‘I am pretty fearless. You know why? Because I don’t handle fear very well; I’m not a good terrified person.’-Stevie Nicks

When I was trying to think of what I wanted to do over winter break, as I am always going somewhere lol, the initial plan was to head east to see my dad, best friends in Philadelphia, and then my brother in South Carolina. But the weather turned and lake effects made it a bit dicey for a road trip so I pivoted to head west (where my heart is anyway). The plan became to hit Sedona to my hometown of Lake Arrowhead, CA and then Joshua Tree. So I started plotting.

On the way to Sedona, I decided to stop at Petrified Forrest National Park and the best part is it is fully dog friendly! They even have a BARK ranger program. I wish I had time to fully explore but had a great time! The park is a long road with several points of interest. There are a variety of trails with different distances and skill level. Gus and I stuck to the easy ones to see as much a possible in the short time we had. I could have spent the whole day there and will be back. The landscape is really varied, from rock formations to the famed petrified wood. It also gave me a chance to use my new telephoto lens, a gift from my dad for my upcoming trips to Ecuador and Europe. Came in clutch to check out some ancient petroglyphs that I would to have been able to see without my camera (partly because I have terrible vision lol). You can also access part of the famed Route 66 including a rusted out car.

I only had a short time at Petrified Forest because I had to get to our campground in Sedona before it got dark. When I looked at the best places to stay, Dead Horse Ranch State Park kept appearing. It is about 15 minutes from the heart of Sedona and looked pretty. It was even more stunning in person! There were some ponds just up from the campground and sunset was truly something special. Gus had a blast and offered a bit of vocal protection when a man staying in the campground got a little too creepy trying to talk to me (it was fine and kept to himself after the incident but I appreciated Gus very much in the moment). On a happier note, my brother, B, was able to come for a night and we had breakfast the next morning before he headed out at the Coffee Pot (it was delicious).

There is tons of hiking in Sedona but I was only there for two nights so decided to do the famed Devil’s Bridge, a natural bridge and a moderate hike. I had read it was dog friendly and even saw photos of cute pups hanging out with their humans on it. And the 4.5 mile trail is dog friendly until you get about a quarter mile from the bridge. There is a lot of rock scrambling as you hike up in elevation. Gus did great but as we reached the final climb, I decided to turn around. While I was confident him and I would get up, I did not think we could get down. The ‘steps’ were very narrow and steep. If someone had been with me to help with Gus it would have been possible but I was alone (I mean, plenty of people on the trail but not with me nor was I willing to impose on strangers). So we did not see the bridge just the line of where to cross. Maybe one day I’ll pass through and try again but it was still a fun hike and Gus was once again a hit with his hiking pack. He also got quite red with all the Navajo sandstone but perils of a white dog.

I’m jumping ahead on the trip because on the way back from California, Gus and I went further south to check out Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson. We did the Rincon Mountain District (there is also the Tucson Mountain district and they’re about 25 minutes a part). An important thing to note…when I typed in Saguaro National Park to my Apple Maps (which I use exclusively), it did take me to the park but not the famed loop. It drops you off at a dead end road and then just an open expanse. To go to the visitor’s center, which is where the 8 mile loop drive is, you need to type in Rincon Mountain Visitor Center. Once I finally made it, I slowly drove around. There are a handful of turnouts but most don’t have a ton of parking. There is also very few spots at the Visitor’s Center itself-I did read that there would be some improvements starting soon but who knows. I was glad to have gone and Gus watched from the car window (he has a seatbelt).

Then, as I drove back to Odessa, I saw a sign for Tombstone and figured, why not!? It was only about 30 minutes off the freeway and gave Gus and I time to stretch our legs. It is dog friendly but I am unsure of which stores are, some had signs that they did not allow animals but I won’t bring Gus into somewhere unless it is stated (he does really well in stores so more related to respect and not Gus destroying the place). There’s some cool things to do, include riding a stagecoach and a recreation of the notorious shootout at the O.K. Coral, but we just walked around and headed home.

As I have said before, I really love Arizona and will find any reason to continue to check things out. It always reminds me of the road trips we took when I was growing up. I’m also glad that Gus does so well just going with the flow!