Jung Family Vacation in Arizona, Day 4: Exploring Stops Along 89A

November 25, 2014

We got a late start on Tuesday, and while Stacey and the gang went off to explore Sedona… Liz and I, along with my parents, decided to explore a few stops along 89A.

I spotted Griffith Spring Trail, a small 1 mile loop a short distance from where we were staying. In fact, one of the streets in our neighborhood was also named Griffith Spring.

The walk was fairly float for the first half, but ended up round near a very large ravine.

Dad, looking out over the edge.

Liz, looking across the valley.

At various stages.

Liz, zooming in on a plant.

Our next stop was a vista viewpoint, just at the start of where 89A starts to go down a crazy, winding path.

I was slightly better here, but the massive drop also triggered my fear of heights a bit.

Liz, taking a photo near the edge. Hands are getting sweaty just looking at this.

One of the many markers Liz happened to spot, at various locations. Looks like some kind of longitude/latitude marker from the Dept. of Agriculture.

I am keeping the hell away from here.

A peek at the winding 89A, that connects Flagstaff to Sedona. The first time we took this path, we were all caught a bit by surprise as it really winds from high up, all the way down. And if you peek over the guard rail, it’s a pretty massive drop straight down.

Near the bottom, we stopped at West Fork Oak Creek and explored a little.

We found our way down to the water, which was quite nice.

We also spotted the start of the West Fork trail, which I had heard good things about.

Near the trailhead, we spotted a few warning signs that we were entering “Bear Country.” My parents were a little spooked by this, and headed back to wait by the car. But Liz and I pressed on for a bit.

Cool bridge that leads from the main parking area to the trail.

Liz, exploring a very large basin (looked like a deep but short swimming pool).

An empty building, which was a little spooky to encounter. We later learned this was an old chicken coop.

A small cave that we were hesitant to approach. Inside, it was just a large, single room. We later learned this was a spot where people once may have stored food items.

The trail, winding around.

The remains of a building.

Lonely fireplace. Turns out, this was all part of Mayhew’s Lodge

By this time, the sun was getting low – and we had to turn back. But Liz and I were really intrigued by the path, and made plans to come back tomorrow to push further.