the way to prescott / phoenix sucks

well, tucson is now just a recent memory. i left this morning around 9am or so, headed for phoenix. i had done some research online this morning and found an infoshop in phoenix and a free guided nature walk. so things were looking up. from tucson i got on the expressway just fine and got to phoenix in record time.

phoenix was large and sprawling, i wasnt into it from the start. i went to the first place i knew to in the city, the infoshop. the infoshop, called "the tribe" was just a small brick house on a real busy street next to an ace hardware. there was nothing on the exterior to make a person believe it was actually an infoshop. there were two cars in the driveway that had the sunscreens on them, as if they had been there a real long time. it was discouraging.

i circled a couple of times and then assumed it was dead. so then i was stuck. no good info, no people known, and a big hot city. i drove around the city a bit, got lost, and then found some internet. there i confirmed that phoenix wasnt for me and decided to head out. i went to the nature walk that was a bit outside of the city. i got there and the counter person said that the free guided tour had been canceled but i could pay $7 for a self guided tour. wha? i thought about sneaking in, but i was the only person there and i had already given myself away. discouraged with phoenix altogether, i left.

i headed toward the living history pioneer museum, it sounded interesting. and it was only a couple miles north of the nature walk place. i got there and my god it was dead! living history my ass. there was no one else there and it was just some adobe walls with wild west saloon scenes painted on them. again, discouraging. i turned around and got on the highway.

which highway, carefree highway, headed toward wickenton or something. i am a sucker for things, so when i saw the stanton ghost town turnoff, i took it. i would love to see a real abandoned town, a ghost city like fort ord. it was about 20 miles from the highway on a dirt and gravel road. and when i finally got there? tons of people! it wasnt a ghost town at all, there was a small community of rv folks that lived there and panned for gold. i walked around the "old" buildings (they had all been refurbished and people lived in them) and it was free to stay the night there if i wanted. i thought about it, but just left.

i was on my way to prescott. steev and greta told me prescott would be better, it would be cooler (in temperature) and cooler (in general). i got my hopes up, and so far they havent been let down. it is a mountain community, that reminds me of portland pared down and crumbled together with crown point indiana. i went to the downtown square where a lie band was setting up and got some wifi right there.

the infoshop is just a block or so from the downtown square, so i walked to that. it was closed but looked wonderful. it had a free porch outside and a little stage outside, a bookstore and infoshop inside. they had an information board and and sheet of resources for free food, shelters, and other resources! how great. ecstatic i walked back to the square.

there i just walked around for a bit, the band was still setting up. i got a free weekly paper and then just sat and breathed it in for a moment, enjoyed it. then i got back online to find a bar! or something else to do tonight. i found a place called sundances place. the only punk/dive bar in prescott. tonight is 80's night and they have cheap beer and wifi.

i could like this place. since i bypassed phoenix, and this place seems nice, i will try to stay here through the weekend. try to slow down again, sit in the park and catch up on knotting cord. hang around the infoshop, maybe catch a show this weekend. the weather is nice, high 70's for the next week or so, and it just seems real laid back and nice.

yay.