We took a scenic detour on Highway 89A, taking us through the picturesque towns of Prescott, Jerome and Sedona. We stayed overnight and the following morning at Prescott, a very pleasant town with a fast-growing population of hobby-ranchers, retirees and artists. We bought coffees at a café on Montezuma Street, site of the infamous Whisky Row in the 1800’s when there were thirty or more saloons here. We sat out on the sidewalk next to a couple of older guys who had just met and who were comparing their life experiences. Both had come to Prescott as tourists, fallen in love with the place, and never left. I’m not surprised; we took an instant liking to the place too. We moved on to a second-hand book store managed by a slightly-eccentric though good-humoured woman, and I thumbed through a few immortal western classics such as “I married Wyatt Earp”, and “Cow pie ain’t no dish you take to the county fair”. Then it was time for our picnic lunch in Prescott’s leafy town square. It had been a great morning, and lunch over, we decided not to press our luck any longer, so we saddled up the Pontiac and galloped out of town before any gunfight broke out down on Whisky Row.
We came to Sedona late in the afternoon. Sedona is surrounded by a very impressive red-rock escarpment and is very touristy. It is also a magnet for New-Age adherents, following the “discovery” of ”energy vortexes” in the surrounding hills some years ago. The local visitor centre has energy vortex maps for those so inclined. We did a quick sprint around the stores and drove on to Flagstaff to stay overnight before covering the remaining miles to the Grand Canyon.
As we pulled up outside our motel room we were approached by two drunk guys looking for a can opener. We gave them ours, and as they opened their can of beans on the boot of our car, one remarked what a fine car it was. This was a decidedly unsettling remark delivered in a menacing tone and I wondered what plans they might have for later that night. Fortunately as it turned out, any plans they might have had for us or our car didn’t extend past the can opener.
We came to Sedona late in the afternoon. Sedona is surrounded by a very impressive red-rock escarpment and is very touristy. It is also a magnet for New-Age adherents, following the “discovery” of ”energy vortexes” in the surrounding hills some years ago. The local visitor centre has energy vortex maps for those so inclined. We did a quick sprint around the stores and drove on to Flagstaff to stay overnight before covering the remaining miles to the Grand Canyon.
As we pulled up outside our motel room we were approached by two drunk guys looking for a can opener. We gave them ours, and as they opened their can of beans on the boot of our car, one remarked what a fine car it was. This was a decidedly unsettling remark delivered in a menacing tone and I wondered what plans they might have for later that night. Fortunately as it turned out, any plans they might have had for us or our car didn’t extend past the can opener.
