Before lunch we drove up the Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona. The scenery is beautiful. We saw fall color, red rock formations and colorful rock walls.
After lunch, we enjoyed exploring Sedona. Other than getting a start on our Christmas shopping, we didn't buy anything. Large paintings and expensive jewelry don't fit in our RV or out lifestyle. But we did enjoy looking. And the town has numerous statues--of javelinas and western subjects.
One very attractive shopping area is Tlaquepaque, a development resembling a Mexican village. We found numerous corners like this as we went from shop of shop.
It is amazing to us that roses are blooming in late October. This was taken in the rose garden at Tlaquepaque.
We found these chairs in front of one of the restaurants. They are surprisingly comfortable, considering they are made of rocks.
Jerome is a small mining community high on a hill, overlooking the Verde River Valley. We thought we would be visiting what amounted to a ghost town and were going to compare it to those we know in Colorado. Were we ever surprised! It is a town that holds ghost hunting bus tours and focuses on the bawdy and the macabre. The House of Joy sells bordello tokens and skeleton statues. This is a view of their garden. If you look closely you will see a casket and a detached arm. (Is it really a casket? John doesn't think so.)
The name of this pizza place shows you what I mean by bawdy.
The town sits on a steep hill. The building roofs on one street are lower than the sidewalk on the next street. Those miners, as well as today's residents, get really good exercise moving around Jerome.
At the very top of the town we found the Jerome Grand Hotel. We were probably the only visitors who walked there, looking for some lunch.
The restaurant is called The Asylum.
It was decorated (for Halloween only?) with a casket and body, spider webs and black cats. The wait staff was in costume. We were served by a jar of mustard and watched a belly dancer serving food. We did enjoy our lunch.
It all looks like a lovely place to visit. I will look up more information on the area.
ReplyDeleteThe term "Javelina" though me. I would use Peccary. Painting statues of the local critters has been doing the rounds. Some towns have had cows and I believe Toronto had moose, (not that there are any moose in the Toronto area. They would have better used raccoons but they are not big enough)
My ex-wife has a second home in Arizona, (some of us managed our money better). My son and his family get to visit the desert region. Summers for her is in Bellingham, Wa.
Those are some beautiful areas you visited especially Oak Creek Canyon. Jerome was quite interesting although it looks like it has a lot more to offer than when we visited many years ago.
ReplyDeleteLots to see in Arizona, isn't there. Enjoy your stay.
Connie and Art
For a while I have wondered about the dramatic geography in the picture in your heading. Where is is located and do you know what forces created it. It looks like it may have been a cave system that collapses long ago.
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