Day 13: Completing The Circle

I started the morning with breakfast on the rocks...and I'm not talking about a drink; I mean that quite literally. Manzanita Campground has a great spot up on the rocks overlooking the creek, and like everything else in life, it's even better with food. After tearing down camp for the final time, we hiked the Jim Thompson trail, an easy but scenic 5 mile trek. I don't know all the details about how the trail earned its name, but I suspect it came from a man named Jim Thompson, who is relatively unknown but locally famous for having a Sedona trail named after him. Later, we stopped at Palatki Ruins, a site with petroglyphs and ancient cliff dwellings. It was a little heavy on the guided tours and light on the hiking, but still interesting. The final hike in Sedona was on Jordan Trail. Devil's Bridge may have been an epic failure last night, but Jordan Trail led to Devil's Kitchen, a massive sinkhole among the red rocks. The kitchen was disappointingly under-stocked with food, but the hole was well worth the hike. If that sinkhole could have just swallowed a few children, the day would have been perfect. Sadly, the time came to depart Sedona and head back to Phoenix for the final night of the trip, completing the giant two-week loop of the Southwest.