Prescott

 

On the one cloudy day of the trip the kids and I went exploring in the car and drove up to Prescott.  Prescott used to be the capitol of Arizona and is a really cool town.  We drove to Prescott via Yarnell and the Peeples Valley.  The road climbs like 2000 feet from the Sonoran Desert below to the cottonwoods and grasslands of the Peeples Valley up above.

All the cottonwoods were bright yellow and I desperately wanted but did not take a photo of the trees and farms near Yarnell.  Nora found my regret funny and for the rest of the trip when ever we saw a cottonwood with fall colors we took a picture - but none of them quite compared to the bucolic views of the Peeples Valley.

The Peeples Valley is very much 'old west' and reminded us of the town from the 'Cars' movie - Radiator Springs.  The road was very windy and remote and it was kind of a shock to go through a high pass at like almost 6500 feet, pine trees all around, and suddenly be in urban Prescott.  

We checked out the town square and had a really good lunch at an Italian restaurant.  Like some of the best Italian food I have ever had in my life.  And then we drove on home.  We made a loop of it and drove east from Prescott to the interstate and so back down to the Sonoran Desert.

Patrick

View from the road as we approach Prescott - a VERY slow 18 miles from the Peeples Valley

That's Vulture Peak in the distance and the Sonoran Desert down below