Our first destination was the small historic town of Jerome. This is a picture of Jerome (up on the hillside) from our campground...up there on the mountain...
Nicknamed “The City in the Sky”, Jerome was at one time the most talked about mining camp in America and is listed on the National Historic Register. Its population went from 15,000 in its heyday, to a “ghost town” of under 50 people. Today it is a centre for the arts with unique shops, galleries, wineries, tasting rooms, dining and lodging. The scenic view of the entire Verde Valley is magnificent!
Up we go...
We followed the signs on a very windy road to the Jerome State Historic Park...only to find it was closed Tuesdays. The Douglas Mansion at Jerome State Park has been any eye-catching landmark in Jerome since 1916, and is now a museum devoted to the mining history of Jerome and the Douglas family. It features photograph, artifacts, minerals, a period room and a “3-D” model of the town including the underground mines....and we weren’t able to see any of it! Oh well...
We continued on the switchback road up to the main street where we parked the truck and got out to wander around....and take pictures...
Now this is a big movie projector...
That's the State Historic Park down below...
This is building was once a garage and is now a museum...interesting...
Very interesting...
After an hour or so, we were back in the truck and on our way to Prescott. We were going to take the scenic route over the mountains...full of switchbacks. Quite the road...but just beautiful especially on a gorgeous day like it was today.
Our first stop in Prescott was the Olive Garden Restaurant...it’s been a long time since I have been to my favourite restaurant! Unfortunately, Serena was a little less than accurate in her directions...”arriving at Olive Garden Restaurant”...hmmm...we don’t see it. After driving completely around a mall, I finally got out and went into Dillard’s to ask a clerk. It turned out the restaurant was on the other side of the highway. When we get to Scottsdale, we will have Wi-Fi at the RV park so I really must see if there are any updates for our dear GPS.
After soup, salad and breadsticks at the Olive Garden, we continued on to downtown Prescott Whiskey Row (part of Montezuma Street)...Prescott’s most famous streets. In its heyday, Whiskey Row was lined with saloons that welcomed many well-known cowboys and outlaws on a regular basis. In 1900, the entire block—along with three-quarters of the town—was destroyed by fire. But within days, new structures began to rise, most with fire-proof brick, and many of those buildings are still standing. Today, Whiskey Row is the ideal place for unique shopping, dining and plenty of entertainment.
Courthouse Plaza....
Yes, that's snow!
No water in the fountain today...
After we finished our wandering around, it was time to head back to the State Park. Instead of going back across the mountains the way we came, we took the “long way” back completing a loop. We arrived back home around 4:00...another great day. The sun was shining so we set up the chairs outside and enjoyed a cocktail before heading inside for the evening. 
We are yearning for the warmth of the Phoenix area so we have decided to leave here on Saturday...a day earlier than originally planned. We will spend a week at Eagle View RV Park just outside of Scottsdale for a week before flying off to Cabo.
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