Camping and Wine Tasting in the Verde Valley - Part 2

Did you read Part 1?  You should!

When last I blogged, Chris and I had finished up an afternoon of wine tasting (with varied results) and camping in Cornville, Arizona, in the Verde Valley.  We both slept well (overnight, it dipped down to the mid-50s, so sleeping with the windows open was very pleasant), but we were awoken earlier than expected when the loudest bird in the history of the world started screaming love songs around 5:30am.  We dozed on and off for a bit after that, but by 6am, we were up and starting to make coffee and chai.

Hiking time!

Since the weather was fairly pleasant this morning, we'd planned to head out for some hiking in Dead Horse Ranch State Park, about 30 minutes away; however, breakfast was first on the agenda, at Crema Craft Kitchen in downtown Cottonwood.

Outside the local community center in Cottonwood

Noms!  Chris had the chilaquiles (top),

which were good,

but my breakfast sammie on the crossaint was insane.

Downtown/old town Cottonwood

Fortified with carbs and breakfast meats, and after a quick stop at Walgreens to buy a travel hair dryer for the camper, it was on to Dead Horse Ranch State Park.  The area became a state park in the 1970s after the family who owned it decided to get out of the ranching game and let the state purchase the land.  Apparently, after touring several ranches in making their initial decision to buy the land, the parents asked their kids which plot they liked best, and they responded, "the one near the dead horse!"  And so, the ranch was selected and named.

Since it's a state park, admission is $7 (per car, in this case), and it was pretty quiet when we arrived around 9am on a Saturday.  We grabbed our packs, put on another layer of sunscreen, and headed out, trail map in hand.  The ranch isn't huge, but it encompasses an interesting variety of hiking trails - none of them are super hard or technical, but you can take some that cross the creek, some that head into the nearby desert foothills, and some that will take you past a cemetery that dates from early in the last century.

We parked near the Middle and East Lagoons,

and we started out by taking the trails around them.

Lots of folks were out walking dogs, fishing,

birdwatching, and even kayaking.

Before long, we'd do some birdwatching of our own:

Yup!  That's a bald eagle!

We followed the Lagoon trails to the Verde River Greenway, which runs right along (have you guessed it?) the Verde River.

This area of Arizona is close to all sorts of places and things, including other local attractions, like Sedona and Jerome.  It's so close to Jerome, in fact, that you can see it from the ranch, stuck up there on Cleopatra Hill (where a city shouldn't really be), another 10 miles and 1500 feet of elevation away.

After moving to Arizona and seeing that almost every

mountain is labeled in this way,

I feel like we should make this a national thing.

It's really quite handy.

The Verde River Greenway led us to the Forest Loop, which then dumped out into the River Loop.  We crossed an offshoot park road and hopped onto the Hickey Ditch trail for a few moments, before joining the Kish loop, which allowed us to explore the San Luis Rey Cemetery, located in the middle of the park.

The cemetery dates back to the most recent influenza pandemic

(you know, the one that didn't happen last year).

Tons of folks were passing away from the "Spanish flu,"

and the Mexican nationals who worked the ranch

weren't allowed to be buried in the cemetery in town.

The family who owned the ranch created this cemetery,

and it still has grave sites dating back almost 100 years now.

Paying our respects in the cemetery

From the cemetery, we took the Lime Kiln trail to Lime Kiln Connector, and after 3.5 miles and ~90 minutes or so, we were back at the truck and heading to Lo Lo Mai Springs and Arlene.

When we made it back to Arlene, we took advantage of the creek running through the resort to soak our feet (just for a few moments, since it was COLD) before we showered up and enjoyed a charcuterie lunch.

But first, more alpacas!

Making my way out there...

...careful now...

...ta da!

Someone had to stay on shore in case

I needed rescuing.

Lunchies!

After we finished up lunch, it was time for round 2 of wine tasting.  This time, we headed back to Camp Verde, about 20 minutes away from Lo Lo Mai Springs (we'd passed it on the freeway on the way in on Friday).  Our first stop was at Clear Creek Vineyard and Winery.  Like Javelina Leap the day before, their wine wasn't totally our bag, but their space was really neat, and we enjoyed relaxing in their courtyard.

Cool bus!

Our next stop was at Salt Mine Wine, so named because it was only 1/4 of a mile or so from a historic salt mine that saw heavy use during World War I.  Salt Mine Wine is a small operation, and we were one of only a few folks tasting there, but it was great!  Friendly people, a pushy dog (our favorite kind), and good wine.

Sitting on their patio, 

watching hummingbirds dart around near the creek.

Also, hearing the chickens and donkeys at

the neighbor's farm.

While we were across the road (the I-17) in Camp Verde, we also made a stop at the Verde Valley Brewing Company, to sample their wares and have a snack (we had the elote nachos with pork, which were super tasty).

One of our two flights - my favorite was the dark lager

(all the way on the left).

Fortified by beer, wine, and food, it was time to head back to old town Cottonwood once again, this time for wine tasting there and eventually, dinner.  Cottonwood is the busiest locale in this area (outside of Sedona, but it's not really in the Verde Valley), and several tasting rooms are located along its historic downtown stretch.  Several of them have additional locations elsewhere in the state, so we focused on two that we hadn't visited before and seemed solid: Burning Tree Cellars and Arizona Stronghold.  We enjoyed both very much and would highly recommend both (probably too much, judging from my headache the next day and the number of bottles we brought home with us).

Sitting on the porch at Burning Tree

After a quick run back to the truck to put away our newly acquired wine, we headed to dinner at 3 Kings Kasbah, a nearby tapas spot.  We noshed and listened to the live music on the patio, enjoying all sorts of delicious offerings.  Before too long, our day of activity and alcohol caught up with us, and it was time to head back to Arlene and drift off to sleep before too long.

On the next blog, we finish out our stay in the Verde Valley!

Later!

Amy