On one of our days off, we hopped on the bike and took off for Jerome. Jerome is a mining town in the mountains north off Congress. To get there we had to climb up the mountain to Prescott, then on up from there to the town. Lots and lots of curves. There were a lot of 15 mile per hour switch backs between Prescott and Jerome.
Not really sure if Louise is tilting the camera or I am leaning the bike that much.
(Actual curve--I made sure I wasn't tilting the camera!)
The scenic views came one after the other.
Top of the mountain before entering Prescott is 6100' of elevation
See the road we are heading for?
The great views keep coming
And the curves That's Cottonwood straight ahead--the yellowish blur between sky and rocks.
Jerome is a town in the Black Hills of Yavapai County in the Arizona. Founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley, it is more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. It is about 100 miles (160 km) north of Phoenix along State Route 89A between Sedona and Prescott. Supported in its heyday by rich copper mines, it was home to more than 10,000 people in the 1920s. As of the 2010 census, its population was 444.
The town is built on the side of the mountain. There are 4 levels of streets with sharp switch backs to get from one level to the next. The town is now restaurants, bars and gift shops. We walked around the town for a while before deciding it time to hit the road. Gift shops just aren't our thing. We did find a friendly guy at a sweet's shop who found us an ice cold diet Pepsi for $1.25 and a yummy chocolate/chocolate truffle for $1.75. We decided that the Pepsi was definitely worth it but the truffle, though really good, was not. The ride to Jerome was what we were after anyway. The weather was great and the ride there was even better.
Ore sorter used in one of the mines When the copper played out (15 lbs for every person in the US is a lot of copper!) the town reinvented itself into an artists' colony and purveyor of eclectlic merchandise.
After a stop at McDonald's for lunch in Cottonwood, we headed for home. We took a different way home 2 reasons. We wanted to see where the Thousand Trails RV Park was located, we plan to stay there on our way to Utah, and I wanted to stop at the Harley dealer in Anthem, Az. The weather got real HOT when we got off the mountain and hit the desert floor. We arrived home safe and sound, but a little warm.
On Sunday we headed up Yarnell hill to visit the Shrine of St. Joseph Stages of the Cross. We visit this shrine every year we are here. It is a very moving place.
After leaving the shrine, it was on to Peoples Valley to try out the pizza place that we were told had the best pizza around here. It was Louise's birthday and she had a hankerin' for pizza. This is a little, 5 or 6 tables, diner with a brick pizza oven. The pizza was very good but I would not rate it as one on our favorites in the country. We will try a couple of others in the area before we deem it the best in the area.
My selfie reflected in the back of Duane's helmet.
In spite of the warm afternoon, we really enjoyed our trip to Jerome on the bike. The weather for my birthday was perfect.
More adventures as we get em'
Duane and Louise
2 comments:
That area is so beautiful. Shrine of St. Joseph Stages of the Cross is one of the most moving places we have visited. I remember the day y'all took us there. Being Holy Week, what a more moving time to visit.
Love the selfie. Too cute!
Happy birthday,
Looks like a great, special day. Keep enjoying...it seems the older one gets the faster the years go.
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