We started off with a 9 a.m. appointment for the truck and are happy to report that everything is fixed on the truck: new wiring harness in the steering column and the PCM and TCM have been reprogrammed with the most current files. Once again, the Extended Warranty has proved worthwhile as it only cost $100; otherwise, it would have been around $1,400. Not a big believer in Extended Warranties but we have gotten our monies worth from the purchase.
We headed out towards the old copper mining town of Jerome that sits on the side of Cleopatra Hill at 5,200 feet. Jerome was founded in 1876 and had the reputation of being the wickedest town in the west. In 1967, the town was made a National Historic District. Now the town is a tourist and artist community. The road up to Jerome is narrow, winding, and steep. No big rigs allowed. Parking in the town is somewhat limited.
The service tech at Ford recommended the restaurant Haunted Hamburger for lunch. We had steep stairs we had to climb to get from one street level to the other. John asked some guys walking down the steps if the restaurant was worth it and they said "Oh, yeah". Well, they were right. John declared their signature burger, the Haunted Hamburger, an excellent burger while I had a Cheesesteak which was also very good.
We were parked near this pizza joint and the sign caught my attention. The sign says: Belgian Jennies - the best piece in town - Bordello Bistro and Pizzeria.
From Jerome, we headed to the National Monument called Tuzigoot. It was our lucky day, as there was no admission fee due to some construction in the Visitor Center. Tuzigoot is what remains of a large pueblo built by the Sinagua people on a long ridge that rises above the fertile Verde Valley. The name Tuzigoot is Apache for crooked water. The original pueblo started off with a small cluster of rooms for 50 people and then grew to 77 ground-floor rooms with some two story rooms. Each room was inhabited by one family. Entrance in to each room was by way of a ladder through a roof opening. I prefer a door much better!
While John played photographer, this little ant caught my attention. It was amazing watching him carrying this piece of wood for a very long distance and it still hadn't reached its chosen destination when we left. While the ant was busy carrying this piece of wood, I saw a small lizard run up to it and bump the stick with its nose (twice) checking to see if it was edible. The lizard didn't bother with the ant and then went about its own business.
From Tuzigoot, we drove over to Dead Horse Ranch State Park. We asked at the Ranger Station if we could drive in and check out the campsites without paying the day-use fee. They said we could as long as we didn't get out to picnic, hike, etc. The park is located not to far outside of Cottonwood and has some really nice camping loops. There were many sites that would have easily accommodated us and if we wanted to "rough it"; it would be a nice place to hang out. However, at $25 a night for only water and electric, we are getting a much better deal here at Krazy K RV Park with full hookups as our nightly cost is just under $18 for a pull-through.
It sure was nice getting out and about seeing things we haven't seen before.
It sure was nice getting out and about seeing things we haven't seen before.
