Sedona Slide Rock

We spent a weekend camping/ adventuring in Sedona with the Hays. They have a natural water slide up there that we have been meaning to check out for a while now. Robb found us a dispersed camping area, which means that it was free, much more secluded than what we are used to, but there are no facilities (bathrooms or water). That made this a prime opportunity to try out the water barrel thing I got Aaron for his birthday. 

We figured out a great way to fill it up using the filtered water from the fridge without having to stand there.
It was good to put all those fluid mechanics classes I took in college to practical use. 

 The drive up was about 4 hours. The campsite was really scenic and there was far less mariachi music blasting than there have been at other Arizona campsites that we have been too, although there were some loud ATVs driving around after dark. 

Alice nailing the tree with her pine cone pelting skills

Claire loved her first camp out

After setting up camp and attempting to give a very excited Elliot a nap in the tent, we got our swim gear on and headed to Slide Rock!

For some reason, there was a storm trooper walking around the park as we were walking in.
Colby was starstruck. 

The water was very shallow for most of the river, but it cuts deeper in a few places. This forms chutes that push you along the slick rock when you sit in them. The water was cold, which felt nice on a hot day. There was a cliff to jump off of that Aaron and Robb checked out while Lakin and I kept the kids from drowning. 

The view from our claimed section of the river

Friends (minus photographer extraordinaire Lakin)

Elliot arching wildly to escape. The water was a bit too cold for him.

Aaron goes down the slide

Elliot started throwing mud at people as they went down the slide

I was able to divert him to coating a rock with mud. Over. And Over. Endless entertainment!

A contentedly filthy boy

 I think that this series of Robb and Colby is hilarious:

Elliot miraculously became mud-free on our walk back to the car

 Overall verdict: Slide rock was a gorgeous, scenic place. The slides were fun, but not age appropriate for our bunch of kids. It was also hard scrambling up and over rocks with a bunch of kids that needed to be carried as well as our stuff. We will have to go back when we have older kids that will enjoy more than the mud.