Travels with haRVy

We couldn’t take advantage of Di and Tony’s warm hospitality (Thank you!) longer than a week, but there was still so much we wanted to see and do in the area. So, on Sunday morning we headed out to spend a couple nights at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, just 22 miles away near Cottonwood, AZ. We had hoped to kayak the Verde River that runs through the park, but the water level was too low for safe navigation. We did hike along its shores and view miles of it from the four-hour ride we took on the Verde Canyon Railroad.

Easy to see why it’s called the Verde River.

The next day we toured the ancient pueblo ruins at the Tuzigoot National Monument and the oddities on display at the Copper Art Museum in Clarkdale before heading up the hill to Jerome, AZ. This once booming mine town is built quite literally on the side of a mountain. Practically abandoned for decades, then resettled by hippies in the 60’s and 70’s, today it is a thriving historic tourist destination with several eateries, art galleries, historic lodgings, and more. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Vaqueros Cantina and an aerobic walk around the steep streets afterwards.

Love the satellite dish next to this historic ruin.

After our long day, we drove to Javelina Leap Winery in Cornville where this Harvest Host allowed us to camp for the night for free. The biggest advantage (besides being free) of staying there (no, not the wine, which was a bit rich for our tastes)was the bird sanctuary across the street. We hiked the trails twice viewing dozens of birds, including a flock of Cedar Wax Wings (one of my personal favorites) and a beautiful small bird I just identified by using whatbird.com as a Common Rosefinch.