Northshore RV Resort

The Northshore RV Resort in Needles, CA was home for two days. The campground is located along the banks of the Colorado River and off Historic Route 66 which is still intact in this area.  I was suprised at how clear and fast the river runs.  With triple digit temperatures, I didn't venture outside much. 

Jerome Historic State Park

The Jerome Historic State Park  traces the history of copper mining in Jerome, AZ.  Once a city with a population of 15,000, Jerome became a virtual ghost town when the United Verde Branch copper mines of the Phelps Dodge Corp. closed in 1953.  Since then, shops, galleries, studios, and museums, some housed in former brothels and saloons, have been established in the restored town which clings to Cleopatra Hill on the side on Mingus Mountain. 

Take a close look at the depth of this mine shaft!!

This is a shot looking down 1900' through a glass floor over the top of the shaft. No words can describe this view.

Verde Canyon Railroad

The Verde Canyon Railroad  wilderness train is a heritage railroad near Clarkdale, Arizona.  Opened in 1912 as the Verde Valley Railway, it was built to support the copper mines at Jerome, Arizona. The Santa Fe Railway operated and owned the 38-mile branch line from 1912 to 1989, providing coal to the Phoenix Cement Company, and shipping copper and cement outbound.  Current excursions are a 4-hour, 40-mile round trip from Clarkdale to the ghost ranch of Perkinsville and back. Scenes from How the West Was Won were filmed at Perkinsville in 1961. The route, nestled between two national forests and adjacent to a designated wilderness area, follows the Verde River the entire way and features a 680-foot-long curved tunnel and many bridges. The route is on the south of the Verde River through Prescott National Forest land; the Coconino National Forest lies northeast across the river.