Wine In The Desert (AZ)
DEPARTURE TIME:
Exactly 8:00 AM - In-N-Out open at 10:30 and it’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to get there.
Trip Checklist:
A full tank of fuel before you depart to make the best time
A co-driver if you’re wine tasting responsibly
A downloaded copy of the map for offline navigation
Download your music offline
Check the weather in Jerome before you go! It’s rare, but they do get snow there almost every year.
DAN'S NOTES:
This is actually the very first “Dan’s Drive”. A long time ago I wanted to find a reason to drive across several states and see what was along the way, so I chose my destination to be Caduceus Winery in Jerome, AZ since I was a Tool fan.
Starting from Scottsdale, where you should be going for car week, head out towards Prescott so you can get that first In-N-Out of the day. Or, you know, hit up those awesome corners on 89 just before Prescott. From Prescott you’ll head up 89A into the Mingus Mountains. If you have a GoPro, you should start it right around this marker, which is just before the hill climb fun starts. Enjoy the curves, and the best photo-op spot I’ve found is right here at this overview.
SLOW DOWN coming into Jerome. The police are friendly here, but they love their speed traps and they are common at both end of town and coming down the mountain into Clarkdale as well. Take your time in Jerome. If you can, park close to Caduceus winery and be sure to check out the amazing kaleidoscope store there. The plaques on all the buildings are worth the time to read as Jerome has a very interesting history of fires, gambling, brothels, and art.
Most importantly, drink the wine! Caduceus has some of the most unique wines I’ve ever had. While I won’t say it’s the best wine I’ve had since I know the nostalgia behind it plays a large role in it for me, everyone agrees that it’s unique and great for sharing.
Your next stop down the hill should be Arizona Stronghold winery for more wine; specifically the Lozen IMHO. Who knew Arizona had such good wine, right?
Alright, back to driving (sober please). If you want to cut the drive time down and explore the area more, there is a lot to see here still. Tuzigoot National Monument and Montezuma Castle are both very cool stops to see and you can divert back down to Scottsdale via 17 South. If you want to keep having some fun, continue east to 260 then 87 south. These are more sweeper corner highways and you should be prepared to use the passing zones, but it’s a fun highway that’s more scenic then straight down 17, which always felt like such a long grind back into Scottsdale for me.
Route Hard Link: https://goo.gl/maps/5ZGkQSdfc8taZZZcA
