There's Copper In Them Thar Hills

The early residents of the Verde Valley, the Sinagua, used it. They were the builders of the structures at Tuzigoot National Monument. When we arrived at 9:00 this morning it was mild and the birds were singing. It was serene. Oh, I wouldn't even consider temping that fate! From here we headed up hill to Jerome. Perched precariously on the mountainside, Jerome is a funky, crumbling, abandoned mining town taken over by artisans. The old buildings house wonderful galleries and shops. We spent several fun hours here "shopping" without spending one copper penny. Then we wound our way further up the mountainside, where we stopped at this overlook and ate our car lunch, collected earlier that morning at the Sedona Safeway. Clearing over 7000 feet at the pass, we descended into the Prescott Valley, destination Prescott. The former capital of the Arizona Territory, it is historical, but not much remains of the old days. Courthouse Square is a city center gathering place. Only the Palace Saloon remains of the original Whiskey Row. More wonderful galleries are to be found there now. This time I dropped a few coins for a lovely copper and silver pendant necklace, my souvenir of mining country. It was two hours back to Phoenix, where we checked in to our Best Western, got settled, and walked several blocks up the street to a restaurant at the Hilton, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner al fresco.