May 5, 2002

May 5, 2002

After our taste of Phoenix, we head north and take the exit for Prescott, AZ. Prescott is also a popular retirement area. It is also a former capital of Arizona and has a small one-street historic center. On one side is the park-like Courthouse Square and on the other is Whiskey Row, a line of saloons and shops. It looks like a nice spot to spend a night, but we have reservations elsewhere. On our way out of town we pass by Prescott’s scenic Granite Dells. We stop for a photo of this pile of boulders surrounding Watson Lake.

The drive northeast is very scenic as it passes through Prescott National Forest. Just before the town of Jerome we stop for a photo. Jerome is a small town hugging the edge of a cliff. It is a former mining town that sits above what used to be the largest copper mine in Arizona. After the mine closed, Jerome became a ghost town but in recent years has turned into an art colony.

From Jerome we continue northeast to Sedona and stay at the Radisson. Wow, is this area beautiful with its red rock buttes!