Still in Arizona – On The Road Adventures

We left Phoenix to head to Camp Verde near Sedona and stopped on the side of the road for lunch and this was our view.

It was a short drive to the RV park in Camp Verde.

There are some interesting motorhomes and fifths wheels in this park. There is quite a bit of an assortment. Including a couple living in this school bus.

This park even has food trucks coming in the evenings. Last night there was food from El Salvador. Mostly fried pork, so not for us. Tonight the Taco truck is coming in.

Our first day here we took a little trip to Jerome for the day. Lunch was at the Asylum in the old Grand Hotel which used to be a hospital.

The town of Jerome roosts on the slopes of Cleopatra Hill in Yavapai County, Arizona; and is steeped in a rich history of copper, zinc, gold, and silver ore mining from an ancient volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit that formed on a sea floor more than 1.74 billion years ago.

The Jerome Grand Hotel was originally constructed in 1926 under the name United Verde Hospital, owned by the United Verde Copper Company later to become Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation. Some knew it as the Phelps Dodge Hospital and United Verde Copper Hospital. It was the 4th and final hospital in Jerome. Opened in January 1927, the United Verde Hospital was a state-of-the-art medical facility; in 1930, listed as the most modern and well equipped hospital in Arizona and possibly in all of the western states. The hospital, however was closed in 1950, as the mining operations began shutting down and medical services were available in the neighboring community of Cottonwood, where many of the staff transferred to. The building stood unused for the next 44 years. The former hospital was purchased by Larry Altherr from Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation in 1994, and was renamed the Jerome Grand Hotel, opening for business in 1996.

While it operated as the United Verde Hospital and later became the Jerome Grand Hotel, many alleged hauntings have occurred. According to ghostlyfavorites.com., “Due to the high level of activity in the hotel, it is a quite popular destination for amateur ghost hunters”.

After lunch we went to the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town which is in a part of Jerome but used to be known as the town of Haynes.

IN 1890, THE HAYNES COPPER Company sunk a 1200-foot shaft into the middle of one of the richest copper deposits ever discovered. Much to their chagrin, they found no copper. Luckily, they struck gold instead, creating the small boom town of Haynes, the remnants of which are today an intriguing mix of ghost town and mechanical hobbyist’s paradise.

The attractions include antique mine equipment still cranking away, as well as a turn-of-the-century sawmill still actively filling orders, a circa 1901 blacksmith shop, classic gas engines, and a wide array of restored antique cars, including vintage trucks and race cars.

Yesterday we played pickleball in Cottonwood with a group of characters. Since the nearby town of Jerome is a hippie town we had several guys who still have their long hair including the fellow in the tights named Mocha Latte playing with Gary. Yes his name was really Mocha. All that was missing were the tie dyed t shirts. Very groovy indeed.

zero zero start man

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