Jaunt to Jerome

The Forseth family actually spent a holiday weekend at home. Yes we did. Well, sort of, anyway. Our wandering nature encouraged us to venture out on a day trip today all the way to Jerome, Arizona.

The first stop was Tuzigoot National Monument where the boys, once again, were exposed to early Native American dwellings. Thinking back to my time as a child, I can't really remember what we saw most of in our early years. Probably mountains and wildflowers, certainly valuable experiences to encourage our nature-loving selves.

I suppose, following that theme, our boys are destined to love the desert and rock walls forming early civilizations.

After Tuzigoot, we drove a few miles up to the artsy, stair-filled town of Jerome. I think I would love that town if I didn't have two uninterested boys in tow. The town was layered a bit like a cake, with steep stone stairs connecting the various tiers. Cute shops and restaurants (and a few biker bars) provided the ornamental decorations. But, of course, all of that was lost on the boys.

So, instead we decided to visit the Gold King Mine. Oh, it held such promise. In my imagination, I envisioned a description of how mining began in the little town of Jerome. Maybe a demonstration of how miners released the valuable stones and metals from the slurry, and then a little hands on fun mining for gold.

All I can say is that the children did enjoy it immensely. The "mine" was filled with antique trucks, tools, and machinery and a small sign indicating where the old mine entrance was. We did have the opportunity to pan for gold, but for such an unreasonable price, we had to pass. Economics, you know. The kids' favorite part? Feeding the goats. Yep. Isn't that exactly what you would have expected to find at an old mine?

We did have a fabulous day, though, ending with some ice cream at a refurbished gas station in Cottonwood.

Now, onto our next Arizona city on the list...Prescott. Maybe this fall we'll go pick a pumpkin....