Exploring Arizona: The real Red Rock Country

We finally experienced Sedona, and it was amazing to say the least. Surrounded by the famous red rocks, tall trees, blue skies and bustling creek waters, there was always a beautiful view to behold.

The massive volume of touristy stuff surprised me, though. Part of Sedona is devoted to high-end shops, resorts and spiritual healing centers, while the other offers an abundance of recreational opportunities whether it be hiking, swimming or camping. Quite the opposite target groups, but I guess it works for the city.

We stayed away from the commercial traps, except to dine at Oak Creek Brewing Company. And if you're looking for good eats and even better beer, OCBC has them. It was a little pricey, but totally worth it. Their Belgium Wheat beer is tasty.

Saturday was spent setting up camp, hiking to Oak Creek for a swim, playing badminton, making smores and enjoying the company of our campsite "neighbors," including one who was from Seattle, but had since moved to Surprise. He had some great stories about going to Cougar football games in the late '70s.

The reason for our visit to Red Rock Country was to check out the well-known Slide Rock State Park. The park was full by Saturday afternoon when we arrived in Sedona, so we had to wait until Sunday, but it lived up to its billing. We spent about four hours at the park, enjoying the natural water chute, ledge jumping and a secluded swimming hole up a little ways from the slide. The not-so-fun-part: Those rocks earned their slippery namesake. I brought home some painful black and blue souvenirs on my arms and legs. Despite the bruises, it's definitely a place we can take family and friends when they visit.

The plan for our return trip is to hike to Cathedral Rock and hang out at Red Rock State Park. Maybe one day we'll see all the rock formations.

I can't wait to go back and experience more of what Sedona has to offer, expensive, stuffy resorts not included.

Five for Friday ... And beyond

After some difficulty generating five things for just one weekend, I've decided to expand my Five for Friday series to include future goals, events, wants, hopes, etc. As much as living in the now is important, it's always good to want ish for down the road.

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1. Explore Arizona. Since we had to postpone our Sedona trip because of illness, it's top priority. Other places of interest include the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Fossil Creek (pictured above) in the Fossil Springs Wilderness.

Hiking among lush greenery to a natural water wonderland is right up my alley. The name stems from the high levels of calcium carbonate in the water, which causes large, fossil-like rock growth. The area was well-known for cliff jumping, but I've read they are tearing down the dam used as a launching pad per the area's designation as a Wild and Scenic River in 2009.

2. Soak up the sun. It's going to be 107 on Saturday and 106 on Sunday. Even though I'm still not feeling 100 percent, I'm tired of being cooped up in the townhouse.

3. Hang out with everyone's favorite L.A. boys. Entourage Season 6 came out Tuesday, and it hopefully will make its way into our DVD collection this weekend.

4. Decorate. The never-ending process of making the townhouse pretty continues with the hanging up of more pictures in the master bedroom, office and upstairs hallway.

5. Blog love. I'm going to work on a new header and have a variety of topics to cover for future posts. On my mind right now is the college football expansion, what I most recently added to my music library and a review of one of my most favorite Washington stores, which I had a chance to visit during a layover on the Alaska/DC trip.

What are your Five for Friday?

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Journey to the Last Frontier

This is the type of beauty I can expect to experience this weekend. We are leaving the Lower 48 for Cooper Landing, Alaska, the site of my future sister-in-law's wedding. The fiance and I arrive in Anchorage on Friday morning and drive to Cooper Landing on Friday afternoon.

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As much as I adore the outdoors, I've never had much of a desire to visit Alaska. I've always associated it with bitter cold and snow, two of my least favorite things. I've been keeping an eye on the weather, and needless to say, the forecast calls for showers and temps in the mid- to upper-50s. Pretty much the opposite of Phoenix.

But the opportunity to take in such picturesque surroundings in person is once-in-a-lifetime. And we'll get to celebrate with friends and family, some who we haven't seen in a while. I'll just have to get my jacket, sweatshirts and leggings out of storage.

We plan to raft the Kenai River, which I'm so stoked for, after the festivities conclude Sunday. Not wanting to waste our Alaska Airlines companion ticket, which expires in July, we decided to extend our vacation [stick it to the airlines] and travel to Washington DC. I love history and what better place to learn of the past than our nation's capitol? On the agenda: the Holocaust Museum, the International Spy Museum, the monuments and, of course, the Washington Design Center.

Sadly, I will miss out on patronizing the Flea Market At Eastern Market.

I'll try to keep the blog updated as best I can. But I think you can forgive me after seeing the type of amazing nature I'll be distracted by. Not to mention the company of some of the best people I know and the sights and sounds of places I've only read about it books.

Then there's the sheer exhaustion that comes from 10,000 miles of air travel in a week.