FEATURES
Sky-High Sedona
By Rebecca Antioco
This month marks my lucky thirteenth year living in Arizona. Lucky because, during
that time, I have been able to travel, drive some nice cars and embark on some
adventures I might not have otherwise experienced. I say this not to boast of
my good fortune in landing a job that enables me to indulge my passions for driving
and travel. Rather, I’ve realized that many of my excursions have taken me outside
the borders of my adopted home state. And I felt it was high time to take a look
at some of the new and different ways to explore a familiar destination.
Such an opportunity presented itself in the form of a test-drive vehicle parked
in my driveway, complete with an itinerary that included driving to Sedona, hot-air
ballooning, wine tasting, skydiving and rock climbing.
So, armed with a burgeoning sense of adventure and a new Toyota Venza, I hit
the road for Sedona, slightly concerned that the welcome packet left for me in
the back seat also contained Dramamine and a first-aid kit.
I had been to Sedona before, for some innocuous sightseeing and a little shopping.
But I had never seen it from above or from the face of one of its signature red
rocks, and certainly never while plunging from an airplane. I had also driven
the Venza before, and was aware of its drive character and cargo capacity. For
this solo trip, I was most interested in working the navigation system and finding
a place to plug in my iPod. You’ve gotta love a car that has both an auxiliary
input and a place (within full view and arm’s reach of the driver) to hold said
iPod once it’s plugged in. Destination set and tunes rockin’, I set off ready
to tackle what lay ahead.
Day 1
The adventures began at a level that would be described in any tourist guide
as “moderate.” Except for the wake-up call. Which was downright “challenging”
at 4 a.m. After making our way to the launch site, we waited as the huge balloons
were inflated, set upright and readied for their passengers.
Each basket holds about 16 people, plus the balloon operator. Depending on the
time of year, I recommend dressing warmly. Even though it gets warmer as you
ascend (and if you’re standing in close proximity to the flame that propels the
balloon), gloves are a must.
After a graceful liftoff and witnessing the sunrise, we drifted serenely over
red-rock country, going wherever the wind currents carried us. Magnificent views
unfolded at every angle and we kept our eyes peeled for wildlife scurrying through
the brush below. Alas, a few jackrabbits were all that transpired that morning.
However, we did greet one Sedona resident out getting her morning paper, who
waved enthusiastically and shouted friendly “good mornings” in our direction.
And we agitated more than one dog, running around the backyard chasing after
what must have looked like the biggest ball they’d ever seen.
For anyone hesitant to take a balloon ride for fear that this was what the Dramamine
in my welcome kit was meant for, there is no need for concern. The flight itself
is supremely calm, drifting over and through the rocks with very little sensation
of motion. At one point in the flight, we came so close to the face of a rock,
it was almost as if we could reach out and touch it. The pilot deftly maneuvered
over its top and we began our descent into a vacant lot, where we were greeted
by the chase team and a warm van to relax in while the balloons were deflated
and packed up. A continental breakfast, complete with muffins, champagne and
orange juice, awaited us a short drive away. The balloon team recited the ballooner’s
prayer, we were handed certificates to prove our flight, and sent on our way
to the next activity.
Which happened to be wine tasting. Anticipating the following day’s activities
and beginning to doubt the wisdom of my participation in them, I was of the mind
that the wine tasting should be moved to the next day, to immediately precede
skydiving. I know, jumping out of a plane under the influence is likely a bad
idea, but I figured it may take a glass or two to work up the courage to jump.
Visiting a few vineyards, sampling some local wines, is a fine way to spend an
afternoon, regardless of the activities to follow. And having a driver is key.
Day 2
Skydiving. The event we’d all been waiting for,
more or less. Red Rock Skydiving is actually
a short drive away from Sedona in Cottonwood.
We were greeted at the turnoff by a sign that
proclaimed, “Red Rock Skydiving. What could be
better?” At that point, I could think of quite
a few things.
Truly, aside from facing the open door of the
airplane, the scariest thing about skydiving
is reading the waivers that you have to sign
before jumping. Chock full of phrases like, “any
of your surviving relatives,” “possibility of
death,” the sheer quantity of liability waivers
is enough to make you want to hightail it out
of there. But we were in a group of seven and
peer pressure often trumps fear and common sense.
Red Rock’s owner and instructor, Karl Priggee,
has logged more than 3000 jumps, including 1600
tandems, which is what we would be doing. This
inspired confidence. After about 30 minutes of
instruction, and gearing up, we were ready to
go.
This is how it transpires: Four people at a time
— two jumpers and their tandem instructors —
are loaded onto the plane. After getting up to
the appropriate altitude, the instructor straps
himself to you, the door opens, and you jump.
Simple, right?
This is how it went for me: My jump partner came
over to check my harnesses and started to loosen
some straps. “You’re loosening them? Really?”
I inquired. Not willing to take any chances,
I had been vigilantly tightening my straps
while waiting for the other jumpers to return.
He looked at me, half amused and half earnest,
and said, “You’ll be fine. Just remember, whatever
happens to you, happens to me too. And I don’t
want to die today.” Confidence restored.
After loading into the small plane, sitting on
the floor and fastening my seatbelt (which, honestly,
seemed a little futile at that point since I
would soon be, oh, jumping out of the plane),
we took off. The two instructors do an excellent
job of distracting you from working yourself
up into a good panic by helpfully pointing out
rock formations and relating interesting anecdotes
until the plane reaches the appropriate altitude.
Then, the activity begins. I got into a crawling
position on the floor of the plane, while the
instructor strapped himself to me tightly, apologizing
in advance for having to get so close. My response:
“Touch me wherever you need to, just make sure
everything is strapped where it should be.”
The door of the plane opened, and the tandem
jumpers closest to the door jumped out.
My instructor
and I crawled as one unit to the open door, he
put one foot on the small ledge outside, I followed
suit, swung my other leg around and we were out
the door, two miles above the ground, freefalling.
For about 30 seconds (one mile in distance),
the wind rushed at me so fast that I couldn’t
catch my breath. As the ground came up toward
me and the adrenaline rushed, my mind was a blank,
except for the repeating mantra, “Breathe through
your nose.”
Suddenly, the instructor deployed the parachute,
loosened some more straps, and we were drifting
calmly toward the pea-gravel landing circle.
He deftly maneuvered the parachute into turns
and curves and I had to remind myself to look
around and enjoy the view. For five minutes we
floated, chatting about what we were seeing,
him checking to see how I was holding up and
giving a few reminder landing instructions.
And before I knew it, we were back on the ground,
hitting the spot exactly and even doing a stand-up
landing (as opposed to sliding on your backside,
which is planned unless you’re coming in slowly
enough). Safe on the ground, I reassured the
next jumpers, compared experiences with the ones
before, and the instructors headed to the plane
with their next partners.
The reactions of those in our group ranged from
“That was great. I’ll never do it again,” to
“How soon can I get back up there.” I fell somewhere
in between. It was fun, but I don’t have a strong
compulsion to do it again. But, since I never
thought I’d skydive in the first place, I’ve
learned to never say never.
Day 3
Now that I’d jumped out of a plane, rock climbing
seemed tame by comparison. Of our group, the
vast majority of us had never done this either.
A short, moderately strenuous hike over a creek,
up some hills and along the cliff face took us
to our destination. Tethered and helmeted, outfitted
in ridiculously uncomfortable climbing shoes,
we hit the rock face.
Contrary to my preconceived notions, rock climbing
is less about upper body strength than lower.
It involves a lot of strategy: Finding the right
holds for your fingers and feet, plotting your
next move and the one after that en route to
the top of the rock. The instructors at Center
Focus rock climbing are true experts, guiding
your every move and providing helpful encouragement.
I conquered two “easy” climbs before a popping
sensation urged me to call it quits and enjoy
the scenery while the younger and more agile
tackled the more challenging rock face. After
a satisfying hike back and an even more satisfying
lunch, our adventure concluded for the day and
we headed back to the hotel for a well-deserved
nap.
Some of the best experiences I’ve had were those
that took me out of my comfort zone, and pushed
me to do things I never thought I would, or could.
The instructors, pilots and climbers I met on
this Sedona adventure all had one thing in common:
They wanted their customers to enjoy the chosen
activity as much as they did. They were patient,
enthusiastic and helpful, qualities that put
even the most tentative beginners at ease.
You don’t have to travel to exotic places to
have extraordinary adventures. You just have
to throw caution to the wind, seek out the unexpected
and challenge yourself to try what you never
thought you would.
Photos from top to bottom: ©istockphoto.com/italianestro; ©istockphoto.com/sputnikfx; ©istockphoto.com/gregepperson.
If you go:
Red Rock Balloon Adventures
105 Canyon Diablo Rd., Sedona
800-258-3754
redrockballoons.com
Red Rock Skydiving
1003 W. Mingus Ave., Cottonwood
928-649-8899
redrockskydiving.com
Center Focus (rock climbing)
617 Elk Ridge Dr., Camp Verde
928-301-3211
thecenterfocus.com
For complete driving impressions of the Toyota
Venza and other vehicles, visit AAA.com.
