Prescott, AZ. June 26-30, 2009

After leaving Tuscon, we headed west to Phoenix via I-10 then north on I-17, cutting east on state highway 69 to the beautiful city of Prescott. Prescott is nestled up against the mountains in what is known as the 'quad cities' area. The quad is Prescott, Prescott Valley (a seperate and distinct community), Chino Valley and Dewey-Humboldt. Although we drove through Prescott Valley, the city of Prescott was the only place that we really explored.

Before leaving Tombstone, we checked out the internet for appropriate places to stay upon arrival in Prescott. Although we wanted to "let the wind blow us around", we didn't want to get stuck camping in the Walmart parking lot. So, we surfed the net and came up with three likely candidates for where we should stay while in Prescott. The first on the list boasted a downtown location, so we called and made a reservation. I should have known something was hinky while talking to the lady on the phone. They would not take a credit card. They wanted cash only. Hmmm . . . that's a little odd, but whatever floats your boat. Upon arrival in Prescott, we called ahead and got proper directions for where we were going. Sure enough, the "rv park" was right downtown. Except it wasn't an RV park. It was a 55 and older mobile home park.

Okay, I see the clown in the back with his hand up. What do you want? What's the difference between an RV and a Mobile Home? An RV is a home in which you live, be it a motorhome, fifth wheel, travel trailer, etc. It is designed to be moved from place to place. For instance, Sandy and I moved from Whittier to Tombstone to Prescott to Whittier, all in the space of 2 weeks, while living in our RV. A Mobile Home on the other hand, is a home which is designed to be moved to a designated spot and then left there indefinitely. Here's a picture of an RV: And here's a picture of a Mobile Home:

Okay, everyone clear on that now? Good. Okay, so anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted, this place was NOT an RV park. They had a couple of cement pads where you could park your RV which, in their minds, made them an RV park. They had no TV, they only had 50 amp hookups (nevermind, I don't even want to have to explain that), no place to park your tow vehicle, etc. Plus, all of the people there were 55 years old!! Who wants to camp with a bunch of old people???? Oh wait . . . I guess I AM one of those old people . . . Anyhow, we thanked the old lady for showing us around but told her that we thought we would find someplace more appropriate. She must get that a lot, because she seemed to expect it.

Anyway, down the road we went, wondering if Walmart would still take us? To make a long story short, we found a place named Point of Rocks RV Park out on Highway 89 about 5 miles or so from downtown Prescott. They had all of the good stuff, everything that an RVer needs to have a comfortable stay. They didn't have cable or satelite TV, but we wouldn't have watched TV anyway. Here's a shot of Boldlygo snuggled into her spot at the park. Note: Please compare to the photo of the Mobile Home above.

After driving all day, we were in the mood for a steak, one that neither of us had to cook at a place where neither of us had to wash dishes!! So we headed off to town and found the Prescott Brewing Company and had us a big fat Ribeye steak with all the fixin's!! The Prescott Brewing Company is on Gurley Street, right across from the courthouse. Here's a pic:

We arrived in town during a time of festival. Although we did not get a picture of the courthouse, it is quite a grand building with a large park. The park was being used during this time for the festival leading up to the Independence Day celebration. Prescott takes Independence Day very seriously. That is partially why it is so disgusting to me to have some of our Neighboring cities, such as Montebello, doing away with their July 4th celebration. I guess Cinco De Mayo is a little more Montebello's speed. Regardless, the people in Prescott are REAL American's, proud of their heritage as well we should be! They celebrate for a WEEK leading up to Independence Day!! During that week, they have the world's oldest rodeo going on. We were priviledged to attend the 122nd showing of Prescott's rodeo. Here's the website: http://www.worldsoldestrodeo.com/ Although they would not allow cameras inside the rodeo grounds (a little off if you ask me), Sandy was able to get a shot from outside:

Some of the greatest attractions in Prescott (other than the rodeo - we are huge fans of the rodeo, but we realize it's not everyone's cup of tea), are all of the Victorian homes. There are long streets full of these homes, most of which were built between 1880 and 1904. Scattered among these historic homes are a smattering of newer dwellings, built to blend in with the historical nature of the street. The new ones are easy to spot. How? They have garages! The turn of the century homes do not include garages. Most still have a 'carriage house' still standing at the back of the property. Sandy and I ditched the truck and walked as many of these Victorian home lined streets as possible. Here's a nice example of what we saw while strolling:We have many, many other photos of these fine homes. If anyone is interested in seeing them please email us and we will pass them along to you.

Downtown Prescott has many historic places - besides the Victorian and other historic homes. For instance, there is Whiskey Row. Sandy and I had to have lunch in a place that has been continuously operating since 1877. The place is named "The Palace" and is a hotel, saloon and restaurant. The food was just so-so, but what can I say? Just sitting in a place that has been around that long, thinking about who has been there, the lives that have passed through the place is fascinating to Sandy and I. We sit there and wonder how many of them knew the Lord, how many didn't. How many lived to a ripe old age? How many are in boot hill, not too far from town? We all end up there sooner or later. I'm not sure that it matters whether we end up there early or late. But I am sure that what happens between us and the God of Abraham in between is of utmost importance. Okay, down off the pulpit now. Here's a picture of the outside of The Palace.

It burned to the ground on July 14th 1900 and was rebuilt into the edifice that you see above. There was a very ornate bar in the saloon, which was carried across Montezuma street (Whiskey Row) to the park in front of the courthouse. This very expensive bar was the only thing of value salvaged after the fire. When the place was rebuilt, the bar was reinstalled. Here are some folks sitting at that bar:

Farther downtown on Gurley Street - by the way, I have to stop and talk about the name of that street for just a moment. Now, what self respecting, boot wearing, spurs chingling, six gun toting, cowboy hat hauling MAN would name the main street of town "Gurley"?? Well, it turns out, that was the surname of a person who figured prominently in the early development of Prescott. It kind of does make you think of Kalifornia's Governor though, doesn't it? Anyway, farther down Gurley street is a museum grounds known as Sharlot Hall Museum. http://www.sharlot.org/ You can read more about Sharlot Hall on that website. Anyhow, on these grounds are the first two governor's mansions. The first "mansion" is really a glorified log cabin. Trust me . . . I could live there . . . no problemo! A couple of the buildings are not on their original sites, however others are. Regardless, it is a great place to visit. We spent about 4 hours here. Here is the oldes standing log cabin in Arizona:

Here's a picture of Sandy, taking a picture of me, taking a picture of her, taking a picture of the oldest log cabin in Arizona:Here in California, we have PG&E lakes. These are actually reservoirs that have been created for the purpose of generating electricity as well as conserving water for future use. Arizona of course has their own version of these lakes. Here is one of them, made by the Chino Valley Irrigation District. The name of this one is Willow Lake. The picture does not do it justice. It is breathtaking in person, all of the different colors and hues, especially during the twilight hours. Amazing . . .

On Sunday, we headed off to church, attending at Liberty Baptist Church on Williamson Valley Road in Prescott - actually, kind of in the boonies outside of Prescott. We heard a great message from Hebrews 11 about God's power in our lives. Something very thought provoking from the pastor: Abraham was asked to go and he went. He didn't ask WHY? We need to be obedient without asking why? Great thought. Although we do not remember the names of the folks, we will long remember their hospitality and how they made us feel so welcome. Here's their website www.libertybaptistaz.com/index.htm

Okay, so that's a thumbnail sketch of our trip to Prescott. Ooh, ooh . . . I forgot Thumbnail Butte!! But alas, my time has run out and I need to finish this blog up and post it so you'll need to look it up on the net. Prescott really is a very worthwhile place to visit. We hope to see you there sometime!!

Addendum to Tombstone June '09

A couple of interesting side trips that I failed to mention in the previous post. I mentioned the trip to Gleeson, but did not write concerning the Rattlesnake Ranch. On the road out to Gleeson - by the way - speaking of the road to Gleeson. The road is dirt and gravel and reminds me very much of the county ranch roads up in Wyoming. The dirt and gravel stretches for miles, interrupted only by cattle guards and the occassional mailbox. A funny story concerning the cattle guards: I will assume that the reader knows what a cattle guard is. If not, please look it up on Wikipedia or something like that . . . I don't really want to have to explain it. Anyhow, while asking a local for the directions to Gleeson, he told us of the Rattlesnake Ranch. This good samaritan told us that we would find a sign to the Rattlesnake Ranch about 20 miles out, right after the cattle guard. He relayed to us that he had given these directions to one city slicker who in turn asked "what if the cattle guard has gone home for the day?"

The Rattlesnake Ranch is run by John and Sandy, a couple who appear to be in their late sixties. About fourty years ago, they got tired of their office jobs and crowded commutes up in Chicago, so they turned in their responsibility keys and headed for southern Arizona. They opened what is now their Rattlesnake Ranch. John goes around the desert hunting rattlesnakes. He captures and kills them using one of those long reach 'grabbers', you know the sort - it has a hand grip on one end and a pincher at the other. This, according to John, makes rattlesnake hunting much less dangerous. He skins the rattlesnake, dries and cures the skin and then he and Sandy make crafts from it. They sell their wares from an old 1950's mobile home (single wide of course). There's a little box outside the mobile home where you place your money after making your selection. Trusting people, huh? On the other hand, a criminal isn't going to drive 20 miles of dirt roads in order to steal John and Sandy's crafts.

While wandering in the desert for the last 40 years hunting rattlesnakes, John and Sandy have come across countless little treasures. At least they see them as treasures. It's pretty amazing what they have collected from the desert over that period of time. Old stoves, skulls, axes, picks, saddles, etc., etc. They have these items displayed all around their mobile home. It is absolutely free to look around at their 'stuff'. Here's a few pictures of some of the junk they have collected.

Yes, those are real guns hanging there, all of them found by John and Sandy over the course of the last 40 years.

Sandy particularly liked this sign. How lewd . . . :-)

So, if you're ever in the Tombstone area, be sure to check out John and Sandy's Rattlesnake Ranch. You will not be disappointed!!

Upon leaving Tombstone, we drove north through Benson (don't forget to have breakfast at Reb's!!) then west through Tucson. Although we were on a bit of a tight schedule, we decided to stop at the Old Tucson movie studio. This is basically an old west town that was put together specifically for shooting movie scenes. Picture a smaller version of Universal Studios, all done in an 1880's theme. Some of the movies shot here are: High Noon, Rio Bravo (John Wayne), Hombre (Paul Newman), The Outlaw Josie Wales (Clint Eastwood), and numerous other films since 1939. Oh, and for those of you who remember the series 'High Chaparral', it was filmed here also. We ran out of memory on the camera, so we didn't get any High Chaparral pictures, but the entire ranch area from that series is here on the property. Here's a couple of pictures along the streets of Old Tuscon:

In a previous post, we had pictures of Sandy and I in jail. It was in the building shown below that those pictures were taken.

There are horses for rent at the studios. Although we did not inquire, I'm guessing that this is a 'nose to tail' trail ride, rather than a real horse rental. Their prices were pretty good though. For someone not familiar with horses or mules, this would probably be a good introduction.

Another shot of one of the buildings with me hanging around outside. The building in this town are not just 'false fronts' such as they are at Universal Studios. These buildings are actually functional. The inside could be used as a set as easily as the outside.

The very well known and loved movie 'Tombstone', starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton was partially filmed here in Old Tuscon. A couple of the sets are very recognizable if you are familiar with the movie. Remember the scene at the train where Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp) kills Stillwell with a shotgun and then tells Ike Clanton "run you cur. You tell the other curs I'm coming"? Well, here's a picture of that train.The opening sequence of the movie Tombstone opens with 'the Cowboys' led by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) interrupting a wedding of a member of the Mexican Police. The members of the gang annihilate all of the present members of the police with the exception of the groom. Curly Bill, after the carnage ends proclaims, "looks like we win". He then tells one of his gang who speaks Spanish to tell the groom to get on his knees. The gang member tells the groom "De rodillas cabron!!!" (on your knees (expletive)!) Below is the 'church' and courtyard where this scene was filmed. Unlike most of the building in town, this is merely a false front. Since Sandy and I are both such huge fans of the movie Tombstone, seeing this was a wonderful highlight of our vist to Old Tucson.
For more information on Old Tucson, check out http://www.oldtucson.com/