bonus ‘zona
With a blizzard fudging up my trip home, I took a gander at a map of Arizona and set my sights on Prescott. I knew a few people who landed there after college, and all reports pointed to a cute mountain town with good coffee. Fine, I’ll go!
After another death defying mountain pass, I arrived at Whiskey Row. I know I’m becoming a broken record, but it was cold as all hell. I grabbed a mediocre burger in stellar environs at Arizona’s Most Historic Saloon.
The next morning I accidentally got breakfast at a Jesus-y place (gross!) then took a hike around Watson Lake. It was an 6 mile jaunt and a GRAND adventure. The trail wound through little canyons and over ledgy hills that were straight out of Disney’s Thunder Mountain Railroad.
After the hike, I followed a recommendation and grabbed lunch at the Raven Cafe. Super yummy Thai chicken cashew tacos, goat cheese cheesecake, and strong espresso sucked me into a multi-hour hangout vortex. Mmmmm.
After I was thoroughly stuffed, I trucked it back to Scottsdale. My new flight back to Boston was a Sunday dawn patrol, which required sketchy van drop logistics. I spent the witching hour Saturday night waiting 45 minutes for an Uber in an abandoned industrial park to go sleep for 4 hours in a $200 hotel room to ensure I’d get to the airport in time. Not fun. HOWEVER, before that shitshow, I spent a blessed evening at Scootin’ Boots Dance Hall!! I learned some two step and a fun line dance that involved a simultaneous high kick and knee slap. I still hate country music, but cannot deny that I’m really into slapping my knee in sync with 40 people in cowboy hats.
YEEHAW!
I wearily landed back in Boston wanting 1) a van and 2) to slap my knee more regularly.
where: prescott, AZ/ancestral lands of the yavapaiv apache and hohokam peoples
when: snowy february
how: watson lake loop, 6 miles with wrong turns
