After we left the Grand Canyon, we decided to go to Sedona for a night, but once we saw that the cheapest hotel rooms started at $400 per night, we re-routed ourselves to Prescott. (A lot of our trip segments have been planned about 40 minutes in advance.) Prescott is a cute town filled with galleries and bars, including a speakeasy called “The Point” that serves some amazing cocktails, including this one, the “Bastard Son”:

While we were in one gallery, the owner said “You’re also going to visit Jerome while you’re here, right?”—to which we asked “What’s Jerome?” Jerome is a former mining town that has become an artist’s colony and refuge for aging hippies. Like many mining towns, it had a reputation as being a sinful place, full of bars and prostitutes. We visited the next day, which happened to be the town’s 125th anniversary, so naturally there was a parade.

From there, we drove to Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Trees were designed by Dr. Seuss were created by cross-pollinating an oak tree and a toilet brush were given their name by Mormon immigrants who likened the trees to the biblical figure Joseph, because their limbs seemed to beckon the travelers westward.

From there, it was onward to the coast, Los Angeles, and the Aquarium of the Pacific. Things are now back in order.

Next: Ukuleles.