Our favorite thing about the stay was the solitude and the peaceful river flowing adjacent to the property. Talent is a small town, and we had to drive an extra 10 minutes to get to the location. We enjoyed having dinner outside on the table overlooking the river and left our windows open at night to hear the water flowing. In the morning we did a little exploring down by the river. Our host was actually right next door in the main house but we didn’t see her until we went to thank her in the morning. I would highly recommend this stay for anyone who is spending time in southern Oregon or road tripping like we were!
This little cabin in the woods was a steal, especially considering we had no idea where we’d be staying the night between LA and Seattle at the start of our summer 2016 road trip. Our hope was to stay in as many unique yet cost effective places as possible on our way up to Canada and back down to Phoenix. So when we began to fatigue in northern Cali we went straight to AirBnB hoping to find a spot in southern Oregon (we had already booked some places through AirBnB further along on the trip). As fate would have it, this adorable little cabin was available so we booked instantly.
Our favorite thing about the stay was the solitude and the peaceful river flowing adjacent to the property. Talent is a small town, and we had to drive an extra 10 minutes to get to the location. We enjoyed having dinner outside on the table overlooking the river and left our windows open at night to hear the water flowing. In the morning we did a little exploring down by the river. Our host was actually right next door in the main house but we didn’t see her until we went to thank her in the morning. I would highly recommend this stay for anyone who is spending time in southern Oregon or road tripping like we were!
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I’m not entirely sure if Bikepacking is a real word…but anyways Nick was amped to get the mountain bike I bought him for his 30th birthday out on the trails up north. The goal was to bike from Munds Park to Sheep Springs and camp for the night. We did hit a few bumps in the road including the thunderstorm that rolled in, forcing us to take cover for an hour or so. I’ll never forget the image of a lightning strike that hit directly in the middle of the wide dirt path ahead of us…The other challenge was we hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that the elevation would be steadily gaining the entire way to Sheep Springs, and with a full pack & water it was a pretty brutal ride. After finally finding a spot to camp after the sun had set, we set up the tent, ate, and passed out.
The return trip the next day was a completely different story. After taking our sweet time in the morning relaxing, we were able to rest up for the ride back. It was mostly a decline, and this time we had clear blue skies and perfect temps so we flew back. Overall I think our first bike to camp experience was pretty cool, you can definitely travel further distances than on foot and biking is a lot of fun anyways. We will be on the look out for other great bike paths with a camping destination for sure! It’s a milestone: Nick’s 30th birthday! Where else to congregate with friends and fam than our favorite campspot on Schnebly Hill Road. You sure can’t beat great company and a walk to the Sedona lookout for sunset, followed by homemade enchiladas and berry pie from Rock springs cafe!
This was one of those impulse trips to take advantage of what seemed to be the last weekend of cool temps in the valley, making any full day hike attempts less fun going forward. Unless you’re one of those people who can get up at 4 am to hike, but we just migrate up north.… So Josh suggested a new spot on the north end of Lake Pleasant, from Table Mesa Road. In all honesty I had avoided the lakes in Phoenix until recently, after realizing that you really can avoid the loud boats and masses/party animals by exploring during the winter months. The spot we found was as secluded as they come, complete with an ideal spot to set up hammocks by the lake. Our attempt to hike up to the India Mesa ruins was made somewhat tricky when we found out there was a bald eagle nest being protected and we’d have to make a huge detour to avoid its vicinity. Even though we ran out of time to make it to the ruins, the hiking we were able to accomplish rewarded us with plenty of spring wildflowers in bloom and a great lookout point of the lovely Lake Pleasant.
I guess we took “avoid the crowds” to an extreme for our Valentine’s date when we rented kayaks and paddled to a remote cove to camp overnight. Last year while hiking Butcher Jones Trail (which winds around the Lake), we talked about returning to camp at one of the shores one day. However, the thought of kayaking was a new idea made possible thanks to Nick’s work loaning him two kayaks. Aside from how rediculous kayaking through the canyons and camping with a view of 4 peaks in the distance was, the most epic part was hopping back in our kayaks and watching the sun set over Saguaro lake. The boats had died down and we pretty much had the lake to ourselves. Up there extremely high on the favorites list!
Camping overnight in Prescott had provided us an opportunity to check out the lovely Watson Lake just outside of downtown Prescott. It was also our 6 year engagement anniversary, the perfect occasion to reflect on how things had changed for us over the years. Surprisingly, it was only a few years ago we began a new chapter in our marriage, the love of time spent exploring and appreciating this awesome and diverse earth God has blessed us with. The empty pursuit of happiness which we thought could be achieved from money, possessions, popularity, partying, etc had defined us for too many years. A new hobby had emerged that was first simply a distraction, and has since grown into a passion!
After spending the holidays in our sunny, snowless home of Phoenix, Nick and I were looking for a place to fuel our festive spirits while at the same time try our first go at winter camping. Prescott is an area very familiar to Nick. His grandparents had a cabin near Potato Patch where the family spent countless days. For this occasion however, we would be roughing it in the back country which required us to obtain some info from our friend Zack on some good camping spots. His advice had led us down the Old Senator’s Highway. While eyeballing all of our campsite options, we found ourselves at the end of a road where we heard some running water. Just below us was a half-frozen creek, where we stumbled upon some creative snowmen and plenty of photo ops. At the campsite, it was time to gear up for a truly frozen night of camping. Yes, the low was 14 degrees, but it wasn’t until the morning that I finally wimped out. (Confession: I had to sit in the car with the heat on while Nick finished up breakfast). Overall, I’m glad to say I conquered true winter camping and that Nick persuaded me to do it!
Havasupai Trail: A Leisurely 12 mile Grand Canyon hike to a Frybread stand (and that aqua waterfall)10/24/2015 Reserved back in March, it was hard to believe our October trip to Havasupai was finally here. Seven ecstatic hikers made their way to Flagstaff for dinner, staying overnight in Williams. In the morning we fueled up on McDonalds and continental breakfast, then finished the drive to the Havasupai trailhead. We strapped on our packs and were ready to head down the canyon to the 4th most pinned location on Pinterest. I have to say, in the blogs I read ahead of time, few had mentioned how beautiful the actual hike was down to the falls. I personally found it difficult to keep at a steady pace and take pictures (it was somewhat of a blessing in disguise when on the morning of day 2 my camera battery died). After FINALLY passing through the quiet village of Supai, we dragged our aching bodies to the first come-first serve campground and set up at dusk. Fortunately we had two nights reserved and had the full next day to explore the waterfalls, and I would highly recommend going this route. P.S. there was an Indian Frybread stand at the entrance of the campground… Back to the waterfalls, our group did not make it to Beaver Falls as some of us wanted to preserve our energy for the 12 mile hike out the canyon. It was decided the night before to get an early start on the hike so Nick woke us up like a caged lion at 4:30 am. What sounded horrific the night before turned out to be pretty cool, there were several other groups with their headlamps climbing past Havasu falls, followed by sunrise in Supai village. The sun was blocked by the canyon walls up until our final climb up the canyon wall which was a major kick in the butt with a pack on. A memorable trip overall with a great group of friends with a heart to explore!
Location: Supai (Grand Canyon), Arizona. Trailhead begins at Hualapai Hilltop, about a 4-5 hour drive from Phoenix Accessibility/Parking (Volkswagon Golf or Jeep Cherokee): Easily accessible by car Challenge Level (1: A female in her late 20’s in decent shape thought it was easy as pie to 5: Gonna need a forklift to help me finish this): With a pack, I would give this a 5. This is a 12 mile hike to the campground and although relatively flat after the initial descent, it is a very long hike and took us about 6 hours. Unlike most it took us less time on the way back but the climb up the canyon was pretty brutal with our pack weight. Overall Rating (1: Wouldn’t recommend 2: Bleh 3: Fun but wouldn’t do it again 4: Loved it 5: A favorite, must plan return trip immediately): 5-now that we’ve experienced the hike, there’s been talk of flying in by helicopter or renting the mules to have more time at the waterfalls :)= What better way to celebrate a fall birthday than to hike the highly visited Inner Basin Trail at Humphrey’s Peak in Flagstaff, Arizona. So highly visited during October there was a park ranger enforcing a 50 car minimum to park at the trailhead. Nevertheless, with Josh’s friends in town from Wyoming and Portland we were set on waiting it out (which only turned out to be about 30 minutes). After hiking 30 minutes or so into the trail, we hit the thicker grove of aspens with their golden yellow leaves. Compared to the first time Josh, Nick and I did this trail all the way up to Humphrey’s Peak, this felt like a walk in the park. The first part of the hike with the aspen grove is well suited for kids and dogs. If you attempt this during October it will be a great experience, just be prepared for the wait!
Some of the best camping spots in Sedona are relatively less visited, and part of me would like to keep it that way ;). On the other hand they are too ideal not to share. If you’re looking for a spot that is free, private, and has an outstanding view of Sedona just around the corner, then 4 miles in on Schnebly Hill Road is your match made in heaven. Heading west on Schnebly from the i17, camping is permitted on this road a few miles in, but due to the rough roads and “primitive camping” there are less people than you would think, especially a few miles in. Plus the further you drive, the closer you are to the Sedona lookout point which we had checked out at sunset in this post. If you visit you surely won’t be disappointed, just be sure to leave our favorite spot in it’s natural state and you will be a welcome visitor :D
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AuthorAmber Hansen |