welikecamping2
Well-known member
The Sedona area holds spiritual connections for me. My brother lived in the wild outside of Sedona for years until he met a Belgian woman who demanded a roof, then kids. I spent many an adventure with him back in the seventies when Sedona was just a wye where two highways meet, not even up to a stoplight yet. He had this old VW beetle that could go anywhere, and we definitely tried. In the eighties, it was climbing at the overlook, hiking the canyons then camping in the forest nearby. There was a place, maybe not special to most, but one that we gravitated to for our camping while climbing. Skip ahead another 25 years or so and within six months, my father and my brother passed. My father requested to have his ashes spread near this spot. We also spread the ashes of his favorite dog. A few months later, my brother and two of the family labradors joined them. Another couple of years and my mother's ashes joined them. This spot has become the family burial grounds.
A few years ago, the best dog ever, passed suddenly. This dog loved the outdoors and we were lucky to spend six years with him. To honor his memory and his love of the outdoors, I've spread his ashes at sites throughout the southwest he especially loved. It was time for him to join the rest of the family. This was also an opportunity to see how well my new-to-me truck would perform in the dirt.
I decided to drive up, spread some ashes, and then go on an adventure. Despite all the time I've spent in this area, I've never actually been to the East Pocket. This is more or less the western edge of the mogollon rim and if you can listen to the instagrammers taking pics of yoga poses on rocks with the dramatic views to the south, this is a world-class destination. To me, it's just another spot in the forest, with a long drive to get to it. I entered the forest as I have always done, just above the overlook on 89A. FS 535 has actually turned into a ********-show for quite a few years. It was common to see law enforcement of all sorts along this road. It hasn't changed much for the first 3 miles or so, the road is lined with boondockers, littered with trash and campsites have broken-down equipment. It has always bothered me how trashed this spot has become. That's why I haven't been back for around ten years.
So, anyway, it hasn't changed much. Hence no pictures of this area. As you switch up the hill, the campers start to thin out, and as you top the rim, the forest becomes beautiful again. Our family spot is only about a mile or so off 535, down a wet two-track. It starts out nice, and there are some campsites, some may or may not be boondockers, but are definitely better looking.
As I continued down the two-track, it became more difficult with huge water-filled holes hiding boulders and ledges. I carefully continued on and eventually arrived at our site. I'm pretty sure the FS has closed this area to camping as for the last half-mile none of the sites had been occupied. I stopped in the shade and checked the area out. It was definitely cleaner than it has been and there were zero campers anywhere. Not even in the primo spots I've never seen empty.
My beloved dog joined the family here. In tribute, I poured one out for each of the souls that come to this place. I walked around and picked up trash. there wasn't a lot. After spending a few quiet moments, I spread his ashes, let out a few tears and got back into the truck to start exploring.
As I headed west on this little road, it goes through a park, then joins 535 on the other side. Just after entering the park, I encountered a sign telling me the road/park is closed. To me, this was a good sign. This area is returning to the wild as I remember it. I turned around and headed back to 535 through the forest, paying careful attention to the challenging trail. From this point, it was all forest roads, and if you listened to the instagrammers, you should have 4wd and be prepared for the challenges. For off-roaders like me, the bumps were only irritating. The road skirted Fry Lake on this beautiful day. The weather was perfect, although storms were predicted.
A few years ago, the best dog ever, passed suddenly. This dog loved the outdoors and we were lucky to spend six years with him. To honor his memory and his love of the outdoors, I've spread his ashes at sites throughout the southwest he especially loved. It was time for him to join the rest of the family. This was also an opportunity to see how well my new-to-me truck would perform in the dirt.
I decided to drive up, spread some ashes, and then go on an adventure. Despite all the time I've spent in this area, I've never actually been to the East Pocket. This is more or less the western edge of the mogollon rim and if you can listen to the instagrammers taking pics of yoga poses on rocks with the dramatic views to the south, this is a world-class destination. To me, it's just another spot in the forest, with a long drive to get to it. I entered the forest as I have always done, just above the overlook on 89A. FS 535 has actually turned into a ********-show for quite a few years. It was common to see law enforcement of all sorts along this road. It hasn't changed much for the first 3 miles or so, the road is lined with boondockers, littered with trash and campsites have broken-down equipment. It has always bothered me how trashed this spot has become. That's why I haven't been back for around ten years.
So, anyway, it hasn't changed much. Hence no pictures of this area. As you switch up the hill, the campers start to thin out, and as you top the rim, the forest becomes beautiful again. Our family spot is only about a mile or so off 535, down a wet two-track. It starts out nice, and there are some campsites, some may or may not be boondockers, but are definitely better looking.
As I continued down the two-track, it became more difficult with huge water-filled holes hiding boulders and ledges. I carefully continued on and eventually arrived at our site. I'm pretty sure the FS has closed this area to camping as for the last half-mile none of the sites had been occupied. I stopped in the shade and checked the area out. It was definitely cleaner than it has been and there were zero campers anywhere. Not even in the primo spots I've never seen empty.
My beloved dog joined the family here. In tribute, I poured one out for each of the souls that come to this place. I walked around and picked up trash. there wasn't a lot. After spending a few quiet moments, I spread his ashes, let out a few tears and got back into the truck to start exploring.
As I headed west on this little road, it goes through a park, then joins 535 on the other side. Just after entering the park, I encountered a sign telling me the road/park is closed. To me, this was a good sign. This area is returning to the wild as I remember it. I turned around and headed back to 535 through the forest, paying careful attention to the challenging trail. From this point, it was all forest roads, and if you listened to the instagrammers, you should have 4wd and be prepared for the challenges. For off-roaders like me, the bumps were only irritating. The road skirted Fry Lake on this beautiful day. The weather was perfect, although storms were predicted.
