Vegan MoFo Day 4: Awesome Arizona, Part 2

After sleeping off my Rawsome Raw Platter, I was rarin' to go the next morning. My hubby and I both love running in new places, so we got up at dawn and ran up into the hills behind the Inn. We were hoping to catch the sunrise, because we heard the red rocks absolutely glowed at both dawn and dusk. It's true...they do!

After our run, we tucked into a huge breakfast - oatmeal and fruit for me, and a stack of pumpkin pancakes and an omelette for my hubby (he's vegetarian). Mostly, we just enjoyed the crisp mountain air and the gorgeous view from the Inn's patio.

After getting fueled up and showered, we were ready to start exploring Sedona. We headed out for a morning hike on the West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon.

We hiked for just over 3 hours and saw some incredible red rock cliffs and gorgeous fall foliage. It was October 30, but the foliage was at its peak in Arizona!

After a quick lunch at Subway (we tried to eat cheap lunches, so we ate there almost every day!), we drove to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This beautiful church is built right into the red rocks!

I can't imagine how awesome it must be to worship in a place like this!

This is the view from the church's parking lot...

Unbelievable, right?!?!

I tell you, there was something about that warm sunshine and dry mountain air that just energized us. Even though we'd already run before breakfast and hiked all morning, we weren't ready to quit just yet! We wanted to hike some more, so we drove to the Cathedral Rock trailhead. Cathedral Rock is sort of the quintessential symbol of Sedona, with its beautiful rock spires and deep amber hue. This was an incredibly challenging hike - it's 1.5 miles up and back, with a steep 600-foot elevation change. There were many times when I thought, I can't do it, I can't do it, it's too hard, I have to stop....but something compelled me to keep going. Let me just tell you - reaching the top of that trailhead is one of the defining moments of my life. The overwhelming rush of emotions I felt was like nothing I'd ever felt before in my life!

 Here are some views from the top...

We couldn't stop grinning on the way down. We were both so excited about this hike!

After a day full of running and hiking, we had worked up huge appetites. And I had an appetite for one thing, and one thing only... 

Yup, another Rawsome Raw Platter. Back to D'Lish! My hubby ate a ginormous burrito and had a cookie for dessert. That's how we roll...play hard, eat hard!!

Tomorrow: Part 3, the Awesome Arizona wrap-up