Our day trip to Sedona, Arizona turned into more of an adventure than we planned... it all started on a good note. We left Flagstaff and drove south to Sedona - our coffee mugs full of fresh brew and the cooler packed with snacks and lunch for a picnic. We were all set!
The drive into Sedona was beautiful - life was good. Once we arrived, we made a pit stop at the Visitor Center to map out the plan. With help from the lady at the counter, I chose a few hikes that were doable with 4 kids, and we were on our way! As we left, the visitor center lady gave me a heads up: "You'll have to do some off-road driving to get to the trail head for those hikes, but you have 4-wheel drive, so you'll be fine. Have fun!"
So. This off-roading stuff. Prior to Sedona, I thought driving the remote gravel roads in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was considered 'off-road'... but, I can tell you from my newfound experience ... I was completely mistaken. The non-paved roads in Sedona are literally littered with giant rocks and potholes at every twist and turn... there is no way around - you have to go over or through them.
After a mile or so, we both found that we actually enjoyed the change of pace. Driving uneven terrain is fun! Caution was thrown to the wind and we were off! Let the Sedona adventures begin. We've got a Jeep, baby! Let's do this.
I should mention- the off-road driving really is a thing - we saw a ton of Jeep's out there... most were rented through rental companies in town - exactly for this purpose.
Anyway, I'll skip over all the hiking and scenery and exploring of the day and tell you that we ended up with a flat tire. At 6:00 PM. On a non-paved road in the middle of nowhere. Without a spare tire.
Think. Fast.
"Drive back to the nearest paved road before this tire is completely flat!" Which meant bumping along, over rocks and boulders at top speed... the mile drive back to asphalt was quite a rough ride.
Whew. Made it.
"Let's call AAA!" Except, they can't help other than tow us to a tire shop and the tire shops are all closed. Crap. We were losing air fast. The tire is pretty pathetic looking at this point - holding only about half the air anymore. "Quick, drive to the nearest hotel."
pssssshhhhhhhhhh. The tire is ridiculously loud as it leaks air... it has no regard for our plans or my mood.
We arrive at the nearest hotel - but, they have only 1 room left, and "according to Arizona State Law number blah, blah - no more than one child is allowed in this room." The guy at the front desk has ZERO empathy for our situation... even after I gave him the full, overly dramatic 'from out of town, with little kids who are hungry and tired' details. He asks me to move the Jeep so that we aren't using his parking lot. As I walk out the door, I almost tell him: "watch out for karma, bro."
Now what? "Oh well." I teld the kids. "We'll just sleep in the Jeep and figure it out tomorrow." By the way, our kids are such troopers. They just go with the flow - not really fazed by anything. They started claiming sleeping positions in the Jeep, while I wondered if I should stay awake all night, try to sleep outside on the pavement, or try to get some shut-eye in the passenger seat.
My knight in shining armor had other plans... his brilliant idea was to drive to a gas station and use the 'free air' hose. He filled the tire with air, while we called every hotel in town. They were ALL completely booked, or refused to accommodate a family. [Insert note: Investment opportunity - build a family-friendly, clean, affordable hotel in Sedona.]
Anyway, there are a lot of details to the flat tire experience- but ultimately, a helpful family from Colorado and a local police officer negotiated with a hotel owner (on our behalf) to help us find a room for the night. The tire was fixed the next morning and we were on our way - back to home, sweet home ... the good ole Winnebago.