Home » Home & Style » Living Simply » Sedona Getaway

Sedona Getaway

© Mari Brodersen

Last month, my mother and I decided to make a quick getaway to Sedona, which is about a 2-hour drive from where I live.

Sedona - isn't it expensive? It definitely can be! But I went online and checked out rates at various Sedona resorts and hotels. Since we were going to be there midweek and since it's the off-season, we were able to get a great rate - which included breakfast - at The Orchards Inn of Sedona. I think that another reason the rate was low, was that it was the week before the Memorial Day Weekend.

On the way to Sedona, near Cordes Junction, there's an interesting place called Arcosanti. The founder, an architect by the name of Paolo Soleri, began building Arcosanti - an alternative to urban sprawl - in 1970. A visionary idea, but with serious cash flow problems, it has grown very slowly.

Before he became a famous architect, Soleri made wind bells out of native materials. He still designs them, and they help defray some of Arcosanti's expenses. But Soleri is about vision, not profit, and he also creates bells to help raise money for certain causes. Since my birthday was right around the corner, Mom bought a Soleri bell for me. What a wonderful gift!

After we left Arcosanti, the drive seemed rather long. But once we got to the Sedona turn-off, the landscape began to change. The earth became dark red, and the pinyon-juniper forest provided a dark green contrast. The road goes up in elevation a little and, by the time we reached Sedona, we were at a high enough elevation for the beautiful Arizona sycamores which grow alongside high desert water courses.

We did splurge on dinner that evening. we dined at Terrace on the Creek, a restaurant at the beautiful resort L'Auberge de Sedona, which is right down a sheer hillside from The Orchards Inn. We sat creekside, under the sycamores which we both love.

The next morning, after we finished our plentiful complementary breakfast, we decided to visit Tlaqupaque, Sedona's very upscale, beautiful, and unique shopping area. It's almost impossible to afford anything in the shops, but looking is free - and we looked for hours! Mom and I are both rather creative, and the window shopping fueled our creative ideas.

Two of the restaurants at Tlaquepaque are affordable, and we had a nice lunch before heading back home.

The copyright of the article Sedona Getaway in Living Simply is owned by Mari Brodersen. Permission to republish Sedona Getaway in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.