Two of my favorite scenes from the movie Tombstone involve Doc Holiday stating (to those who sought to have conflict with him) “I’m your huckleberry.” What does that have to do with a Huckaby? Well that saying was an old saying used as a response to a challenging situation. So when Carolyn and Jordyn decided we were all going to go for a Sunday hike in the Sedona area, I was being called out for a challenge, so I just simply said, hey I’m your huckleberry.” In other words I’m the man you’re looking for. (Ok maybe a stretch but I’m sticking with it.)

Their response was “great idea, we’ve never hiked the Huckaby.” So there you have it, after a night of pool with Mike and Claude, I was nothing but agreeable and the trek on the Huckaby was planned.

Off to Sedona we go with a stop in Camp Verde for some Starbucks (I just have to use my free drink I’ve earned) and a breakfast burrito at Gabriela’s Taco Shop. http://gabrielastacoshop.com Those are some goods eats and lo and behold we run into others from Payson going in for a burrito. The short stop turned into a longer stop but we were fueled and ready to go. (Those burritos always add some fuel to my fire.)

Back on the road we head through Oak Creek Village past the Gap Outlet store (I love stopping there but we didn’t) and head up Schnebly Road to the Schnebly Hill Trailhead which contains paved parking and the needed restroom facility. Easy access and what a beautiful day for a hike.

I must admit I like watching some Green Bay Packer football and the Packers were playing Miami and I would’t mind watching but I’m hiking today. (Smartphone in tow should come in handy) to get started, what do we do, of course some pics  and we find some halfway friendly looking stranger to take our photo. Yes that is my pumpkin shirt for a fall experience.

The Huckaby Trail is really far from challenging but it is a nice, short, beautiful hike. It takes you on the east side of Uptown Sedona, down to the creek and some very nice views of Midgley Bridge. The hike to the creek is only about two miles and the trail crosses the creek if you are willing to cross by jumping around on some boulders or simply plunging into the water and wading across.

From there the trail heads over towards the bridge and is about a half mile from the creek. We did not risk getting wet. We just stopped and enjoyed the views and of course took some photos. Talk about relaxing and a nice place to just hangout for awhile this was it. Midgley Bridge is quite spectacular to look at and to think it had its 75th anniversary this year. Quite a feat back in the day.

We started heading back and we would stop and look out over Uptown and watch traffic crawl down 89a into Sedona. Quite a site to see.

Being Packer fans, Jordyn and I follow the game on the iPhone and it isn’t going so good. In fact the Packers are loosing and my former student, Marcus Dho sends me a text “If you still want me to like the Packers, they need to win. Seriously.”

Carolyn is quite irritated at us since we are on our phones when we should be focusing on the hike but since I am suffering from that malady ADD, I can multitask and still take it all in. We are on the move and so are the Packers. After all we have Aaron Rogers at the helm so there is hope. As we walk along we are breathlessly listening and with four seconds left Rogers completes a pass to Quarless for the win and Jordyn and I whoop it up out on  the trail. Nobody around (thankfully) and we are jumping up and down. We are loving it, Carolyn–not so much. Thanks to technology we can still be fans and loving the great outdoors. BTW my response to Marcus, “ha ha”. Now we attempt to get back in the good graces of Carolyn and phones are back in the pockets. My reasoning is hey I can be out doors but still feel like I’m doing the Sunday football stuff. I think it is a great compromise but maybe not.

We have made the decision that upon completion of the hike, we are heading to Cottonwood. But first, Jordyn and I stop in Safeway to bargain hunt as they are remodeling and we score big time. We find coffee and organic soy milk for less then half off. Once again Carolyn just tolerates our erratic behaviors. We manage to do this in less then 20 minutes and our journey continues.

We roll into Old Town Cottonwood, a place that has become a family favorite, and park the car and get out and walk. The Tavern Grill http://www.thetavernhotel.com/#/grille beckons since they have happy hour pricing from 3 to 6 each and every day on some good food and a nice selection of craft beers at reasonable prices. We go for the wings, stuffed quesadilla, and some sliders. Just wish they were 60 miles closer to home. On the way out we stop by the R.I.O.T aka Rendezvous in Old Town. Great place. It was an old gas station that was converted into a local watering hole. We get the mini nachos with added avocados and they hit the spot. You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RendezvousInOldTown If you like craft beers, check out their menu. Tremendous selection from all over.

Another grand weekend adventure comes to an end as we head back to Payson. Always feel  a bit down knowing that Payson has yet to figure this stuff out but that is a story for another day. And by the way, I did make the girls stop at the Cottonwood Safeway on the way home. This time it was a strikeout.