Dead horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, AZ
Keeping true to the trip's name, we decided to take an obscure path from the Lake Mead Recreational Area to Jerome, AZ. It added about an hour to our drive but we were curious what this part of Arizona entailed. We encountered lots of rolling hills and driving up and down mountain ranges.
For most of the 4 hour drive our only companion was the saguaro cacti.
We finally reached Jerome, Arizona in mid-afternoon. If you're not familiar with this town, it is a quirky, artsy community straddling a hillside.
Jerome started as a mining camp and then boomed to a population of 15,000. When the last mine closed in the 1950's the population was about 50. In the mid-60's hippies arrived and turned it into the art community it is today.
It's built into the side of Cleopatra HIll, and from here you can see Sedona's red rocks, Flagstaff's San Francisco Peaks and even eastern Arizon's Mogollon Rim country. Here's a panoramic shot from one of the levels.
There are 5 levels to the town with lots of art galleries, wine bars, coffee shops, and
lots of quirky little shops along the way.
Due to the different levels of the town, it makes for an interesting space to explore. Lots of shops tucked away in obscure spaces.
When the town was first developed, blasting at the local mines regularly shook buildings off their foundations. The town's jail slid across a road and down a hillside. It still resides there today...albeit unused.
At one point, circa 1903 a reporter called it the wickedest town in America due to its abundance of drinking and gambling places. "Whether by divine retribution or drunken accidents, the town burned down several times." Ah...good times.
I thought this was pretty cool. A film projector from way back when!
My bike had a little mishap yesterday. Somehow my front disc brake and spokes got bent. I think it had something to do with it getting backed into a rock...
Ned spent some time this morning working on it and getting it back up to speed.
Yeah back in action.
Our home for the evening. We had plans to do a bike ride, but then wine...
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