The last time my husband Tom and I went to Prescott, Arizona, we went in September 2021. The locals told us we needed to come back in December and see the Holiday lights in the town square. So when I asked my husband where he would like to go on our next quick adventure, he said Prescott, Arizona, to see the town decorations and lights.
We stayed at the lovely Hassayampa Inn. The inn was constructed in 1927 and opened as “The Jewel of the County.” Prescott was the Capitol of Arizona at that time. The inn is on the National Historic Register.
The hotel had a fire raging in the fireplace when we walked into the hotel. It was very welcoming. There is an old antique staircase, or you can take the original elevator with a staff member operator.
We stayed in Room 426, a corner suite with a balcony with a beautiful view of downtown Prescott. The patio would be great to sit outside during spring, fall and summer, but in the winter, it was a little too chilly to be out there too long unless you had an outside heater fired up and accompanying you.
During our stay, a few guests asked us about our room. One guest wanted to change their room to 426 after we left. Some were curious about the patio, and others about it rumored haunted. One of the guests said a young bride named Faith hung herself in the room after her husband didn’t come back from the store.
Did Tom or I have any haunting encounters in Room 426?
The only thing I experienced was sitting in a chair in the room on the first day, and I felt like someone was touching my hair, but no one was there. Tom didn’t have any unusual experiences.
We waited for dusk and walked to the downtown court area to see the lights.
With Tom and I living in the desert, we don’t see snow at all, and this was our first time making an effort to go somewhere that may have snow during the holiday, even though there wasn’t much snow.
On this day trip, I went with my childhood friend Krysti. When I had told her about my travel blog adventures, she said she wants to do a day’s travel with me; I said, okay, you pick the place. So the trip planning experience was a let’s go for it approach. Krysti decided on Sonoita, Arizona; it is about a 60-minute drive from Tucson. So we met in Tucson and started our voyage from there. Krysti made some Sonoita Coffee Roasters – Medium Roast Sonoita Sunrise blend coffee to begin our road trip adventure. The coffee is so good! It seemed fitting since we were going to Sonoita, Arizona.
Sonoita is the cross-road to get to Patagonia Lake, Parker Canyon Lake, and Elgin. In addition, there are a few wineries in the communities of Sonoita and Elgin on the beautiful scenic route of Highway 83.
Our first stop was Corner Scoop restaurant in Sonoita, with an outdoor sitting area, for lunch. I ordered an Italian sandwich with pickles. It was delicious.
Our next stop was the Sonoita Vineyards for wine tasting. We walked up to the bar, and I tried the Sweet & Lights wines. The place was in a beautiful setting. The people there were pleasant and friendly and had some unique merchandise for sale.
The next stop was The Village of Elgin Winery for some more wine tasting. I have to say this was my happy wine place. I tasted the Sangaria’s Berry Rose (Blackberry and Raspberry) and Morgana (Pomegranate and Strawberry). I bought a bottle of each. Krysti liked the wine and gin there as well.
Patti at The Village of Elgin Winery Krysti’s wine and gin selection
We met up with the co-owner Benjamin de la Garza, and he was gracious to explain to us how the coffee beans roasted. Sonoita Coffee Roasters traces back to 2010 as a coffee roasting hobby. After six years of hobby roasting and building interest in the town for locally roasted organic coffee, the Sonoita Coffee Roasters LLC began in Sonoita, Arizona. The company grew its clientele locally through word-of-mouth advertising and by participating in local coffee-related events. After learning Sonoita Coffee Roasters’ roasting methodology, Benjamin and Jessica de la Garza purchased the company in 2018. Sonoita Coffee Roasters focuses on the local Sonoita community while expanding its market outwards to the Tucson Metropolitan area, Patagonia, Benson, Sierra Vista, Wilcox, and online markets. They believe fresher is better and in roasting frequently to provide the highest quality product. Roast days are Mondays and Thursdays.
After meeting with Benjamin de la Garza, we headed back to Tucson.
In this adventure of Sonoita and Elgin, we enjoyed learning about wine, distillery, and coffee roasting. However, we wish we had more time to visit even more wineries and distilleries. Until next time.
I would love to hear about your favorite travel adventures in Sonoita and Elgin.
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As a Work-Life Balance and Leadership coach, my goal is to encourage managers and supervisors to take time away from work and enjoy life. I started this travel adventure blog to inspire others to get away from work and spend time with family and friends, whether for a day trip, weekend, or a week-long or more vacation. It can be a spur of the moment or a well-planned adventure.
On this travel adventure, my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren invited me to go to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, for a three-day beach trip. We stayed at an Airbnb house within walking distance of the beach. I hadn’t been to Rocky Point since I was a child and didn’t remember it at all. However, I was grateful and looking forward to seeing it and spending time with my family.
The Airbnb house had an iron gate around the whole property with two full-sized bedrooms, queen-sized beds, and one room with bunk beds, a bathroom with a shower, kitchen, and living room. The yard was large for parking and had a place to wash off the sand after going into the beach. You couldn’t see the ocean from the house, but it had a lovely sunset view. Unfortunately, I didn’t get up early enough to see the sunrise, but I wish I had. We could hear live music from a bar not too far away outside on the patio at the house in the evening. The band was good, and we had fun dancing to the music.
My son-in-law can speak Spanish and knew his way around. It was nice having someone in the group who could communicate, understand, translate, and read menus, especially when shopping and at local restaurants.
We went in late May; it wasn’t too hot on the beach or outside as long as you were in the shade and wearing a hat when not in the shade. My grandkids loved playing in the sand with their buckets, shovels, rakes and standing in the water while the waves rushed up to them. The water was a cool temperature in the morning and got warmer in the late afternoon. It was fun watching the boats, parasails, and people swimming in the ocean.
There were a lot of merchants coming up to us with their products and services. Of course, when you’re trying to read a book or relax, that can be an unpleasant experience, but as more people came onto the beach, they started to thin out a bit on approaching us.
It was nice that we began our trip on a Thursday and spent all day on the beach on Friday because it wasn’t packed with people. On Saturday morning, we went to the beach, and it was starting to get jam-packed. So we spent a couple of hours there and drove back home.
The Takeaway:
Taking time out from the daily grind and getting away for a quick trip to the beach is refreshing and good for the soul. In addition, spending quality time with family is vital to stay connected while making meaningful memories that last forever.
I would love to hear your thoughts as a manager or supervisor on how you plan your travel adventures.
If you are struggling with creating a balanced life. How about hiring a leadership, life, or career coach like me to help you work through the daily challenges, and continue moving forward to where you want to be with your life.
If you would like to work with me for coaching services, click the “Schedule Now” button below.
If you enjoyed this blog post, how about showing appreciation and (buying) sharing a cup of coffee with me. ☕️ What is share (buy) me a cup of coffee? It is a beautiful way to express your gratitude and support for my work by buying me a cup of coffee.
Being a Work-Life Balance and Leadership coach, one of the things I coach on is taking time away from work and enjoying life. I started this travel adventure blog to inspire others that you can take time away from work, whether it is a day, weekend, or a week-long or more vacation. It can be on a whim or planned out.
On this adventure, we took a two-day experience in the middle of the week to Flagstaff, Arizona. Downtown Flagstaff has a train depot in the center of downtown with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars.
A little history of how Flagstaff began it was a perfect location for providing a water supply for the train back in the 1800s; the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad began to lay track westward from Albuquerque to California. In 1882, Flagstaff became an established town with a railroad, livestock and lumber industries, and service industry of merchants, cafes, hotels, and saloons to serve the sheepherders, cowboys, loggers, and train travelers.
We stayed at a bed and breakfast called England House Bed and Breakfast. Wow, what a beautiful location, and the hosts are fantastic. We stayed in the Cellar Room. It was large and cozy. My husband thought the bed was a little too soft, if you like soft beds you will love it! All in all, it was a great stay. There is a gas fireplace in the room. I made the mistake of turning it on and couldn’t get it to shut off. It is on a timer, and I turned it too far. I’m sure in the wintertime the fireplace would be lovely. My husband opened the window, and it cooled down the room after the fireplace turned off. We had a good laugh about it.
The side of the bed and breakfast.
The back area, garage and the guest house.
The Parlor
The Kitchen
Down the stairs to the Cellar Room
The Fireplace
The breakfasts and coffee were delicious. The hosts were friendly and generous with conversation and answering questions. The accommodations had many places to sit outside and enjoy the weather.
Tom and I also took a walking tour of downtown Flagstaff. The battery in my camera went dead, so no photos this time around. 🙁
We enjoyed our short time in Flagstaff, and during our adventure, we met some friendly people at the bed and breakfast, from guests to staff along the way.
Have you ever been to Flagstaff? What was your adventure like?
If you enjoyed this blog post, how about showing appreciation and (buying) sharing a cup of coffee with me. ☕️ What is share (buy) me a cup of coffee? It is a beautiful way to express your gratitude and support for my work by buying me a cup of coffee.
My husband and I decided to do a quick travel adventure to Bisbee, Arizona. We talked about going for some time and decided to go. So I planned out our experience. We would start with a mining tour at the Queen Historic Mine Tours through the City of Bisbee.
When we got close to Bisbee, we wanted to find out where the Queen Mine was before having lunch.
Patti at Queen Mine Tour (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
Queen Mine Shaft (photo by Patti Oskvarek)
Riding on the mining trolley in the tunnels at Queen Mine (Video by Thomas Oskvarek)
Lavender Mining Pit (Photo by Patti Oskvarek)
The tour was fun, and the tour guides (Ken and Mike) were knowledgeable, entertaining and kept us safe inside the tunnels. Mining was a dangerous profession, and the miners paid well. They never knew when they went to work if they would come back and see their family again.
Before checking into the Hotel, we went into the Bisbee Grand Hotel Saloon for a cold beer. We didn’t realize at first that the saloon is where you check-in into the Hotel.
(Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
Patti in front of the door at The Bisbee Grand Hotel (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
We checked into the Hotel and given one key to the room. Fortunately, we parked across the street in a small parking lot. It was tight quarters because we drove a large Pickup truck. It was a good thing there was a space available that was big enough for the vehicle to fit.
The Hotel is lovely—antique furniture, walls, and carpet. It has two patios, one in front and one in back.
Our room #2 was up the stairs to the left and towards the end of the hall. It had a queen-sized bed, and on the left was a sink. Next to the bed, the bathroom was right through a door with a toilet and shower. The room had a flat-screen TV and a closet to hang clothes. There was an old fashion window above the door without a curtain, and the hall light was visible at night. Consider it an old fashion night light but brighter.
Back Patio Area (Photo by Patti Oskvarek)
That evening we went on the walking ghost tour. Our host was Dani. I had taken some photos of her, but they didn’t turn out well.
Dani the Tour Guide (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
The walking ghost tour started with daylight but soon went into darkness. At night is was creepy walking the back streets on Bisbee and hearing about the history, places, and tragedies.
At 8:00 pm, we started hearing howling. Dani explained that the community began howling to each other at 8:00 pm every night to connect during the lockdown.
One of the creepiest places we visited on tour was outside this house with angel statues.
House with the Angels (Photo by Patti Oskvarek)House with the Angels in the daytime (Photo by Patti Oskvarek)
Another unique place was the alleyway with paintings. The paintings are by local artists. The locals felt negative energy in the alleyway and came up with the idea to change the vibe with creative positivity.
The Alley with the Local Artists Paintings (Photo by Patti Oskvarek)
That night when we got closer to that alley, I was not too fond of the feeling of it, and this was before she even told us about it.
The local park was another place that was creepy at night. She told us that it was a cemetery, the area flooded, and the remains were relocated.
Park in Bisbee, Arizona (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
Park in Bisbee, Arizona (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
On the walking tour, we came across the Oliver House. Dani pointed out that the house is very haunted and has been on TV and investigated by paranormal investigators.
The Oliver House is the Brown Building (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
We visited the Hotel La More and legend has it that there is a feral ghost cat. Here is a photo my husband took of the staircase. If you look at the green dots, you may see the outline of a cat.
The Feral Ghost Cat (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
At the end of the tour, we finished at the Copper Queen Hotel, Restaurant and Bar. Copper Queen Hotel, Restaurant and Bar is a popular spot in Bisbee. It has been said that Johnny Depp was asked not to return.
When we got back to our hotel room at the Bisbee Grand, I heard a lady laughing loudly in the bathroom. Tom didn’t hear laughing. It was so weird.
During the night, Tom awoke approximately between 1:30 and 2:00 am. He had a vision of a lady’s face about 2 feet in front of him; he just saw her head and shoulder outline no facial features. It was blurry. She had her hair pulled back loosely and bunched up in a bun. She didn’t speak any words to him, and he heard thoughts put in his head to get dressed and leave the Hotel. He got up, put his t-shirt on, went back to the bed, sat down for a moment, and was so tired he laid back down and went back to sleep. In the morning, I noticed he was wearing a T-shirt. All the time I have known him, he has never slept in a shirt, not even in winter. When I asked him about why he was wearing a t-shirt, this is what he said.
In the morning, we had a complimentary breakfast in the Bisbee Grand Hotel Saloon. The breakfast was delicious, and the waiters were friendly. After breakfast, Tom and I went to the coffee house, had some mocha ice coffee, and sat out in the patio area. There was a nice breeze and a good view of the town and mountains.
View of Mountains (Photo by Patti Oskvarek)
Then we walked downtown and did some window shopping. Most of the shops don’t open up until 10:00 or 11:00 am, and they close around 8:00 pm.
Bisbee, Arizona (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
(Photo by Patti Oskvarek)
Standing in the streets of Bisbee, Arizona (Photo by Thomas Oskvarek)
Tom and I discussed we want to go back to Bisbee again for another adventure. My hope is you enjoyed the Bisbee experience until next time. ~ Patti
My husband and I wanted to take a short adventure trip and decided to go to Jerome, Arizona. Jerome is a small town in central Arizona located on top of Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Flagstaff is Jerome, Arizona’s historic copper mining town. Back in the 1880s, Jerome was a large copper mining town. It has a wild history and was once called the “Wickest Town of the West.”
Tom and Patti in Jerome, Arizona
When founded in 1876, Jerome became the fourth largest city in Arizona, and the population peaked at approximately 15,000 in the 1920s. The Great Depression slowed the mining operation, and the claim eventually went to Phelps Dodge, who still holds the share to this day. World War II significantly increased the demand for copper, but the demand for copper decreased dramatically after the war. Jerome’s economy was primarily dependent upon the need for copper; Phelps Dodge Mine closed in 1953, with less than 100 residents, and they started promoting the town as a historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government.
Some of the winding roads in Jerome, Arizona
Jerome is thriving with tourists and artists and has approximately 450 residences. It is one of America’s largest ghost towns. The drive up the mountain is winding, curving, and uphill, and the views are breathtaking. It is a mile high in elevation. You will see a sign within the town indicating the height. When we arrived in Jerome, we wanted to find parking close to the hotel. It was a Sunday, with lots of tourists, so we parked in the paid parking area.
Patti looking out the window from Room 1 in the Connor Hotel of Jerome
We checked into the Connor Hotel of Jerome. The hotel has been around since 1898. Our stay was in Room 1, which is in the hotel’s corner section with the windows facing two directions. What a beautiful room with antique furniture. The room is known for being haunted.
Patti sitting on the antique furniture in Room 1 of Connor Hotel of Jerome
I had plugged in my phone charger and was freshening up in the bathroom, and Tom was lying down on the bed taking a nap. While I was in the bathroom putting on makeup, he called out to me, “Patti, what did you say?” I replied I didn’t say anything. He said, I heard your voice; I said it wasn’t me.
Tom was still lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and I noticed my phone charging cord was unplugged from the wall. I thought that is weird. Later that night, I asked Tom about it, and he didn’t unplug it.
Patti walking down the hall in the Connor Hotel of Jerome
That evening we went on a local ghost tour, and one of the places that the tour guide took us was outside our hotel. He told the hotel’s story of burning down twice and restored and that guests who stay in the hotel have had unexplained electrical occurrences, fathom ghost dog barking and hearing a women’s voice.
We didn’t hear a fathom ghost dog barking. Connor Hotel of Jerome is dog friendly, and we did see other guests accompanied by their dogs.
That night while in bed, I felt my legs touched throughout the night. Tom woke up with the feeling of his legs held down firmly as well.
Do I think the hotel’s haunted? From our experiences in the hotel, yes, I do. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the hotel is enchanting.
Would we go back again? Most definitely, Jerome is one of our favorite places to visit.
It was a short visit, and most of the other times, we stay for at least two days. Walking around the town, shopping, eating, wine tasting, and most of all, the ghost tours.
Jerome has a variety of shops, restaurants, and lodging. If you enjoy wine tasting, Jerome has some wine tasting venues. Other places to explore in the surrounding areas are the Arizona Verde Valley, Cottonwood, Clarksdale, Camp Verde, Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Sedona. In future blog posts, we will explore some of these places and possibly more of Jerome again.
I would love to hear if you have been to Jerome, Arizona and what was your experience was like?
If you enjoyed this blog post, how about showing appreciation and (buying) sharing a cup of coffee with me. ☕️ What is share (buy) me a cup of coffee? It is a beautiful way to express your gratitude and support for my work by buying me a cup of coffee.
