Fourth of July, 2008

Sandy, Becky, Lindsay and I decided to go to Prescott for the 4th of July. Becky had never been to Prescott before. Lindsay has been to Prescott twice in the past to ride horses at Granite Mountain Stables. Sandy joined me on one of Lindsay's trips and we decided that it would be a lot of fun and much cooler to be in Prescott for the 4th of July. The town was bustling with activity. Parades, rodeos, music, cloggers...the courthouse lawn is lined with vendors under white tents selling everything from hand cream to serious works of art.

On the evening of July 3, after we settled in our hotel room, we went down to the main square in Prescott just in time to see cloggers on the courthouse plaza. We also visited several shops including a great jewelry store featuring turquoise from Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. The proprietor had inventory from the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribes. This is the best inventory of turquoise I have seen so far in Arizona. We finshed the evening sitting in the lobby of the historic Hassayampa Hotel listening to the music of a jazz quartet. This hotel, built in 1927, has been largely restored to its orginal state. There is a piano in the lobby for the public to play. I think the sign indicates that you really have to be able to play. Plinking around isn't welcome.

We spent the morning of the 4th moving around the courthouse square looking at vendor wares. Becky and Lindsay were very interested in the various jewelry tents. Becky found a few tie-dye and sarong vendors. We ate lunch at the St. Michael Hotel Restaurant just in the nick of time. There was a downpour, even some hail, while we were eating.

I bought a jar of green olives stuffed with jalapenos. I love olives. We watched a reenactment of the pony express. 60 riders took turns riding from Phoenix to Prescott. We were talking to some of the other riders when the final rider rode into town and handed off the mail bag. The riders then rode around the courthouse square on their way to the rodeo grounds.

We left Prescott for Camp Verde with intentions to return for the fireworks. We got sidetracked in Jerome, an old mining town that has turned into an artist enclave. This little town seems glued to the side of the mountain about 5,100 feet above sea level. Uptown is truly up and downtown is truly down! A series of switchback roads connect top and bottom. The road from Prescott to Jerome is not for the faint of heart.

While in Jerome, we spoke with the proprietor of a neat shop that sells new and old copper goods from the US and Europe. He encouraged us to go to Cottonwood, just a few miles east, to see the fireworks. Several of the surrounding towns all chip in on the cost. We took his advice and discovered for ourselves how towns pooling their funds for fireworks can generate one heck of a fireworks display. Cottonwood put on one of the best fireworks displays we have ever seen - 35 to 40 minutes of continuous fireworks. We saw new some firework patterns and presentations that were new and unique. To top it off, the temperature was a pleasant 80 degrees!

We are staying in Camp Verde tonight and will go to Sedona tomorrow. Lindsay has never been to Sedona so this will be a treat for her. The town has been built in and around the red rock buttes that seemingly appear out of nowhere in the desert. It's a beautiful place, with the contrast of Oak Creek Canyon just out of town, a green and winding canyon with one of the few year-round flowing rivers in Arizona (most of them are dry washes during the summer months). Sedona is a true tourist town, and apparently a fair amount of celebrities like to fly in for a quiet retreat.