The birthday girls – Gini (my cousin) and yours truly – met up with our not-that-much-younger sisters (Janice and Karen) for a fun-filled visit to Sedona, an area famous its stunning natural beauty, outdoor adventures, and high end resorts.

Also famous for the four Sedona vortexes – places with a high level of spiritual energy that helps people connect with the metaphysical world. That wasn’t on our radar screen, however.

With approximately 3 million tourists annually, Sedona is also known for its world class traffic congestion, which thankfully we didn’t experience. I guess it was a bit off-season, plus we didn’t spend much time in the actual town of Sedona.

Let’s get straight to the birthday festivities! The younger sisters generously gifted their elders a mighty fine dinner at 89 Agave Cantina, the “Happy Birthday” song served with ice cream and a decadent cake, and custom “vintage” wine glasses.

But wait – what’s with the giant cicadas???

It’s a long and sordid tale that dates back to our pre-teen years, when Gini and I were loving caretakers for a living cicada named Four Leaf Clover. Unfortunately, he expired under suspicious circumstances after being kidnapped by the little sisters. Gini and I honored his memory by carefully placing the remains in a cushioned Sucrets box, which we passed between us for years (a traveling trophy, of sorts) until he decomposed and just disappeared.

But the Four Leaf Clover story didn’t end – he’s been reincarnated multiple times since his actual demise. I wonder if the latest version is somehow linked to those mysterious energy fields in Sedona? 🤔

More Highlights

The 2024 Cousins Road Trip officially began and ended in Las Vegas, where Janice and I retrieved Karen from the airport and safely returned her to the very same place a week later. Here’s a map of our travels:

Note: Credit and a big thanks to my travel partners who generously donated photos for this article.

Chloride – “Quiet & Quirky”

Our first stop was in the town of Chloride, where we met Gini for a delightful lunch at Yesterday’s Restaurant.

Once a booming silver mining town, Chloride promotes itself as quiet and quirky, but in fact there’s a lot going on for both locals and visitors in this small community of 229 residents.

Cyanide Springs, an Old West prototype town located across the street from Yesterday’s, was created to showcase the town’s roots and house the Chloride Historical Society museum.

Being the only visitors at the time, we enjoyed having Merle as our personal tour guide as we wandered around and found a few photo ops.

Wined & Dined in Golden Valley

Let’s be honest – Golden Valley doesn’t scream TOURIST DESTINATION and won’t be found on most travel bucket lists, but we were there as invited guests of Gini and her husband. And they treated us like royalty, with comfy accommodations, mouth-watering meals, lively conversations and first class hospitality. The gorgeous sunsets were a bonus.

We also contributed to the local economy with jewelry purchases from Kingman Turquoise. It’s an amazing shop situated just a few minutes from Gini’s house and, if you like natural stone jewelry, a good reason to add Golden Valley to your travel itinerary.

Tourists and Wild Burros on the Mother Road in Oatman

Oatman, an iconic stop on historic Old U.S. Route 66, was an easy day trip and beautiful drive from Golden Valley through the Black Mountains. We stopped for photos along the way, including this random piece of roadside art.

Sitgreaves Pass offered stunning desert vistas and a unique memorial garden/cemetery with dozens of personalized markers. According to people in the know, the site contains cremains as well.

The Old West town of Oatman has more wild burros than people (population 94), and you can’t possibly miss them when you visit.

The burros are direct descendants of those used by local gold miners in the early 1900s – free-roaming (and reproducing) since the mines closed in 1924. Current estimates put the number at 1,000+ animals – about twice as many as optimal, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Nonetheless, the burros were a highlight, and as you can see, they aren’t all that wild, although some were a little feisty.

Lined with shops and a few eateries, Oatman’s main drag (a/k/a Old Route 66), was abuzz with tourists and Wild West gunfights. Plus the burros, of course. We had lunch and perused the gift shops before heading back to Golden Valley.

Tourist trap? Definitely. Worth a visit? Ditto.

Jerome – Historic Copper Mining Town

Next up was a quick visit to the historic copper mining town of Jerome on our drive to Sedona from Golden Valley. Once again, gorgeous scenery as we traversed the Black Mountains.

Jerome (population 460) is known for its vibrant art scene. We had three objectives: 1) secure a parking spot (easier said than done), 2) eat lunch, and 3) find a specific artisan shop so Janice could purchase a mate for a hand-blown wine glass she acquired a couple of years ago.

After accomplishing the first two items (delicious lunch at The Clinkscale), it was a short walk to La Victoria Studio, where we met Tracy Weisel, artist and owner. Too hot, unfortunately, for glass-blowing during the summer, so he makes pottery. We had a delightful visit with him.

The Main Event: Four Days in Sedona . . .

. . . but really only 2-1/2 due to day trips elsewhere (specifics below). Our rental house (technically in West Sedona) was perfect, with pretty views in a cool residential neighborhood and close to several hiking trails.

We hiked the Sugarloaf Loop, but somehow (distracted?) we wandered off the trail and ended up in a different neighborhood, so we had to backtrack.

A couple of fun surprises in our neighborhood, including wildlife:

And the Northern Lights! As seen from our driveway, using the magic of phone cameras.

Here are a few photos from the immediate Sedona area.

Verde Canyon Railway

On a scale of 1-10, this train excursion with Verde Canyon Railroad was a unanimous 10. Here’s a map and highlights of the three hour, 40 mile out-and-back route that runs alongside the Verde River:

The vistas were gorgeous.

And surprise! Lots of red rocks.

Aiden, our tour guide and narrator, did a great job sharing interesting anecdotes and pointing out the sights, including a few notables.

We were unaware that our route would take us past the North Pole!

A lovely trip – highly recommended!

Blazin’ M Ranch

I’ve turned into my parents. Blazin’ M, “Western Frontier Town, Dinner and Show,” is exactly the type of entertainment they would have loved. A bit corny and contrived, but a whole lotta fun.

Before dinner, guests could engage in an array of activities, including mechanical bull riding, axe-throwing, a shooting gallery, old time photos, and, of course, shopping.

After the chuckwagon dinner, served on tin plates, it was time for the show. There was the obligatory “Happy Birthday” serenade, (check out our ridiculous hats) followed by a high-energy program of celebrity impersonators: Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Nancy Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and more. The singers were good, and the band was terrific.

The program ended with a cast rendition of “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” with a mysterious luminescent masked figure streaking around the perimeter of the venue on horseback. Totally the best part of the show.

A flashy and fitting end to our final day in Sedona.

On our return trip to Vegas via Golden Valley, we made a quick stop in Seligman on Historic Route 66.

Quirky Vehicles and Busloads of Tourists

Apparently, all tour buses are required to stop in Seligman, because the town was full of people with camera phones (including us). It was a chance to stretch our legs and snap a few pics.

And that, my friends, concludes the Cousins 2024 Road Trip blog post. I’m glad you followed along, and stay tuned for an upcoming article on Carol and Janice’s Pre- and Post-Sedona Road Trip between Colorado and Vegas.

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