Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Arizona

April 26, 2023

We left the warmth of southern Arizona for the northern parts of the state. Our next destination was Dead Horse Ranch State Park in the town of Cottonwood, Arizona.

We will miss all the wildflowers in the Phoenix area!

As we drove farther north, we left behind the saguaros and the masses of yellow wildflowers

Our campsite at Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Rick's only night shot shows the view of town from our campsite

On the first morning, we headed into town to a cute little local museum housed in an old school building. Cottonwood had started out as a mining town, and there was quite a bit of history in the area. A very friendly docent gave us a personal tour of the place.

Rick figuring out how to crack the old post office box combination locks

An old organ

Glad these medicines aren't prescribed anymore!

One of the rooms was preserved as it had originally been used

The model train setup included many local historic landmarks

Found this parked next to us when we were leaving

Every square inch was covered with toys!

The next day, we took a bike ride around the state park and into Cottonwood (about 10 miles). After so much desert scenery, the green around the Verde River and ponds was a welcome change.

These sculptures looked real at first glance

Looks like springtime!

The Verde River

In the distance are the pueblo ruins of the Tuzigoot National Monument. More on that later.

We rode through the historic section of Cottonwood.

Nowhere near camp, Rick noticed his wheel bearings were loose. Fortunately, he was able to fix them well enough.

The next day was the highly anticipated day to go to Sedona. Julie had spent pretty much an entire day researching The Perfect Hike that optimized for beautiful scenery, least amount of crowds (pretty much an impossible task in Sedona in the springtime), and a better than zero chance of finding a parking spot at the trailhead. And she found something that actually met all the criteria--she even found a backup parking lot where we could ride our bikes to the trailhead if we had to.

But alas, The Perfect Hike did not pan out.

The night before, Rick decided to get the tripod out of the garage truck bed to take some night shots. The night shots probably would have been quite nice, as the sun had recently set, the stars were coming out, and there was still some lingering color in the sky as well as some lights from the nearby town below.

But no pictures were taken that night.

Julie was cleaning up inside when she heard Rick outside yell out something. She didn't hear anything else, so she figured everything must be fine. Then, a few minutes later she gets a text:

"I'm ok-come out"

Rick knows Julie very well. If he did not begin the text with the fact that he was reasonably ok, she probably would have panicked and maybe even fallen down the outside steps in the dark. He didn't need that right then.

Julie found Rick on his back by the truck. He was more or less ok, but had twisted his ankle on some uneven pavement when he was stepping backwards off of the tailgate. After a bit of investigation, it was determined that nothing looked broken, and Rick hobbled back into the camper. The rest of the evening was spent with the foot iced and elevated.

It turns out that the foot wasn't too bad the next day, so Rick put on his supportive hiking shoes, and we headed off toward Sedona anyway--but with a modified plan. The plan turned out to be one of total spontaneity, and we enjoyed it probably just as much as The Perfect Hike. (Well, Julie probably enjoyed the day more, as Rick was feeling quite sore by the end of it.)

Starting to see some red rock

The beautiful town of Sedona

Driving past Sedona through scenic Oak Creek Canyon

We drove to a high enough elevation that we left the desert behind

This was a scenic viewpoint of Oak Creek Canyon right off the highway

Back in Sedona, we stopped for ice cream and sat outside for a while

Most of the architecture in Sedona blends very well with the landscape.

Rick decided his foot was good enough to take a short walk along the Bell Rock Trail (only a mile). We were able to get a parking spot, as it was later in the day.

Next stop was the Chapel of the Holy Cross. We got there within a half hour of closing, so we found a parking spot.

They really didn't want people climbing on the rocks here

The chapel was built right into the rock

Sedona sure is in a pretty area!

After such a busy day, we took it easy for a couple of days so Rick's ankle had a chance at healing. We did sneak in a short climb up the hill near our campground loop for a quick sunset walk one night. It had started out as a simple walk around the loop, but then we encountered an inviting path leading up a hill that was just beckoning us...

There's Phil on the left-hand side of this picture

On Sunday, we took a drive to Tuzigoot National Monument and then up to the old town of Jerome which had been built into the mountainside.

At Tuzigoot National Monument, we walked through the remains of an old Native American pueblo which had been built high on the hill.

The historic and quirky town of Jerome

We parked the truck and took a walk around town

There were plenty of unique stores and restaurants in Jerome. Julie restrained herself from exploring too many of the stores, on account of Rick's foot.

A town with a view

Jerome has a reputation for being "haunted", so many establishments have cashed in on the craze.

A familiar midwestern plant--fragrant lilac!

This photo is for Alan--it's a rosemary bush!

Beyond Jerome, we drove up Mingus Mountain for some incredible views.

Back through Jerome and then back to camp

Next stop--The Grand Canyon!!!

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