📍 Meet-Up Sedona, AZ meet-up - September 12 - 13, 2025

[DTX2023Tremor]

I'm rethinking Up The Creek... I think our ideal scenario is a restaurant that will just assign is a couple of servers who can take each person's order and do it all on separate checks.

Banquet style dining will not only severely limit the menu, but will be a ton of work to confirm RSVPs and collect payments. This should be fun for me too and don't want this to start feeling like a job. Got enough on my plate right now and need to keep things simple.

 

[Optimus🤖]

I'm rethinking Up The Creek... I think our ideal scenario is a restaurant that will just assign is a couple of servers who can take each person's order and do it all on separate checks.

Banquet style dining will not only severely limit the menu, but will be a ton of work to confirm RSVPs and collect payments. This should be fun for me too and don't want this to start feeling like a job. Got enough on my plate right now and need to keep things simple.

Let's stick with Italian!

Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante Italiano | Sedona, Arizona

Dahl & Di Luca is recognized for creating and defining the city's fine dining scene more than 20 years ago. Chef Dahl prides herself in creating angelic pastas that are as light and delicate as they are satisfying, decadent vegetable-based dishes and hard-to-find Italian seafood classics.

www.dahlanddiluca.com

 

[AZsurveyor]

Let's stick with Italian!

Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante Italiano | Sedona, Arizona

Dahl & Di Luca is recognized for creating and defining the city's fine dining scene more than 20 years ago. Chef Dahl prides herself in creating angelic pastas that are as light and delicate as they are satisfying, decadent vegetable-based dishes and hard-to-find Italian seafood classics.

www.dahlanddiluca.com

Sedona is filled with restuarants by Chef Lisa Dahl (Mariposa), she knows that market well and this is yet another one.

 

[OmahaBravo]

Let's stick with Italian!

Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante Italiano | Sedona, Arizona

Dahl & Di Luca is recognized for creating and defining the city's fine dining scene more than 20 years ago. Chef Dahl prides herself in creating angelic pastas that are as light and delicate as they are satisfying, decadent vegetable-based dishes and hard-to-find Italian seafood classics.

www.dahlanddiluca.com

I second italian.
This will also help with keeping my copilot (wife) from backing out

 

[AchillesKobus]

Italian works for my wife and girls.

We will only be at the Friday dinner.

 

[AchillesKobus]

No to be a party pooper but did anyone see the dress code for https://www.dahlanddiluca.com/dresscode

 

[Optimus🤖]

No to be a party pooper but did anyone see the dress code for https://www.dahlanddiluca.com/dresscode

We're truckers, it's all good .

 

[AZsurveyor]

No to be a party pooper but did anyone see the dress code for https://www.dahlanddiluca.com/dresscode

While I am aware of their dress code, it’s not as much as they make it seem just don’t show up in flip flops and Hawaiian trunks.

 

[AchillesKobus]

I understand it is not formal dress but bringing my 3 year old and 8 month old does not sound fun. Ill hope to meet a some of you for drinks after dinner.

 

[Optimus🤖]

I understand it is not formal dress but bringing my 3 year old and 8 month old does not sound fun. Ill hope to meet a some of you for drinks after dinner.

Screw that, brother. Join us. They're not gonna deny you, especially with our group being so large. Enjoy yourself. I'm quite sure they've had plenty of kids in their restaurant.

 

[Tugboat]

Italian is just fine with us

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Hey everyone... quick update on dining... As we're talking to restaurants, they're either wanting to go with a set menu or wanting us to reserve their banquet space (or just book the restaurant for the night). So looking, for example, at a $4K deposit for Merkin Vinyards. The complicating factors are that this is their peak season and we're a group of 30 - 35 people on any given night.

Here's what I suggest. Try to get a reservation around 6:30 - 7 p.m. on each night. We can all request patio seating, but the reality is that it will be difficult for all of us to sit together. Following dinner, we can identify a spot where we can hang out, share some good bourbon (or other beverages), cigars, etc. - whether that be at one of our hotels or at a nearby campsite one of us is staying at. (To be determined).

Thursday night: Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria
- Please book on the patio if available so we're likely to be seated together. They seem to have a lot of availability. I was able to get a reservation for 12. Thanks to @AZsurveyor and his friend for scoring the other 12 and 6 person reservations needed for our group.

Friday night: Dahl & DiLuca
- It looks like there are tables available available at (or just before/after) 7 p.m. on the 12th. Largest that can be booked online is 4 people. I imagine most of their tables are 4 person tables, so will take a bit of coordinating to maximize each reservation so that we don't take up an unnecessary number of tables as well. There is a credit card required to reserve and a $25 cancellation fee if canceling in less than 24 hours out.

Suggested pairings for reservations: @cntyguy @Optimus🤖 , @speeddev + @OmahaBravo, @AZsurveyor (#1), @AZsurveyor 's Guests + @Godzilla/Tremornator , @legmar + @FuelTankReInforcedSkidPlt, @Tugboat + @Bokellaz

For each suggested pairing, please coordinate amongst yourselves who will be responsible for making the reservation.

Saturday night: Mesa Grill Sedona
- Please book outdoor if available so we're likely to be seated together.
- It looks like there are tables available available at (or just before/after) 7 p.m. on the 12th. Largest that can be booked online is 4 people. I imagine most of their tables are 4 person tables, so will take a bit of coordinating to maximize each reservation so that we don't take up an unnecessary number of tables as well. Mesa Grill can be booked on Open Table.

Suggested pairings for reservations: @cntyguy + @Optimus🤖 , @speeddev + @OmahaBravo, @AZsurveyor (#1), @AZsurveyor 's Guests + @Godzilla/Tremornator, @legmar + @FuelTankReInforcedSkidPlt, @Tugboat + @Alex742, @Bokellaz + @gsea

For each suggested pairing, please coordinate amongst yourselves who will be responsible for making the reservation.

If for some reason you're not able to get a reservation for one of those nights, there's always the walk-in waitlist for one of the above or one of the following restaurants would be a good alternative.

• Mariposa Sedona - Booked out during core dinner hours.
• The Golden Goose American Grill
• Javelina Cantina
• Shorebird
• Cucina Rustica

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Another key update.. here are the itineraries for off-roading Friday and Saturday. Thanks to @AZsurveyor for all his help with route planning and for @Bokellaz who is going to do some advance scouting next week of the technical add-on for each day to confirm that we're in the clear.

Knowing that each of us has different appetites for how much time we want to spend out on the trail, the itinerary for each day has 4 options. Each route on both days has a common meet-up point for lunch and includes a technical trail add-on / detour that you can take. Option #1 is the shortest and easiest route, while 2 and 3 get progressive longer. The 4th option I've called the "Full Monty" as its a whole day out on the trail. There is an add-on / detour you can take on each day that will be a little more technical in nature. By technical, it will still be appropriate for our trucks, just will take a bit more concentration and maybe some spotting to pick the optimal line to navigate your way through. Those splitting off to do the technical route (s) will rejoin the route the main group is on as one is an alternate path and the other is a loop with the same start/end point.

Friday lunch - please plan to bring a picnic lunch, tables, chairs, etc... we're going to pull off the road at a spot that looks large enough for all of us to park.

Saturday Lunch - there are two restaurant options a few miles up I-17. For those who are interested in driving Schnebly Hill Road, that is the plan for after lunch.

As this is our first time in Sedona and we do not know when we'll get the opportunity to go back, we're planning on doing the 4th route option with the technical add-ons on both days.

The attached document also includes link to the onX off-road mapped routes. Thanks to @OmahaBravo who will build these routes in Gaia for those who use that tool for route management.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Hey everyone... just to clarify the post on the restaurant reservations.

We'll need a number of reservations for Friday and Saturday night. I'm trying to be thoughtful about the restaurant's business by not taking 15+ tables by pairing attendees together so we take the minimum number of tables to meet the needs of our group.

Friday's restaurant requires one person from each group to put a credit card down to hold the table. They do charge a $25 fee if you cancel the reservation in less than 24 hours.

Saturday's restaurant has outdoor seating and the reservation can be made on Open Table.

All this to say, you certainly don't have to sit in the groups assigned. It is more about assuring we have enough tables to accommodate our group without needing to front thousands of dollars to reserve the restaurant or shift to a prix fixe menu. Of course, you're all welcome to make your own reservations where and with whom you prefer. None of this is a mandate (as I certainly do not think I have the power to mandate anything).

 

[OmahaBravo]

I have work obligations I was just advise of yesterday that require me to be in person during this trip so I will not be making it.
Hope yall have fun and look forward to seeing yall at Big Bend

 

[Streetcruzer]

I'd like to add my wife and I to the meet-up! We'll be visiting family members in Peoria AZ for a few days, and Sedona is close by. Only draw back is we are flying into Phoenix, and will have to rent a vehicle with off road capabilities to enjoy the trails. I'm working on that now! What hotel in Sedona are most of you staying? I need to make some reservations for the weekend.

 

[Optimus🤖]

I'd like to add my wife and I to the meet-up! We'll be visiting family members in Peoria AZ for a few days, and Sedona is close by. Only draw back is we are flying into Phoenix, and will have to rent a vehicle with off road capabilities to enjoy the trails. I'm working on that now! What hotel in Sedona are most of you staying? I need to make some reservations for the weekend.

Awesome, my friend! Some chose the Hilton but I booked an Airbnb. Much cheaper, more room, privacy, security, etc! Glad you and your wife will be there .

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

I'd like to add my wife and I to the meet-up! We'll be visiting family members in Peoria AZ for a few days, and Sedona is close by. Only draw back is we are flying into Phoenix, and will have to rent a vehicle with off road capabilities to enjoy the trails. I'm working on that now! What hotel in Sedona are most of you staying? I need to make some reservations for the weekend.

Great you're going to be able to make it! Hotel wise, we're pretty spread out around western Sedona. A small group of us are staying at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club Sedona Summit (4055 Navoti Dr, Sedona, AZ 86336). There's a ton of hotels around this one and as @Optimus🤖 advised, you can likely find good Air BnB and VRBO options as well.

As far as vehicles are concerned, any 4x4 vehicle should be fine. Even the spots where is a technical element have bypasses around them since the roads are also used by the forest service, utility companies, etc. One word of caution is that most of the major rental car companies have restrictions against off roading in their rental policies. When I've rented and had to take the rental on unpaved roads, I found a quick trip through a carwash helped to remove any evidence of the time spent off pavement. As an alternative, you could likely find another person in the group who has room for passengers to avoid the risk all together.

With it being peak season in Sedona, please be sure to make reservations for dinner Friday and/or Saturday night (depending on which nights you'll be joining us) at the restaurants listed in post #212

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Hey everyone... can you believe Sedona is 2 weeks away?!? After the incredible meet at KTP that @gmbpilot757 pulled together, I'm super excited to go from seeing how our trucks are built to taking them offroad for a bit of fun in the beautiful Arizona desert.

If you haven't had a chance to review posts 212 + 213 yet, please take a look for some important details - especially for restaurant reservations if you are interested in joining us for dinners each night.

Also, huge shout out and thank you to @OmahaBravo for building all of the route options we have planned in Gaia. If you use this app, you can get the routes here: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=10...folderId=3d92fa2b-1c97-47a4-9810-35683870b18f

IF YOU DONT HAVE GAIA or onX offroad - dm @OmahaBravo with your email and he'll provide you with the gpx file. You'll lose the formatting (route colors, etc) but you'll still have the individual routes and the way points.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Just a reminder, we'll likely go hang out at the Hilton Grand Vacations Sedona Summit after dinner each night and enjoy some bourbon (so bring your favorite whiskey drinking glass). I'll have plenty of whiskey to share with everyone, but feel free to bring a bottle you'd like drink and share with the group.

@Tugboat @speeddev @FuelTankReInforcedSkidPlt @legmar @MrFancypants @AchillesKobus @AZsurveyor - don't forget that you'll have some Tremor Reserve II bottles to take home with you.