We enjoyed a lovely day here in the Verde Valley…
It was cool and rainy, but the forecast was for improved conditions…
We drove to the small town of Clarkdale, where we were to board the Verde Canyon Railroad for a 4 hour round trip into the Verde Canyon. We easily found the Depot. (Fake vigas noted…)
We checked in and received our boarding passes… We were disappointed that the depot was not actually in the town of Clarkdale – it is in the valley below.
It was a short, 1/2 mile walk into the center of Clarkdale. We quickly found the highly recommended Violette’s, a very good French pastry place housed in an old Caboose…
We enjoyed a Croque Monsieur and Avocado Toast along with great coffee. The rain had stopped and we checked out the town.
Several towns around here were dependent on mining and smelting copper, gold, and silver. All the towns died in the early 1950s when the smelter closed and all the workers left. In the town of Jerome the population went from 15,000 to 50 in a period of about 6 months. A similar story, in various degrees, could be told for Cottonwood and Clarkdale. Over time, Jerome reinvented itself as a arts and crafts center, and Cottonwood became a center for nightlife, with restaurants, wine tasting rooms, bars, and shops.
But Clarkdale? Still waiting for something to happen. There was Violette’s, of course, and The 10/12 Lounge, a retro cocktail lounge. But the prime business block stands empty and for sale. Very sad. What this town needs is a reason for people to come and hang out here…
It was time to return to the Depot to catch the train… There were about 400 people sitting at tables, drinking coffee, shopping in the gift shops… WAIT!
Why is the Depot down in this valley, and not in the town of Clarkdale? This is exactly what the town needs! They could put the Depot in the town, then provide a way to get the people down to the train – a shuttle, an escalator, maybe a zip-line? It seems the town is missing a great opportunity…
Anyway, we found our car and found our seats. Appetizers and light snacks are provided, and a cash bar is available for beverages. The cars and chairs were very comfortable. If you wanted a better view of the scenery, an outdoor viewing car is adjacent to the parlor car…
Soon we were underway. We rode 2 hours up the Verde Canyon, along the Verde River, with great views of… Red Rocks!
There was a guide who told us what we were seeing, pointing out interesting sights and telling us a little history of the area…
The first thing we see is the Slag Heap. This covers 40 acres. Slag is the waste from the smelting operations, and it was just dumped into a pile… Slag is hot molten rock… it glowed red when it was placed. As it cooled it became this giant mountain of solid rock… It rises over 100 feet above the train, and it fills the valley below…
Above you can see the metal form work used to prevent the molten slag from covering the train tracks…
Our guide reported that someone has recently paid 6 million dollars for the slag heap, and they have set up a plant nearby to extract the small amounts of copper, silver, and gold from the slag that were too difficult to get out 60 years ago… They are about to begin operations…
So we continued into the canyon… Beautiful sights all around…
It was a lovely ride – very comfortable, very informative…
We returned to the Villa, and enjoyed a beautiful rainbow and sunset…
As I told you, last night we went to a fine Italian restaurant in the town of Camp Verde. We were so impressed with the food and the ambiance that we decided to return tonight. However, instead of ordering off the menu, we simply asked the chef to make us something special. We also specified that the portions be very small, and while I think he was a little embarrassed by how little food they gave us, it was still more than we could eat…
Paul was our server, again, and he seemed to enjoy this meal as much as we did… We began with an appetizer of Crimini mushrooms stuffed with Italian sausage , cured meats, and aged provolone cheese, with a red wine sauce… Next came a seafood pasta, which consisted of a giant Langostino atop red-wine infused house made pasta. Finally we had a beef roulade, stuffed with shrimp and aged cheese, and topped with a red wine sauce and a splash of 40 year old balsamic, all served over a base of potato. Pictures don’t do this food justice, so you will have to imagine…
For dessert we had something that was a combination of a cream puff and an Italian donut – creamed filled crispy pastry, caramel sauce, and a beautiful plate decorated with chocolate and something red…
As we stumbled back to the Villa we were happily satiated.
And an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 