Left very cold Grand Canyon and arrived in hot (86*) Cottonwood! For 2 nights we stayed at Dead Horse Ranch State Park! Located at 3,300 ft elevation, this park covers 423 acres with 10 miles of hiking trails & 173 campsites! The ranch got its name originally from the Ireys family who sold the land to Arizona in 1972 with the constituent they keep the name. When the family was looking for land they asked their kids which property they liked & they said the one with the dead horse on it!
We walked around the campground after setting up then got picked up by my dear friend Nicole & her 8 month old daughter Ellie. Off to explore the town of Jerome, founded in late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley. Elevation at 5,000 ft. In its heyday it was supported by rich copper mines and home to 10,000 people in the 1920’s and now its population is 400. Known as a ghost town now. We walked up the curvy roads of the town to find antique stores, wineries, historical buildings and old mines all decorated with skeletons. 👻 We ate dinner on the hillside looking over the valley at the Haunted Hamburger. Fun fact on how it got its name….. when the owners bought the old abounded building and started repairs, hammers would go missing, yes hammers at least 3 a day then would show up places days later. They believe the spirits were frustrated tradesman from long ago and that they liked taking tools!
🍰 Of course we started with desert since I hadn’t done that yet this trip, and thank goodness we only ordered 2 slices because our 👀 opened wide. They were huge! We’ll be eating chocolate cake & coconut cream pie for days. Hamburgers were amazing. Then did a little more shopping and strolling the town to then call it a night. We all sat around the 🔥 campfire for happy hour. 🍷 It was Ellie’s first campfire!
Next morning she picked us up for our day of hiking in Sedona! So grateful to have a tour guide in a very busy tourist town and a small car because no way in hell our truck could make in some of the places we went for trailheads!!! Started off going to Chapel of the Holy Cross. Absolutely peaceful church on the top of the hill looking across at Cathedral Rock. I went in, sat and prayed and so amazed of all its glory. Then took Chapel trail to Little Horse, Broken Arrow, to Chicken Point trail to the top of this magnificent view..It was so worth the 3 miles, red dirt blowing making us red all over, rocky upward path for the rock formations that surrounded us were so surreal at the top. We worked up an appetite and had lunch at The Vault in Sedona. Now fueled up …off to the next hike. Got to the trailhead and hiked up Devil’s Kitchen to see a huge sinkhole, then to Soldiers Pass to the 7 sacred Pools! By the time we made it back to the car it was after 5pm and Ellie crashed. Later that night it was off to the laundromat for 2 weeks of hiking clothes… 5 loads later. 😱🤦🏻‍♀️😱 Tomorrow is a travel day, 😴 💤