January 7, 2015
After driving for 3 days from Tennessee I finally arrive in Phoenix, Arizona with a nasty head cold. My throat hurts to swallow and my body just wants to sleep. On top of that I end up taking the wrong exit to the airport. Needless to say I don’t make it to my friend Sue’s house that night. Instead I stay at the Best Western at the Phoenix airport. Sleep does not come easily, the jet engines keep me awake.
The next morning I arrive at her house in El Mirage, a suburb of Phoenix. She tells me it’s the beige house with the palm tree. Well, there are 1400 beige houses and many have palm trees, but finally I find it. I sleep for the remaining of the day. Need my strength for the ski trip.
Wickenburg AZ
We leave for Prescott Arizona in the late morning of the 9th. Sue drives which is nice, I get to sit back and enjoy the scenery. We drive through the Bradshaw Mountains towards Prescott. The road has many hairpin turns but the landscape is beautiful with rocks jutting out. We stop in Wickenburg and have lunch at the Cowboy cafe. The food is decent.
We arrive in Prescott in the late afternoon and walk around town. It’s an upscale cowboy town. I love the architecture. We have a drink at The Palace, a historic bar. It feels as though it hasn’t changed since the 1800’s, which is cool.
The historic Palace, Prescott, AZ
Around 6pm we leave, since we have reservations for 2 nights at the Ski Lift Lodge Arizona Snow Bowl. It’s a mixture of cottages and motel style. We stay in the motel. The room has 2 queen beds, simple furniture and a gas wall heater. The bathroom is unique with a step up shower. It will do since it’s fairly cheap and very close to the Arizona Snow Bowl. I would give it 2.5 stars, nothing to write home about.
The next day we head to the mountain to ski. The snow pack is minimal and you can see grass sticking out. My head feels as though it’s about to explode. We do a couple of runs but my body says no more. I tell Sue I’m done and I’m going to sleep in the car. Oye! At least she got to enjoy herself.
Saturday, January 10th, we check out of the motel and drive to Jerome. On the way we stop at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. I remember my father’s photos of this church when he took his cross-country trip in the late 1950’s. It’s beautiful how the rectangle concrete building juxtaposes from the red rocks. The views are amazing.
Jerome is a tiny historic town of 400 people+-. Sitting on top of Cleopatra Hill, it was once known as a copper mining town, but now it’s an artsy tourist town. It’s also hailed as the largest ghost town.
We walk around checking out the art galleries and boutiques before the rain falls. I buy a small photograph framed in white matte, called “The Wave, by Mike Koopsen . I love how the wind eroded rocks form a wavy pattern. He captures the spirit of Arizona.
We have lunch at Bobby D’s BBQ. The food is excellent. I have the ribs which are fall of the bone tender with corn bread. With our bellies full we hit the road to head back home.
Famous Haunted Inn, Jerome AZ
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