Winslow

We left Gallup at 8:00 am. It was 36 degrees outside… We stopped briefly for a mid-morning snack. We are driving west along the 40 through northern Arizona…

At Winslow we turned south on tiny highway 89; the sign said, “No services next 51 miles”… They weren’t kidding:

We turned west again and soon arrived at Camp Verde, site of Historic Fort Verde (1865). Camp Verde is a working class town, a few miles south of Sedona.

We parked and set up at a very nice RV Park, then we drove to Sedona. Sedona seems like they took Santa Fe and dropped it into the middle of Bryce Canyon…

Sedona, like Santa Fe, consists of hotels and shopping areas aimed directly at tourists: gift shops, art galleries, spas, restaurants, and bars. Compared to Santa Fe, it has a little less Indian culture and a lot more spiritual culture…

Being tourists, we found a nice restaurant. Lynda ordered a small margarita…

I was still pondering the menu and the Yelp ratings…

We had a nice, but small and simple lunch, then walked through the shops amongst the other tourists. I was surprised by the number of families in town; I would have expected more well dressed ladies of a certain age (with tiny yippie dogs) and their equally well dressed male companions…

We returned to the Villa. Internet service was bad, so I had to hang out at the office to get anything done. We walked around the RV park. It is very nice, mostly seasonal and long term visitors. There were six other Airstreams in the park… Oh! Wait! We just noticed a brand new Airstream Atlas! Make that seven other Airstreams in the park…

At dinner time we sought out all the fine dining options in the area. There was one.

We went to Moscato, a fine Italian place in Camp Verde, about four miles from the RV park…

We arrived early and we walked a bit in the town, such as it is…

We found a liquor store that carried all the essentials…

We’re not in California any more…

The restaurant was VERY nice – it soon became our favorite restaurant in Camp Verde…

The food and service were great. The room is beautiful. They also have a lovely outdoor patio, but it was a bit cool for that. There were several large parties and families celebrating something or other…

We made a reservation again for tomorrow night…

And an enjoyable time was had by all…

Once again it was raining. We convoyed to Plymouth to see and hear about The National Monument to the Forefathers:

2017-07-13 Monument Forefathers 02

This thing is huge. Not Statue of Liberty huge, but impressive, none the less… It is 81′ tall.

The original concept dates to around 1820, with actual planning beginning in 1850. The cornerstone was laid August 2, 1859 and the monument was completed in October 1888. It was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on August 1, 1889.

Our guide, in Pilgrim garb, explained the monument:

2017-07-13 Monument Forefathers 05

He was a little preachy, and it was hard to tell when he was talking as a Pilgrim and when he was talking about today. But the Monument has a lot to say.

On the main pedestal stands the heroic figure of “Faith”, with her right hand pointing toward heaven and her left hand clutching the Bible. Upon the four buttresses also are seated figures emblematic of the principles upon which the Pilgrims founded their Commonwealth; counter-clockwise from the east are Morality, Law, Education, and Liberty. Each was carved from a solid block of granite, posed in the sitting position upon chairs with a high relief on either side of minor characteristics. Under “Morality” stand “Prophet” and “Evangelist”; under “Law” stand “Justice” and “Mercy”; under “Education” are “Youth” and “Wisdom”; and under “Liberty” stand “Tyranny Overthrown” and “Peace”. On the face of the buttresses, beneath these figures are high reliefs in marble, representing scenes from Pilgrim history. Under “Morality” is “Embarcation”; under “Law” is “Treaty”; under “Education” is “Compact”; and under “Freedom” is “Landing”. Upon the four faces of the main pedestal are large panels for records. The front panel is inscribed as follows: “National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty.” The right and left panels contain the names of those who came over in the Mayflower, including distant relatives of Irvine’s own Kirk Winslow. The rear panel, which was not engraved until recently, contains a quote from Governor William Bradford’s famous history, Of Plymouth Plantation:

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all praise.”

The overall scheme was designed by architect Hammatt Billings.

The rear:

2017-07-13 Monument Forefathers 04

The close-up:

2017-07-13 Monument Forefathers 03

After we learned everything and more about the Monument, we walked down to see a recreation of a 17th century grist mill. It is a fully functioning mill, and it operates on the weekends, and it sells its flour to the public.

The water wheel:

2017-07-13 Grist Mill 02

2017-07-13 Grist Mill 01

The millstones – 2,500 lbs each:

2017-07-13 Grist Mill 04

The two millstones are apart for display purposes. When the mill is operating, the one that you see vertical is turned and set atop the lower stone. The upper stone is fixed in place, and the lower stone is turned by the power of the water wheel and the gears below the floor:

2017-07-13 Grist Mill 05

These wheels and gears are the heart of the mill. It is a fascinating operation and display of the incredible power water and simple tools have. The first public grist mill was built about 10 years after the Pilgrims arrived – before that, all grain had to be ground by hand… not an enjoyable time…

After our time at the grist mill we went to lunch at a local pub. Unlike the early Pilgrims, an enjoyable time was had by all…

Adventures in the Villa

Category

2018-10-10 – Day 53 – Camp Verde and Sedona

2017-07-13 Nor by Nor’east Caravan – Plymouth, National Monument to the Forefathers, and the Grist Mill…

Search

Categories

Archives