The Cottonwood area is great!

We didn't have any idea what it would be like here, but we have been pleasantly surprised. The elevation is about 3500 feet above sea level so we are a little cooler than Phoenix and Apache Junction where Tom was with us. Daytime temperature is around seventy and nights are at 45. We are in the Verde River valley here, and the high desert. Lots of beautiful scenery and Cottonwood has all of the conveniences only two miles from camp.
Yesterday we drove over to Jerome which is an old copper mining town that is now a tourist destination with shops, boutiques, art studios, and restaurants. It hangs on the hill side at 5300 feet above sea level. In it's hey day it had 15,000 people, but after the copper mines closed in the 1950's the population dropped to only a couple of hundred inhabitants. Eventually the town has been restored and is now once again flourishing. From there we drove through Clarkdale which was a smaller town where the railroad came to ship out the copper. This was a small quaint town with cute houses and a nice small town feel.
After that we visited an old dwelling from ancient people here that has been excavated and is now a national monument. Lots of history here. 
Today we took a drive to Sedona with it's red rock mountains. Hiking in the hills there offered incredible views in every direction. This is one of Arizona's premier playgrounds and the stunning mountains were the backdrop for many Hollywood westerns.

A few pics....

Our new camp at Dead Horse Ranch State Park near Cottonwood

A bald eagle near the lagoons at the park

Jerome is an old mining town perched on the mountainside

My favorite store in Sedona. Skulls, antlers, dried pepper, t-shirts and other good stuff!

The back road in Sedona looking towards the mountains

The beautiful red rocks outside of Sedona, Arizona