Monday, March 10, 2014

Jerome, Tuzigoot and Dead Horse State Park

We awoke to 32 degrees outside and it was pretty chilly in the Whale due to leaving a door ajar and a roof vent open.  So, we took our time having coffee and watching some news.  My heart hurts for all of the people that are waiting to hear about their loved ones that were on the plane that went missing.

We finally got motivated to get out and go and we started with a stop at the Clarkdale Post Office to check on Passports.  Our expired in 1993 and we just feel it's time to get them started again.  So, we asked questions of the nice clerk and then on down the road to Jerome.

Everyone told us to be sure to see the town of Jerome, so we took the drive of about 10 miles up there.  It's a mining town on the side of a mountain.


This old mining town became a "ghost town" for many years once the copper mine was closed, but it's a thriving tourist stop now.  We saw people driving RVes up this road.  I don't think I would want to do that.  I felt very safe and nice and low to the ground in the Tail.


It's quite the view.  You can see all the way to the Red Rocks above Sedona.


Tana, this is not a place that you will want to go.  Curving, narrow and winding most of the way up from Old Cottonwood.


Lots of places to eat and browse through gift shops.



We tried to imagine living on what seemed like a bird perch.  At one time the town claimed 5,000 people.  If they came by horseback, they were probably too afraid to go down again. They say that 500 live there now.



I wondered how many people have run into this home.





There is a State Park and Museum at the top of the hill and this is part of the old mine.

We made a stop on the way back at Tuzigoot National Monument.   It's an Indiana dwelling that they preserved over the years.


Indians once lived on this hill and farmed the fields around it.  It's close to the Verde River.


Each family had a room and they continued to add on.  They once had roofs as you can see in this one photo below.


This was a kids passing me just as I snap the picture.







We drove on back toward our RV Park, but first made a turn into the Dead Horse State Park.  The property got it's name from a family that was looking for a ranch and after visiting a few they asked their kids which one they like best.  The all shouted out, "The One with the Dead Horse".  Isn't that just how kids think.

There are several pretty campgrounds with walking paths, fishing lagoons, and horseback riding.  We decided to hike the path along the river, but the river is down, so it was dry most of the way.

From the State Park we we had a clear view of Tuzigoot.

There are three lagoons that you can fish from in the State Park.  No one we asked was catching anything.




This is a hiking, biking and horse path that we walked.  So many dead trees and I assume it's from high waters at one time.



Heading back out of the park we drove down to the lake access.



Ok, photos have uploaded and our clothes and ready to be folded out of the dryers one building away from where we use the WiFi.

I think we will sleep well tonight.  Of coarse we sleep like rocks most nights.

Blessings,

Kathy




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