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We’ve been wanting to visit Prescott but we now had additional incentive.  Earlier this year, our friends Tim and Dinah sold their home in Torrance and moved to Prescott, so this stop allowed us to visit with them and to see Prescott.  Tim and Dinah showed us their new town and took us to see many of the great sights around the Prescott area.  We parked the motorhome at Orchard Ranch Resort.

On our first day we hiked around a portion of Willow Lake and, in the afternoon, we hiked up Thumb Butte.  The next day we hiked up Granite Mountain which provides beautiful views all across the Prescott area and the mountains surrounding it.

On another day, we took to the road and made a visit to Montezuma Castle National Monument.  Montezuma Castle is a five-story, 20-room dwelling built into a high terrace by the Southern Sinagua sometime between 1100 and 1300.  These productive farmers grew corn, beans, squash and cotton using techniques like canal irrigation.  Nearby, we took a look at Montezuma Well, a limestone sink formed long ago, still fed by continuously flowing springs.  The Southern Sinagua irrigated their crops with its waters.  There are more of their dwellings surrounding the well which housed about 100-150 people.

From here, we continued on to Sedona, AZ, and the Red Rock district that surrounds it.  We went to the Crescent Moon Recreation Area where we hiked for a bit and were able to get some great views of Cathedral Rock.  On the way back to Prescott, we stopped off in the former mining town of Jerome, in a very picturesque mountainside setting.

On our final day in Prescott, we took a two hour walking tour of the town, topped off with a nice lunch at the historic Palace Saloon, located in the heart of the downtown block known as Whiskey Row.  In 1900, a fire destroyed all the buildings on Whiskey Row, including the Palace Saloon.  Before the fire got too close, the patrons of the saloon removed the huge bar and back bar from the saloon and relocated the whole setup across the street.  Once the Palace was rebuilt, the bar and back bar were returned to their rightful place.

We really enjoyed our visit with Tim and Dinah and appreciate them showing us their new home and their town.  Prescott is a very nice town and seems to be a great place for their retirement.

Next stop:  Desert Center, CA