"Expose yourself to your deepest fear. After that, you are free." - Jim Morrison
Cottonwood, AZ, is just two short hours from Scottsdale and between Jerome and Sedona. It's only about a 20-minute drive to each of them and seemed like the perfect place to stay while exploring the area.
My friend Jim traveled with me for the next week, and we stayed in this great campground called the RIO Verde RV Park. It was easy to get to, and the showers were clean and hot! Just my kind of place!
We explored Jerome first, and did it have a story to tell! It is set high on Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Flagstaff, AZ, and was founded in 1876. Back in the day, it was the site of a billion-dollar copper mining camp, and it was once Arizona's largest copper, gold, and silver producer. At one time, 15,000 people lived here, and now roughly 400 people reside on this hill.
The views surrounding Jerome are just stunning, and I didn't know I was getting a little glimpse of what the Grand Canyon would look like on a much smaller scale. I was just in awe of the colors of the canyons.
This town is built on a mountain and takes some effort to drive and walk around. My legs got a workout walking around here.
This gorgeous view was taken from the Haunted Hamburger on Clark Street. The burgers were great, but this view... was even better. We met a couple Jim knew for dinner. They were lovely, and we had a great time. The wife does psychic readings for people. We didn't schedule an appointment, but she did tell me she sensed my totem was a bear.
Of course, I looked it up later. I found that bears symbolize strength and confidence, courage, motherly love and care, healing and protection, and affinity for solitude and introspection and grounding. I read on and discovered that the bear spirit invites us to confront our fears, test our boundaries and heed its message. It teaches us to be bold and courageous in seeking new experiences. Wow, it was pretty spot on! I think I'm going to claim the bear as my totem.
In 1903, the New York Sun called Jerome "The Wickedest Town In The West." Apparently, a lot of shit went down in this town. We went on a haunted tour of the town and ghost hunting. When in Rome! Our tour guide and resident ghost hunter told us about the sorted history of the town. The Jerome Grand Hotel is known for being haunted. It was once a hospital, and some shady things happened back in the day involving the cremator. The Catholic Church and movie theater are other well-known places for ghostly activity.
We used these machines to track the energy of ghosts, and we had another one to hear voices. We went to several places. One was the site of a mining operation that collapsed, and I don't think we found anything. The machine lit up and made noises sometimes, but I can report there was no significant ghost activity that night. We learned that Billy the Kid spent some time there and got into trouble. At the height of Jerom's mining industry, it was home to more brothels per capita than anywhere else in the country. It was indeed the wild wild west with outlaws and gunfights.
I had an incredibly fun day exploring Jerome, taking in the beautiful views, eating at The Haunted Hamburger, going ghost hunting with a full moon, and learning about the sorted history of this intriguing town.
We spent the next two days in Sedona! It is conveniently located between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon Southern Rim. The majestic red rocks took my breath away! I had never witnessed anything like this before and was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.
Sedona is known to be a profoundly spiritual destination. Several specific vortex locations are known to be a natural intersection of electromagnetic earth energy. People believe the forces can be physically and spiritually felt. They also think this energy is the reason for the twisted flora which I saw in several places.
We went in search of some of the vortex sites. They are known to bring about self-awareness and spiritual healing and are also great places for meditation. All I know... is that we found some beautiful and peaceful places in Sedona. This river was just gorgeous. It made me think about how difficult it is sometimes to describe how we feel, so we take pictures to capture the beauty and, hopefully, the feeling. My battery recharges in solitude and nature, and I can say my battery was fully charged when leaving here.
The views were just stunning! I just wanted to soak it all in and never forget the feeling I felt as I sat here looking at this magnificent view. I reflected on how absolutely free I felt on this trip. I lived most of my life trying to make others happy, do what was expected of me, and not let others down, but I wondered if I had ever felt this free. The answer is no. Freedom often requires sacrifice, comes with risks, and requires us to be brave. But oh, is it worth it!
We spent the day exploring, shopping, eating, and drinking exceptional coffee. I had my first Cortado here at the amazing Pump House Station Urban Eatery. It is an espresso drink that is equal parts espresso and steamed milk. It was so delicious, and I'm officially addicted to them.
After a full day of exploring and drinking coffee, we decided to find a great place to watch the sunset. As luck would have it, we found the perfect hiking spot! It was just beyond Red Rock Park and somewhere off Red Rock Loop called Pyramid Mountain Loop Trail.
To make it even more intense... I mean amazing. (Remember that risky bravery thing I spoke about earlier? Lol) 🤦♀️ We scaled the rocks to get to the top of this cliff and catch the sun setting. I have to say it was much higher than it looks in the picture. lol It was worth it, though, and was the perfect ending to the perfect day in Sedona.
The next day it rained on us, but it was just as beautiful. Everywhere you turn, there are spectacular views.
Talk about a coffee shop with a view! We hung out here for a while and had ice cream too.
We explored some shops and found a cool place called The Sedona Wellness Cafe. They had a secret Butterfly Elixer that made their Butterfly Macha Latte out of this world! It was a unique place, and we got an aura reading by putting our hands on a machine. It was so interesting.
The clouds parted just long enough for us to catch this just before going to dinner! Absolutely stunning to see! The setting sun set the rock on fire. It was truly beautiful. 🌅
The sky at night was just something to see. The moon behind the clouds lit up the sky beautifully. Until this trip, I had never spent time in Arizona. I have to stay. I am obsessed with this state and all it has to offer. What an incredible adventure, and I still have more to explore. Thank you, Sedona and Jerome, for the memories.
Next stop... ZION! (I couldn't be more excited!)
Stay Wild 🌿
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