After a late March 2006 visit in Phoenix with my sister Jean, Donna and I took a few days to explore the northern

Arizona towns of Prescott and Sedona and then on to the Grand Canyon.  Here are a few photos from each of

those stops, arranged in three web pages.

Prescott is an interesting historic town, dating back to the discovery of gold there in 1838.  After Arizona was

established as a Territory in 1864, Prescott served as its first territorial capitol until the 1880s when it was moved

first to Tucson and later to Phoenix.   Prescott has a population of about 35,000.  The downtown area is dominated

by the public square and the courthouse for Yavapai County.  Also downtown are Whiskey Row, once boasting 26

saloons and considerable notoriety.  We had a fine lunch at Murphy's Restaurant, near the downtown square. 

Murphy's is listed among the 500 best restaurants in the U.S. and its large ornate wooden bar is a must-see stop.

Late one afternoon we drove up to the Sheraton Confeence Center, atop a butte just east of Prescott.  We had a

beautiful view of the San Francisco peaks to the northeast, and later, a spectacular sunset.  At the bar in the hotel

we met a couple of colorful old-timers, both very interested in history of the area and keen to share it with us.  It

was a very enjoyable evening for talk, learning something about Prescott, and watching the sunset and Thumb

Butte.