Much-Needed Vacation: Day 3

by Nick Coons
May 19, 2004

<< Part 2

This was our last day of vacation, and by definition, the worst. Not to say that it was bad, but it's always hard to bring a good time to an end. We reluctantly packed up our bags and checked out of our room. Neither of us was very hungry, so our first stop was to Burger King. Yes, this is one of the best places to go when you don't really want to eat. But it was good for a quick bite.

Our next stop was through Cottonwood and up to Jerome. We took this opportunity to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere, as yesterday we simply sped through town on our way to Prescott. We stopped in at a few of the local shops, including a candy store. Among their sugary inventory were a nice variety of gummy treats, including root beer flavored gummies. I grabbed a baggy and started filling up on all sorts of goodies, which came in handy later on in the drive.

A few quick photos were snapped on our way out of Jerome. What's odd is that I've been here many times, and I find myself taking pictures each, thinking that maybe I'll capture something this time that I didn't before.

Our next stop was Prescott. I know, we were just here yesterday, but can you blame us? And if you thought that yesterday was relaxing, wait until you find out what I did this time -- Nothing. I went to the courthouse grassy area and lay there under a tree, almost to the point of falling asleep. The weather, the lighting, the background noise; it was perfect.

From here, we made a few stops to pick up some treats. A little ice cream here, a little kettle corn there, and then back to the lawn to enjoy it all.

It was getting to be a little later in the afternoon, and dinner sounded like it might be a good idea in about an hour. Back up to Cottonwood we went to find a restaurant recommended to us -- Nic's Italian Steakhouse. Really, it wasn't all that great, and I can say with pretty good certainty that I probably won't be going back any time soon.

And now we come to the worst part of a vacation; the end. It was time to drive home. And this is worse than the drive to the vacation, because it is, as before, a long drive, but you're leaving the fun, not driving towards it. On the other hand, arriving home after not seeing it for a couple of days has its own rewards; like a familiar, comfortable bed that you can fall into right out of the car.