had sent instructions for me to follow to get there. We were supposed to hike down 45 minutes, turn right at the alligator tree that is a bit past two large boulders, and then follow a side trail into a canyon and turn right into the rock formations. We made it SO CLOSE, but didn’t find the exact cave.
The secret cave is one of those “everyone has a photo of” places, from like, the exact same angle. I really just wanted to check it out, but what we found was really really cool too. The light was perfect, with these huge peach colored clouds moving over. We explored, I snapped some pics, and then we hiked back in the dark. Awesome evening.
After the hike I picked up some pizza from Whole Foods & made a fire while we hung out for a bit.
Wednesday
The weather in Sedona is turning into a bit of a mess this week, with cold & snow coming on Thursday & Friday. We decided to scoot down to Phoenix area for a few days while the weather is bad. It’s been pretty much toeing the line the last few weeks with the temperature. I’m really excited for warm weather, where it isn’t uncomfortably cold outside at night. It’s such a nice feeling to get to camp & feel like you can still hang out outside & cook. Love that.
So after work I went back to the campsite, packed up the “Campsite holder” ground tent, & headed towards phoenix! It’s about a 2 hour drive to get to town, I found a Public Land area about 30 minutes from Mesa & pulled in just as the sun was setting. The area definitely has a "some people live in their trailers here” vibe. But it’s alright if you drive a bit further down the forest road & cross a few dry creek beds. Set up camp & Kayla pulled in as it was getting really dark. We cooked some dinner (the old sweet potato, onion, carrot, spinach, cheese combo, so good…), made a fire, and enjoyed the warmer evening.
Thursday
Thursday morning I got up & started looking into coffee shops to check out in the Mesa area. Unfortunately there weren’t any that stood out to me, so I decided to bite the bullet & drive up to Scottsdale. I spent the morning working at a coffee shop called Echo Coffee, and ended up chatting with the owner for a bit about roasting & his experiences owning the shop. Really cool!
During lunch I went to Hula’s Tiki bar for some fish tacos. They were SO GOOD. After lunch I went to a place called Sip Coffee & Beer. I got a coffee & cider and wrapped up my work day. I headed towards Wilson Camera Digital Lab camera shop. I’m desperate for a pack of actual sensor cleaning wipes… the dust & dirt in the air builds up on the camera sensor SO QUICKLY with mirrorless. Unfortunately they didn’t have any, but I did pick up a capture clip to put on my backpack strap. Stoked about this! Also talked with the owner of the shop & learned A LOT about film & film cameras. I would love to pick up a film camera to play with… he recommended the K1000.
I didn’t have any real plans for the end of the day, so I looked at AllTrails to find something near camp. I chose to go to a reservoir and do a quick hike before the sun set. When I got there I ended up just kinda sitting and enjoying the view… I was later than expected & wanted to get to camp before dark.
On the way back I was flagged down by a kid on the side of the road. He and 4 of his friends had gotten their Nissan Frontier stuck in some really soft & deep sand. I pulled the Jeep around, hooked up my yank strap, and started yanking them out. They were REALLY stuck & the sand was so deep. We started doing a cycle of Yank, dig a path, yank, dig a path, etc. I also got my maxtrax off the roof & used them as 3 foot bridges to help make a little more progress per yank.
In the end, we got it out with minimal damage… everyone was so stoked, it was awesome. They had been digging & trying to get out for 5 hours before I got there… I’ve been in that situation, so it felt good to be on the helping side this time.
I went back to camp & met up with Kayla. She had gone shopping for ingredients for dinner, inspired by our cooked dinner the previous night. We made a coconut oil fried sweet potato, onion, kale, & egg scramble thing. It was seriously amazing…
Friday
I drove back to Scottsdale on Friday to finish up my work week. Echo coffee became my favorite spot, with easy parking, great wifi & power, and awesome baristas. They also donate a percentage of their sales to a few non-profits. Really awesome! I was craving a giant burger for lunch, I stopped by a place called Burger Rehab Therapy & got a taco burger… it came with normal burger stuff + nacho cheese doritos crumbled up, taco meat & salsa. SO good, also got some sweet potato tots that were totally killer.
After lunch I went back to Sip Coffee & Beer. I got a cider & wrapped up my work day there. My shower routine has become Mondays/Fridays. So, I went off in search of a shower. The rec centers were all closed by this time, but an LA fitness was open. Paid $15 to shower… a record for this trip. Pricey, but necessary.
After my shower I stopped at a grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine & ingredients for dinner, steak & pineapple tacos with avocado & caramelized onions. Got to camp and started cooking! Dinner was super tasty, I forgot how fun it is to cook at camp & enjoy a meal around a campfire.
As usual, I got back just in time to enjoy the sunset & snap a few photos of Kayla’s van & the Jeep. If we park side by side & in opposite directions, you can walk from the van to the Jeep & it feels like a mega vehicle house. Love it.
