Sedona and Catsitting Tucker

At the end of 2017, we were patiently searching for that perfect snowy winter rental. During the search, we were distracted by a house/cat-sitting opportunity in Sedona, AZ. We just couldn't pass up a log cabin in Sedona with a cat and a hot tub. We didn't plan it, but while much of the nation was getting hammered with record-cold weather, we were enjoying unseasonably warm 70 degree sunshine.

Sedona is well-known for its amazing natural beauty with countless hiking and biking trails. But, there's an invisible side to Sedona. The cabin's owner clued us into much of this. The "VisitSedona" website described it like this:

"People travel from all across the globe to experience the mysterious cosmic forces that are said to emanate from the red rocks. They come in search of the vortexes.  

What is a vortex? Sedona vortexes (the proper grammatical form ‘vortices’ is rarely used) are thought to be swirling centers of energy that are conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration. These are places where the earth seems especially alive with energy. Many people feel inspired, recharged or uplifted after visiting a vortex."

The jury is still out on how Sedona affected us, if at all. I promise, we were open to anything.

Since Sedona is popular for so many reasons, our adventures were shared with hundreds of other people over the holidays. As usual, the longer and harder trails provided an escape from the crowds.

We walked to the end of the driveway and up the road 30 seconds to take this picture at sunset - such an incredible location

Biking towards the famous Cathedral Rock

The Wilson Mountain hike rewarded us with awesome views.

The creek in the backyard of Tucker's dad's house

Tucker was a sweet kitty that finally warmed up to us after a few days (our house-sit was 10 days long). After a week, Scott finally got an evening lap session. Tucker must not have been impressed, as it never happened again. He would teasingly walk across Scott's lap, but wouldn't sit down. Tucker never got up the nerve to sleep with us either, but on our last day, he gently climbed into bed for 30 minutes of morning snuggles. I'll take whatever I can get.

That's the look of a kitty who is trying to sleep but also keeping an eye on the strangers

A good view of part of the log cabin. I took this picture of Tucker above (with the Panther!) eyeing Scott below.
So much going on.

Kitty trust

While grounded in Sedona, we sold our well used mountain bikes and bought some cross country ski gear for Scott, all via Craigslist. That was an unexpected bonus to spending the holidays in Sedona. The whole experience was a worthwhile diversion.