Sunday, February 19, 2012

Ghost Hunters

Recently, we went on a LONG drive to the former ghost town of Jerome.  I say former because this place shows a lot of life today and thrives on thousands of visits everyday.  It is home to people who like to ride motorcycles, artists, and people who like to sing Stevie Nick's music.  Not that there is anything wrong with that:).....but I believe that the ghosts have been chased away from this tiny little town on the hill.  BUT it still has a lot of charm.
Jerome has fantastic views, shops, and restaurants.  Parking still sucks and scares the crap out of me.  Remember to turn your wheels and put on your parking brake if you find a spot somewhere on the hill....and you will.  Just be patient:) It's also rather cool this time of year so bring a jacket:)
I love this place in the summer.  Miners made this land crumbly and a thicket of the Tree of Heaven(or Hell) grows around the tiny village.  It's really beautiful actually.
You can see the red rocks of Sedona only 27 miles away.  Honestly, I'm not a big Sedona fan and the people searching for spirits in these rocks are a bit coo coo in the cocoa puffs. Let me explain.  Before the rich came and developed this highly sought after land, there were spirits and ghosts.  But they are all but gone today.  It's nothing more than a tourist trap now and if you hate crowds, you'll hate these places.  SO....if you are a nature buff, what you really need to focus on (if you are like me) are  the trails of the mighty Mingus Mountains behind Jerome or the lovely trails of Sedona where it's a bit more difficult to walk for the regular tourist crowd.
At the Mingus Mountains in the 90's.

I know many of you reading this post actually love these places and I enjoy them for what they are.  But like anything discovered, the charm can sometimes evaporate from places like Sedona and some will argue Jerome as well.  I remember the late 80's when it actually felt like a ghost town and Sedona wasn't as built up as it is now.  In fact Oak Creek Canyon was free to all at one point, but today it sadly has to be managed due to crowds of people stomping over the grounds. Go during the weekdays.  It's less hectic and you won't have the weekend crowd from Phoenix.

Jerome still has a nice feel to it.  The buildings are still old and they've done a great job making it a place for people to want and visit. 

So why visit?  Well, I get a lot of artistic design for my garden and home from visiting places like these.  While a lot of the stuff can be overpriced, ideas are free.
King Tuzigoot joined me for a drink.
If I were in the area, I'd check out this charming B & B and her gardens.  It was one of my favorite finds. I'd stay here!  The night really calms down as all the tourists disappear.  And I think that's when this town really comes alive!
The place is called the Surgeon's House and it really had some great landscaping and garden going on.  There is a water fountain and the inside of the building is really really charming.  Expensive?  Maybe.  But if you're looking for a little R and R for yourself and spouse, lover, boyfriend, girfriend, life partner, mistress, I'd stay here:) Or if you're just looking for a quiet getaway for yourself, this looks like a great place to get lost.  Reserve ahead of time though because it looks like a popular place to stay. 
The streets are hilly.  The people are friendly. Food and drinks are aplenty, but sadly the ghosts and other spirits have moved elsewhere:)
But it's still worth the visit.


16 comments:

  1. I see you finally made it up to Jerome! I love the Surgeon's House and have yet to post my pics from last summer's trip. When I first moved to AZ in 1972 Sedona had some great galleries and restaurants but was not crowded and Jerome had a population of 7!

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    1. Hi Kathy! We finally made the drive up. There is so much going on in Tucson right now that we made the effort. It was on my schedule of Northern Arizona activities "to do" for the blog. In '87 the town had around 300 people. Today I think it's tripled that number. It's amazing the number of motorcyclists that drive up that way.

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  2. A wonderful post...many thanks for sharing your knowledge and images.

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  3. I have always wanted to visit one of these ghost, but not with hords of tourists as they destroy they are a nuisance (sorry!).
    I find these stories of the land being invaded by spirits interesting as they are linked to old traditions. We have them in France too and i often wondered if they had been invented a long time ago by people who were up to some mischief or just wanted to be left in peace, so to keep the nosy crowds at bay!
    And of course in a place like Jerome and Sedona that would be old Indian religious tradition.
    I like the artifact, especially these multi coloured dead skulls!Wishing you a sunny Sunday!

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  4. It does look like a fun place to visit. The bed and breakfast is a beautiful building.

    I chuckled at the "coo coo in cocoa puffs" line. :)

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  5. When I lived in Flagstaff, Jerome was one of my favorite places to visit. It is like the Bisbee of the north!

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    1. Hey there stranger! How's everything going? Personally, I LOVE Bisbee. It's still on the DL:) Hope you both are having a nice weekend. Chris

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  6. funny, when i started reading your post, i immediately thought of kathy as she's mentioned this town before. :)

    i understand the commercialism that can ruin a spiritual place. hope they can retain a bit of the charm. liked that 'ideas are free'...

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  7. Thanks for sharing your trip. Jerome looks like a fun and interesting place to visit. The Bed & Breakfast looks very nice. Wonderful photos, Happy Sunday!

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  8. this seems like one of these places that would have been wonderful to hang out in but we are a few decades too late. Like Bali (where I've never been). I've just been looking at your other blog - will Mars be like this one day? But for nature buffs who are fit, I always find a few hours walking results in dramatically less crowding.

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  9. It looks like an awesome place! When we lived in South Dakota we took our kids into some of the gold mining ghost towns in the Black Hills. Tourists stuck to everything around Mt. Rushmore so they were easy to avoid. Great post! :o)

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  10. Thanks, Rohrerbot, for taking us along this lovely tour with you. I suppose you got inspiration for your home and garden. In the long history, something's lost and something’s gained, it’s natural. I’m glad to know you liked the place while keeping the special feel of the town of the late 80’s in your mind. I can relate to it especially when I go back to my hometown Kobe. I like the charms of revitalized Kobe after the 1995 devastating earthquake, while I miss the familiar scenes which is gone.

    Yoko

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  11. What an awesome looking place! I wonder if they give ghost tours at night???

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  12. Hahaha, i thought there really are ghosts, which could be more attractive these days. And because you are going there, there could really be very unusual finds, however i was disappointed at the end, LOL.

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  13. Everybody and their brother who visits me wants to go to Jerome which is okay except it gives me vertigo.

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