Where Oh Where Have I Been?!!

January 24, 2008

You’d think I’d learn…the longer I wait to do an update, the harder it is to conjure up memories. Well, no one said I was the brightest bulb in the refrigerator. Anyway, I’ll give it a try. Firstly, I must tell you of another couple that joined us at Zane Grey Campground. That would be Paul and Donna Chambers who have been lifelong friends of the Carters. We met them last year in Mesa, and had arranged to meet up with us.

I left off with the anticipation of Sedona, AZ. Some of you may know the reputation of Sedona. I was expecting to find the, "beautiful and absolutely wonderful Sedona." Personally, I wasn’t that blown away. That’s not to say it wasn’t beautiful, because it was, including a great hike we took while there.

I believe most people love all the shopping that exists in downtown Sedona. I guess I’ve outgrown my shopping days, so it was no big deal. It was fun to check out several different shops, and I did especially like the doggie store. In there, I found some wonderful drops to add to Blizzard’s food to help control her "doggie breath." It actually works. Our friend Jalene bought a cute tee shirt from the same shop stating that she loved dirty dogs. You have to understand that Jalene and Glenn’s dog, Angus, a white Westie, does not stay clean more than 2 days after a bath. Anyway, the shirt was quite appropriate. I found a great sweatshirt, and we liked getting our exercise walking around, but that was about the extent of it.

Personally, Mike and I both enjoyed Jerome, AZ much more.
Jerome is an old copper mining town that had once been the 4th largest city in Arizona back in the 1920’s. Like so many other places during the Depression, Jerome’s peak population of 15,000 began to decline. After the demand for copper diminished after WWII, it continued to decline and had only about 100 people living there who promoted the town as a Historical Ghost Town. Around 1967, it was declared a Nation Historical District, and has thrived as a tourist mecca ever since.

Jerome has done a great job of preserving its original buildings along with its charm. Granted, most buildings house different shops, but we found them more fun and fascinating than Sedona’s. We spent an hour or so walking around and stopping in various shops to check out the local artisan’s creations. We decided to have lunch at this great place. Jerome Palace – Haunted Hamber sits high atop a hill, well actually, everything in Jerome is high atop one steep hill or another. They don’t call it the mile high city for no reason…duh! Anyway, we had a great view, great food and atmosphere, and were well worth the wait to be seated, plus the hike up the steep hill.

After lunch, we checked out the Douglas Memorial Mining Museum, Jerome State Park. Once again, we were pleased with the value of our $6 entry fee. This beautiful mansion sits atop a hill that is situated below the town itself, and provides a great perspective of how the town of Jerome almost teeters on the side of a hill. It becomes quite obvious why so many buildings, including the original jail, slid off their foundations. It also provides a view of some of what remains of the abandoned copper mines, along with a magnificent view of several canyons and mountains.
The mansion itself belonged to the Douglas family who founded and operated the mines. The mansion and its grounds, including a magnificent stone wall, have been restored and preserved by the State Park Service. It is immediately apparent how magnificent and grand the home had once been. A 25-minute film of the history of Jerome proved to be quite entertaining. One of the most fascinating factors, to me, was how wonderful and modern the bathroom had been. I hope to go back to Jerome and try to absorb a bit more of the history and its beauty.

Our next big adventure was taking a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad. We paid the extra for "first class" seats on the vintage train that took us on a four-hour ride through the Verde Canyon. It was a slow 2 hour ride each direction, with us returning to the station right at sunset. UNBELIEVABLE!

Our biggest hope on the train excursion was that we would get to see some interesting wildlife. We were told that the day before (naturally) that a mountain lion was sighted just a few yards from the train. Also, there was reported to be javelinas in the areas along the tracks, and bald eagles. Well, as we all know how my luck runs, we saw no mountain lion, no javelinas, BUT old eagle eyed Mike spotted a bald eagle off in the distance and we did get to witness that magnificent bird in flight. Unfortunately, the pictures that Mike took did not capture the wonder, as it was too far in the distance. Regardless, we all absolutely loved the ride.
Well, I realize this is the Reader’s Digest version, but I’m approaching the end of this update. After the train ride, we all packed up and headed to Mesa, arriving here on October 26th. As anticipated, we immediately got involved in the tennis league again. We’ve had many a gathering with friends, but have not planned any trips as of yet. Mike’s sister and her husbancd will be coming here in March so hopefully we’ll get some fun things squeezed in between the tennis tournaments.

We hope everyone had as wonderful a holiday as we did with our kids and grandkids in Iowa. Only the love for all of them would get us to the bitter cold and snow of Iowa in December. I most likely will not do anymore updates until I have something really interesting to report. Keep the faith, and I’ll be back with more before too long.