Three days in Sedona: Big hikes, bigger views. Good steaks, better drinks.
Four men took their talents to an Arizona desert town surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and pine forests. Then cocktails, NBA All-Star weekend and "Barbara" happened.
I’ve gone to Las Vegas more times than I can count.
Don’t get me wrong; I love Sin City, and I may or may not have status at MGM Resorts while in Vegas. It’s a great place with amazing things to experience on a given day or night.
But when it comes to linking up with the homies for a weekend getaway, there’s got to be more than just Vegas as an option…right?
What I was looking for in organizing a trip was simple but complex in how it might be received. My requirements were:
Travel somewhere I’ve never been to before.
Travel somewhere with exceptional food offerings.
Travel somewhere that would provide a good hiking experience
Travel during the time of NBA All-Star Weekend
We settled on three possible locations: Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs and Sedona.
The first two locations are places a few of the crew and I had visited before. Sedona was the only “new” option, so I pressed for it. Others agreed, and we made plans for the trip. As far as the timing of the trip — well, it was essential to watch the Slam Dunk and Three-Point contests, plus the All-Star Game (which was being held in Salt Lake City, Utah), in peace, with no distractions. If you have a partner and/or kids, you understand where I’m coming from.
What follows was 72+ hours of shenanigans, tomfoolery and hijinks. Let’s get into it.
Friday: Phoenix to Sedona, Cowboy Club and grocery shopping
Our group of four stopped to grab lunch at Doughball and Insomnia Cookies in Phoenix before we got in the rental car to make the two-hour trek to Sedona.
One of the main reasons to go to Sedona is the views, as the drive up I-17 due north went from a sprawling (sub)urban landscape to a vast range of mountains and red rocks across the skyline. It’s gorgeous AF.
After settling into our residence for the weekend, we hit the streets and headed to The Cowboy Club. The Cowboy Club opened in 1946 as a saloon and pool hall that hosted the likes of John Wayne and Joan Crawford back in the day. We feasted on ribeyes, elk chops, cactus fries and rattlesnake sausage while sipping Oaxacan Old Fashioneds and Prickly Pear Margaritas. We were stuffed like ticks.
Good choices were made. Hopefully, better ones would be made on Saturday.
Saturday: Brunch, unique ingredient cocktails and Mac McClung
So here’s the thing about traveling to Sedona — you can’t fly directly there. Most folks (like us) fly into Phoenix, then make the two-hour drive to the Red Rocks. Or, you can try to find a flight to Flagstaff but risk exorbitant prices. Add to the fact that the four of us flew in from Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Roanoke (I used to dribble down in VA) … well, we needed some rest.
That meant our morning hike was scrapped for an early afternoon lunch at Saltrock Southwest Kitchen in Uptown Sedona. There, we scarfed on Pork Belly Tostadas, Chile Limon Fries and Tiger Shrimp Tamal while sipping Oaxacan Negronis. Truthfully, the best part of the sit-down wasn’t the food. It was the views…again.
Behind the restaurant was a walkable creek with more great views. There, we did something few are afforded the opportunity to do — we just sat there quietly, with our thoughts, soaking in the environment.
After thuggin’ it out by the creek, we walked around Uptown Sedona. While most shops passive-aggressively try to sell you crystals, rocks and other things that bring you closer to “vortex energy” in the region, I stumbled into a honey shop called Savannah Bee Co. that had more than I bargained for.
They had free honey samples inside the shop, and I asked the worker what her favorite was.
“Sourwood,” Rosie said without hesitation. “It’s easily my favorite.”
Well damn. I guess I need to try some, right?
Tasting it yielded an earthy maple and spice flavor that was divine. While Rosie recommended using it on pancakes and muffins, I had other ideas.
I was going to make a cocktail with this damn honey.
From there, we went to the grocery store, acquired the necessary goods and prepared to do what we could not do in peace at our respective residences — watch NBA All-Star Saturday night. But I needed to round out my cocktail first.
After staring at various bourbons and whiskeys for about 10 minutes, my mind started drifting on my wager that Buddy Hield would once again win the three-point shootout. My boy Richard had wagered on Damian Lillard, and I immediately regretted my choice. Why? Because Lillard went to school 30 minutes away from SLC at Weber State, I just knew he would light everything on fire.
(Narrator’s voice: Damian Lillard would indeed light everything on fire in the three-point shootout.)
Those drifting thoughts about Utah helped center my choice of bourbon for the evening: High West Bourbon, distilled out of Park City, Utah. I grabbed a fresh batch of lemons and my cocktail choice was complete. I was leaning on an old faithful: The Gold Rush.
When we returned to our rental home, we completed our menu for the evening:
Baby Back Ribs
Roasted Potatoes
Asparagus
Strawberry Salad
Dame’s Sourwood Gold Rush (full cocktail recipe here)
The four of us feasted and sipped to our hearts’ delight as we watched a horrendous Skills Competition. (Sidenote: I really don’t want to see the Antetokounmpos do anything unless Giannis is present — I’m sorry, Thanasis and Alex) I lost $20 to Richard as Hield came in second place to Lillard in the three-point shootout. And then the Slam Dunk contest happened…
I needed another drink after that performance. Good grief.
After a night of smoked meat, cocktails and epic dunk performances, we had some version of the itis. That trip to the casino wasn’t happening on Saturday night.
Better choices were made. Hopefully, the best ones would be made on Sunday.
Sunday: Views. Palomas. Tatum’s Double-Nickel.
Let’s have one more conversation about Sedona.
I’ve come to realize that women have been holding out on his majestic desert town from the men for a long time. While there, we saw multiple gaggles of ladies celebrating bachelorette parties and whatnot. My wife has been to Sedona numerous times, just for a “girls trip.” It’s not to say the fellas weren’t there in the Red Rocks, but most were in tow with their partner and/or the kids.
Fellas. Take your talents to Sedona.
The beauty of Sedona is the ability to give your mind and body a chance to recharge, reflect and refresh. As men, we don’t allow ourselves to do this enough. Hell, many of us don’t even know how to. I’m still learning how to do it, honestly.
My boy Justin, who also recently became a father last year, stared off in the distance during a break on our Sunday hike and softly uttered three priceless words that represented the good of this trip.
“I needed this.”
So yeah, four black men got in a Pink Jeep with a tour guide and a septuagenarian named Barbara and took our talents up Doe Mountain and had the time of our life.
About Barbara.
I don’t know how she got assigned to our tour, but there she was, rolling with the gang. Barbara was ready for this hike our guide said was a 6/10 difficulty, or “intermediate.” All I know is that I struggled at points of the hike and was glad our guide was talkative as hell, allowing the crew to gather ourselves as we pressed forward.
And yet, Barbara was unphased.
We offered our help, but she politely declined in a stern way that only someone’s grandma could. She traversed slick rocks, shimmied through narrow pathways and attacked the incline without hesitation. When we found out she accidentally got stuck by a cactus, she assured us she’ll be fine and that it’d take more than a “dusty cactus” to take her out.
She was our hero.
So when we hit the summit, we had to include her in our photos.
After soaking in the glorious views atop the apex of Doe Mountain, we began to descend and immediately thought about our parched thirsts and unsatiated appetites. On our return to Uptown Sedona, we stopped by a local cantina and grabbed beef birria quesatacos and Palomas. Refreshment complete.
Finally, after the crew showered and napped back at the crib, we turned on the NBA All-Star game. Frankly, it was a bit of a disappointment, but the joy for me was watching Jayson Tatum and a masked Jaylen Brown duel like Dion Waters and Tim Hardaway Jr. did at the Rookie-Sophomore game nearly a decade prior in 2014. Tatum ended up with 55 points and the MVP, but I think Brown won the war on Sunday night.
Of note, if you believe in these types of things, here’s an idea of who will win the 2023 NBA Finals and Finals MVP:
Not wanting the night to end, three of us drove up the road to a casino about 25 minutes away and proceeded to drink shoddy drinks and lose our money on poorly run card games. I’m not including the name of the place because you deserve better. Plus I lost $100 there, smh.
Richard is truly one of my best friends. He’s always down for a good time and I’ve known him to be genuine. He can take a joke and occasionally wants to fight me. My kind of guy.
The text he sent me post-trip was a reminder that self-care is vital, and that being intentional in hanging out with your people can do wonders for your personal energy.
“That trip was refreshing AF. I’ve been at work feeling refreshed and smiling lol. Thank you for planning and forcing the issue. I’m there on the next one.”
The planning for the next trip is already in progress.
Amazing! I’m SO glad you gentlemen prioritized this self-care time. So proud, my friend!
Also - Mac did indeed save the dunk contest. OMGAWD!
Phenomal recap.