On the Road by RV

It’s that time of year when snowbirds are heading south to avoid cold weather. We’ve been welcoming back friends and acquaintances who either winter in the Verde Valley, or stop on their way to points further South.

Unfortunately, many snowbirds miss some of the many sightseeing opportunities on their way South in the fall and North in the spring because they are in too big of a hurry to enjoy the trip. That’s an unfortunate situation, because along each route headed to better weather you’ll find many beautiful spots that might not be so famous as Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, but are nonetheless, wonderful spots to visit.

The Verde Valley is just one such spot, which doesn’t look all that special on a map. But here is located beautiful Sedona, with its green foliage set among towering red cliffs, and its unique Native American historic monuments and sites. And there is Montezuma’s Castle with its well-preserved cliff dwellings and a terrific visitor’s center and nice, peaceful, shady walk to the cliffs and back. Other Indian ruins are located in the Valley, including Montezuma’s Well and Tuzigoot, both entirely different experiences from Montezuma’s Castle.

Also located here is the old mining town of Jerome, which became a ghost town before reincarnating as a thriving artist’s colony. It has all the charm of a ghost town clinging to its mountainside location and an artists’ colony. You can tour an old gold mine, see the tailings of old copper mines, eat in gourmet restaurants or in those geared to regular people with huge appetites. And you can shop for jewelry created by artists, or for less expensive baubles created for the masses.

And there is even an Indian Casino located here in the valley, where many a traveler has either won big or walked away with empty pockets. It holds several restaurants, including a top-of-the-line eating establishment that will shrink your wallet in a hurry, but fill you up with food that is exceptional.

And there is old-town Cottonwood, which lets you experience a 1940’s type of Main Street with shops, galleries and restaurants with several choices of dining experiences. Also conveniently located in Cottonwood is a Super WalMart and a Penney’s, while Sedona holds other chain stores like Kohl’s. Both Cottonwood and Sedona host several fairs during the year, as do Camp Verde and Cornville.

The Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale offers a nostalgic trip through a spectacular gorge where you can see American Bald Eagles feeding their young eaglets on a cliff just outside the train windows during the spring. In the autumn, fall colors decorate the gorge. Several tours offer special experiences, such as the Beer Festival, Starlight Tours, wine-tasting trips and the Santa Claus Express during December.

The Verde Valley isn’t just a stop on the way to somewhere else, but instead, a place to be experienced. There are riparian areas along the streams and the Verde River that rival the greenest spots in the U.S., and in Oak Creek above Sedona and along the other creeks and rivers, colors turn vibrant yellows and oranges in the fall, just like back east, only here, the sky is almost always a brilliant blue backdrop.