Road Trip to Jerome . . .
Today we decided to make a road trip over to Jerome. We’ve been there a couple of times, most recently when we were staying at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails a couple of months ago. But we’ve never done it from the Prescott side, and the trip is supposed to be much more spectacular.
But before we left about 10am, I checked in with the service manager here at Affinity RV to see if we were still on schedule for Monday, and I also had a list of things that still needed to be done on the rig.
Besides the obvious windshield and airbag installations, the wheel well trim strip, wheel well guard flap, and the grab bar wiring, as well as a few other things, still need to be finished up.
Stan said that the glass guy wouldn’t be here until about 10am, so we don’t have to be up too early. And as it stands right now, they probably won’t have to move the rig into a repair bay.
But we’ll still have to go to a hotel for a couple of days, since we won’t have a front windshield for a day or more, plus Mister always wants to supervise like he did when the windshield was replaced last year.
The approximately 30 mile trip to Jerome takes about an hour because of all the twists and turns. Lots and lots of turns,
but a lot of nice scenery along the way.
Our first stop was at the top of the hill to have lunch at The Asylum. A number of friends had recommended the place so we had to try it.
The Asylum, and the adjoining Grand Hotel, are located in what used to be the United Verde Hospital. In operation from 1927 to 1951, it was abandoned for 44 years before reopening as The Jerome Grand Hotel in 1996.
Though called The Asylum, the restaurant is not located in the asylum, or as they say now, the Psych Ward, but in what used to be the Nurse’s Quarters.
We both had sandwiches for lunch, with Jan ordering the Mesquite Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato, with Avocado, Garlic Mayo, on Marble Rye
while I had the Chipotle Turkey Sandwich.
Made with turkey, (of course) Chipotle Apricot Chutney, red onions, watercress, cream cheese, and lettuce on a toasted specialty bread, it’s maybe one of the best non-hamburger sandwiches I’ve ever had.
Both our sandwiches came with their hand-cut fries, perfectly cooked. All in all, a really good meal.
Walking around the grounds after our meal, we came across this 1928 Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom I.
Strangely, it’s not done up as show car, but looks like it’s driven every day
We had planned to check some of the many shops in downtown Jerome, but after driving around the loop a couple times without finding a parking spot, we headed down the hill into Cottonwood. Our first stop here was at the Clemenceau Heritage Museum, a place we’d tried to visit before, but found it closed.
Built in 1923, and used as an elementary school until 1947, when it also became the Cottonwood High School. We spend a couple of hours checking out the many exhibits.
This diorama illustrates the typical kitchen of the early 1900’s.
And this is the height of a 1920’s home entertainment center.
Housing a AM + Shortwave Radio, plus record player and record storage. it was what family’s did before TV.
We both found this classroom interesting.
The same teacher taught 1st grade in this classroom from 1923 to 1961, 38 years! And she didn’t die until 1996 when she was 100 years old. Wow!
Even more interesting, one of the volunteers at the museum, who looked to be in his 80’s, had gone to 1st grade in that very classroom, under the same teacher.
One thing I was really interested in was the model railroad diorama. Set the early 1950’s it details the railroad lines crisscrossing the Verde Valley that served the many industries here at the time.
It’s even got RV’ers.
Nice Airstream.
It even details the city streets and businesses of that time period.
Very neat, and very well done.
Finally leaving the museum, our next stop was the Irish Rose Tea Room in Old Cottonwood.
But we weren’t here for the tea, but some of their delicious cupcakes. We’d discovered them when we were in Cottonwood a couple of months ago. We mentioned when we were up in Las Vegas last month, we checked out the famous cupcake place, Sprinkles, and found they were nowhere near as good as Irish Rose.
Our last stop was right down the road at Hog Wild BBQ, our favorite local BBQ place. But we weren’t here to eat, but to get some to take back with us to Prescott, since we haven’t found a good BBQ place here yet.
Finally heading back to Prescott, and taking the regular route, we finally got home about 3pm, just in time for a nice nap.
All in all, a perfect day.
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Thought for the Day:
Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and now . . . now I’m lost as hell.
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