Oh, the joys of riding in a convertible! A Sedona Jeep tour fills the bill.
Guide Ron by his Jeep
It brings back feelings of being a kid again, living footloose and carefree. Riding with the top down . . . gentle breezes through your hair . . . sunshine on your face. . . nothing but blue sky overhead.
It makes you want to close your eyes, reach your arms in the air, and enjoy every fleeting minute!
And that’s pretty much what we felt like – kids – giggling as we bumped along, listening to our expert driver, Ron, tell us stories – (Although, some of them are true!) — about everything imaginable about Arizona.
I say Ron is an expert driver because there’s no honkin’ way I could have driven on the “road” we were on!
Looking on as another Jeep coming down a better section of the road with the Snake Head in the background
Depending on the boulders, tree stumps, and the lay of the land, Ron drove us over landscapes with barely so much as a sketch of a trail. He’d speed up, then slow way down, then switch gears, all the time transporting our group deeper into the wilderness area. We ladies joked about how nothing seemed to faze our driver. Here we were, hanging on and watching for the next bump. But Ron just kept right on with his excellent narration and never seemed to skip a beat!
Yup, riding in the open Jeep, Ron told us some pretty cool yarns about why women love mistletoe – and men don’t. He pointed out cool rock formations with personality. One of them looks like a towering giant boa about to strike. Then, right down the road is a formation of, to all of our surprises, Marge and Homer Simpson.
Is it a Boa Constrictor,a Sphinx or a Camel?
Ron didn’t just keep his narration interesting by rattling off trivia. He was a walking encyclopedia with a most fascinating way of presenting the information. He’s lived in the Sedona area some 30+ years so can answer about any question concerning this area’s geology, wildlife, indigenous Native American populations, plants, and living off the land.
He also knows about the finer things, too, like, how to prepare prickly pear cacti to make that gorgeous pink jelly!
Yes, Ron is a true Arizonan with character. Or should I say, Ron is a true Arizona character.
Our guide Ron and Shelli on our Jeep tour
If you visit Sedona, Jeep tours are a popular must-do! There are lots of choices to go with, but if you want to take it with Ron, you’ll need to go with A Day in the West Sedona Jeep tour Company. It’s the oldest jeep tour company in the area, and they offer a variety of types of rides and destinations. Ours was a two-and-a-half hour excursion.
By the way, don’t let me mislead you. The tour we took is not a scary ride, but it is a bumpy one. You might find yourself checking your seatbelt, as I did, several times before the tour’s over.
But the scenery in the back country is spectacular! Except for a few tough hikers and a few other Jeep tours, you’ll feel like you’re miles from civilization. After about 1.5 hrs into the ride, we climbed a steep rocky pathway to a large flat rock where Ron parked the Jeep. Time to stretch our legs and he had an old cabin he wanted us to see.
Van Deren Cabin located outside of Sedona
After viewing the remnants of the Van Deren Cabin we walked another 100 feet to the edge of a meadow. Imagine our surprise when that meadow turned into a gorgeous private golf course!
Private golf course at the end of the trail.
Yes, our destination was actually about seven miles from the center of town, but we all agreed riding with Ron, our expert driver, was a lot more fun than any other mode of transportation.
Offices of A Day in The West Jeep tours
If you go:
Be sure to take comfortable shoes, sunscreen, padded pants and a hat.
There are many Jeep tour companies to choose from in the Sedona area. However, I recommend the oldest in the area, A Day in the West Jeep Tours.
Sites to visit:
Visit Sedona
Sedona Chamber
I would live that. The road below the boa’s head looks more like a dried up creek bed. lol