Barely two weeks after our monumental Grand Canyon rafting trip on the Colorado River, we were itching to get out somewhere off the beaten path. So, last night, we drove up as someone we know owns a motel up here and offered us a deal that was not to be missed.

One might not think that Sedona would come to mind for such an adventure, but we knew that the trail we were taking today was not a popular one as it doesn’t pass the iconic spots everyone who visits this corner of Arizona is looking for.

And so we had the morning and early afternoon out here to ourselves to connect with nature on the Jacks Canyon Trail. It starts out right next to a housing subdivision and is poorly marked, so for a while, we were not sure if we were heading in the right direction.

This is Jacks Canyon Tank, which confirmed that we were still on the trail.

While the trail, in general, didn’t “look like Sedona” and didn’t go past the famous red rock formations, this red sandstone really is a big clue about our location. Those other trails might have been busier, but we had our corner of the world here just to ourselves.

And for our first of three days out, this was perfect for minds that were looking for quiet.