10 Monday
After breakfast we packed and drove into old downtown Flagstaff, parked, checked at the information office to see if there were any updates on the Sedona road closure (due to the extreme fire danger in the forested areas along the 89A road to Sedona, the authorities were going to close the road from Flagstaff to Sedona on Wednesday) and then walked around the streets looking at the old buildings and the square where part of the history of Flagstaff was recorded.

Flagstaff - elevation 7000 feet

We came across a middle aged woman who thought we were lost and she immediately started telling us of all the arty points of interest around the town and district. From downtown we drove up to see the Sewell Observatory on a hill at the south end of town. Had to pay to go inside, but the displays were aimed at children and were very elementary. They were obviously not going to let me see the parts that would have been of most interest so we headed out on the A89 road heading south to Sedona. This part of the road was very scenic with lots of wooded areas and several gorges and deep canyons.

At one such canyon, we parked at a wayside area and found that there were about 15 stalls set up by native americans who were selling jewelery, pottery and tourist knick knacks. The canyon itself didn't seem to rate a second glance for the many dozens of tourists, but in reality it was quite impressive.

A lot of the conversation we were overhearing was about the drought and the pending road closure. It seemed to be a very serious situation as all the businesses, many of them tourist based, will simply have no trade and they see themselves having to close down. Most of the off road parking areas were closed as was the forest itself and the authorities were present to enforce the regulations. We stopped at Sedona for about an hour to wander around the town and take photos.

Sedona Main Street

Sedona is a place that is high in artistic presentation. The buildings and sidewalks contain much of the red stone found in the area and the whole effect is one of blending in well with the surrounding countryside. We walked around town for an hour or so, looking at the shops and surroundings and from there we carried on south. The picturesque valley with the red rocky canyons that characterised the country side around Sedona ended almost immediately when we left the town and it gave way to rolling hills and desert type scrub and low trees as we made our way through Cottonwood and Clarkdale in the Verde Valley. Further on we started climbing into the foothills of mountains and continued upwards to Jerome which clings to the mountain side with narrow twisty roads, much of it derelict.

Looking down to the Valley floor from Jerome

We drove around the hillside looking at the unusual aspect of american houses built into the hills, some on poles, looking in parts like a dried up and withered part of Wellington. A State Park offered yet again to take our $7 so we could look at another aspect of american history. We declined and retraced the road out to the A89. The ghost town aspect of Jerome has been worked into a tourist theme with the information centers saying it should be explored on foot. It would have been nice to do that, but with time getting on and the very hot day we decided to press on.

The road then climbed several thousand feet in winding curves up and over a mountain pass and down into Prescott Valley.

The mountain pass before descending to the Prescott Valley

Eventually, we arriving at Prescott where we were then able to turn north onto highway 89 and head back north to Ash Fork where we caught the Interstate 40 westward to Kingman. We easily found yet another Super 8 motel for the night. Having a book of Super 8 Motels across America certainly makes getting accommodation at an affordable price much easier.