April 03, 2017

On the Road Again...


 By Crabby McSlacker

Are you ready for a blog post chock full of healthy travel tips, amusing anecdotes, surprising discoveries, inspiring advice, and breathtaking photos of scenery and wildlife?

Oops, sorry! You probably want to type a different URL up there in your search bar. Did you not realize this was Cranky Fitness?

As it happens, I've done some decent "on the road" posts before, both of the "holy crap look how pretty this is" variety, as well as the "here's how to exercise at gas stations even if people think you're a psycho" kind. But we've only got a brief layover on this, our eleven thousandth cross-country schlep, and there's laundry to do and email to catch up on and other miscellaneous shit to take care of while we're not rolling down the road at 75 miles an hour.

But for today, I do have at least a few hiking pictures and one Important Cross Country Road Trip Lesson Learned.



The Lesson Learned? Take at Least One Day to Do Something Awesome.

For us, that was a totally gratuitous stop in Sedona, Arizona for a day of hiking.




It wasn't too far a detour, though it wasn't by any means "on the way." We'd been before, we could have easily skipped it and been more practical.

But fuck that. We wanted something to make the thousands and thousands of miles feel more like an adventure and less like a long-haul truckers' day job.

The hike we ended up on wasn't our first choice. We underestimated how popular the trails (and thus the parking lots) might be, and didn't get out early enough.


But we could not have been happier with our hike, and the further we went, the fewer other people there were until we were all by ourselves, just us and the rocks!

 


The trails were extremely well-marked.

High on the Hog? Our Kinda Trail!
Well, mostly...

One missing sign sent us scurrying up a dry creekbed instead of a the real trail. (Detour not pictured, alas). Having been warned we were in an "extremely difficult" section of trail, we persevered way too long up steep slippery slopes until our natural tendency to say "fuck it" finally kicked in and we headed back down to the much more reasonable path we were supposed to be on. (We later figured out that the difficulty level was probably aimed at the mountain bikes, ridden by far more fearless types that we will ever be. Because the real trail wasn't bad at all for hikers).

But thank goodness for cowardice and capitulation, right? Otherwise we'd still probably by stuck on some narrow ledge miles in the sky, fighting over the last of the turkey jerky, awaiting helicopter rescue.

However, that momentary miscalculation didn't even begin to dampen the incredible day.  We loved every second of it and only wished we could stay longer. Sedona is always going to be one of those "must come back to" destinations.








Note: I still won't rule out a future "healthy travel tips" update though, since I've got a bunch of boring just-in-case pictures of hotel pools and fitness rooms, plates of fast food adulterated with bizarre and theoretically healthy ingredients we take with us, some rest-stop action shots, etc. (And of course a bunch of pics of the Lobster and I posing in restaurants with various alcoholic beverages, because, well... um... I'll get back to you on that).


(I have no idea what New Age Forehead Poking Ritual is going on back there.)

Anyone got any Road Trip Tales or Tips? Anywhere you'd like to head off to?

19 comments:

  1. Just you and the rocks. Sounds like a perfect hike to me.

    And the Forehead Poking? Could be a new meditation technique!

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  2. 1. Sedona is really beautiful - totally worth the detour!
    2. Love that the Lobster is wearing a lobster shirt.
    3. Forehead poking made me guffaw.

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    1. 2....how did I miss that? (I was focusing on her beautiful face, that's it!)

      Mary Anne in Kentucky

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    2. Once I saw it, I had to check to see if Crabby was wearing a crab shirt, LOL.

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  3. I was hoping you could explain the forehead poking ritual :(

    Sedona looks absolutely beautiful and you two both look very relaxed and happy. Thank you for letting me take a virtual vacation!

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  4. A road trip sounds fun about now, work is tedious. Sedona will now be on my list!

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  5. The pictures look amazing! I quite like a hotel pool pic too though, haha. Glad you had a good time!

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  6. Sorry to just pop in so briefly, we're getting back in the car soon. But I love that you guys noticed the lobster t-shirt! My poor wife is a good sport and even has a pair of lobster pajama bottoms.

    But I don't actually own a crab shirt! ... Yet.

    Thanks all for stopping by, I really appreciate it. And I'll be better about replying and visiting other blogs when we get to Provincetown. You guys rock!

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  7. Beautiful photos! I agree, on a trip like that you need to make time for some fun, especially when there is such beautiful scenery available.

    Your hiking trail story reminded me of the time my sister and I went for a walk in a nearby park. We started out on a well marked trail, and we're wandering along, talking away, and suddenly we realize the trail seems to have disappeared and we are climbing over rocks and tree trunks....So maybe not such a well marked trail after all.

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  8. You know what? To this cranky Canadian, that all just looks hot! Too hot! We have 1/3rd of the world's fresh water up here. On my hikes I like for the moist earth to be springy under my steps and expect to see some sort of accumulated water with no flash flood warning signs.

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  9. Thank you, Crabby, for the preview pictures for my 60th birthday coming up in a few years. DH badly dropped the ball on my 50th, which passed with nary a horn tooted nor candle lit, so I have decided to take matters into my own hands for the next big one. I had opportunity to drive through Sedona 30 years ago and swore to myself I would come back to spend some quality time, so that is my destination birthday spot. You and the Lobster make it look all the more inviting. Safe travels to the other side!

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  10. I love Sedona. I was there but once in about 1993 and always wanted to go back. Went there for the new age, stayed for the hiking.

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  12. I love Sedona. I have loved her like a mistress, then my love changed and became a serious deep love. And i don t know for the future but i dare say it won't changed since it will never grow old.
    http://www.vivaguides.com/single-post/TRAVEL-BOOKS

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  13. What wonderful pictures! If we ever head back west, I hope we do not skip the Grand Canyon like we did nine years ago when we headed east. (there is a slight chance we could end up in the San Diego area)
    Now I will have to keep an eye out for the perfect crab teeshirt. lol

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  14. Lots of crab t-shirts on ebay, this one is non-commercial:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Weird-Funny-Crab-T-shirt-/220821290949?var=&hash=item3369f97fc5:m:mWq06L6hOTVYhNXOcRF9aGQ

    I missed out on Sedona years ago, it is prominent on my bucket list. I wonder how my life would have been different if I had encountered one of those energy vortexes!

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  15. I am just stumbling across your site for the fist time, and I am so smitten. Your candor is right up my ally! The hike looks amazing, I've been dying to get back to the Painted Desert ever since my first visit, thank you for the pictures, my wanderlust is sparked! I can't wait to explore the rest of your site :-)

    -Maxime Kumler
    www.sisterpacifica.com

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  16. Stunning photography! We've just returned from a mini road trip in the Lake District. It was wonderful and the kids loved it.

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