Sedona: Day Two

Day two started beautifully. While we were definitely a bit tired since someone decided that he wanted to wake up Every. Hour. While we tried him in the front room to start, but by partway through the night, we brought him next to the bed. Guess little boy just wanted to be close to mom and dad!

That said, Ed was still excited to go out on a long solo run. 

It was a beautiful day on the trail for him, and Evan and I enjoyed a lazy morning back at home. 

We both got in a short nap, and Evan enjoyed some more floor play time. 

After he got home, we ate some leftover pizza (still fantastic) and then headed off to downtown Sedona so Ed could do some work (a professor's work is never done :) ). Evan and I got to walk the downtown and fit in a short nap at the same time. 

When work was finally done for the day, it was time for some more fun!

Now, one of the things on my Fall to do list was to see fall color. I'd even wanted to sign up for a race down south of Tucson that boasted colors, but the timing didn't work.  So, imagine my excitement when we arrived at the start of our hike and saw this. 

We had stunning views not only of the trees, but of the red rocks beyond. Best of both worlds. 

I was in Fall Color heaven.

Our first attempt at hiking the trail left us at a dead end. Luckily we were directed by some other hikers across the dry creek bed to the actual creek!

We couldn't get over the temperature - perfect for being outdoors.

Finally we reached the water - an impressive amount given the fact that we are in the desert.

After we got our fill of this beautiful area, we headed the other direction, where there was a much more established trail.

The trail edged along a solid rock wall, allowing us to soak in all that "positive energy"

The trail eventually left the wall and meandered through the the trees.

We finally reached a bit of a clearing, allowing us to take in some beautiful views.

Soon, it was time to turn around and head back.

Evan couldn't get over the views. Both of the nature and of his daddy :).

Perfect end to our afternoon.

We took a quick trip back home to get cleaned up and then hurried out to dinner. We wanted to try Elote Cafe - a super popular dinner destination. Unfortunately (or, maybe fortunately), even though we got there right when it opened, there was already an hour wait. So, we ended up at a very decent, though not fancy, mexican place up the street. It ended up being perfect for our family. Ends up, when you're going out with a little baby that's only napped 45 minutes the whole day, comfort definitely trumps fanciness.

Ed even was a good sport and let me tell them it was his birthday so that we could get this yummy dessert :). 

Evan thought the restaurant was perfect, too.