It is one of the most scenic drives I have had to date. Following a curvy and treacherous road at at 20mph, wiggling itself along the deep edge of a beautiful, red-glowing canyon, you get to see a different side of Arizona. Usually associating it with hot desert, cactus, and tumbleweed, it is surprising to find yourself in a luscious green forest, which then opened up into a magnificent canyon with a view on the plains of Sedona and Cottonwood.

Formerly a copper mining town, Jerome is tugged away against a relatively steep hill side of Cleopatra hill. The houses are build on a steep incline with views on the whole valley. The main street wiggles down, back and forth, houses left and right, reminding one almost of a Greek mountain town.

Jerome has rediscovered itself as an artist colony. There are endless galleries to visit and just strolling off main street one can discover the back yards of the artists filled with sculptures and their raw elements. And given the amazing beauty of the landscape around it, it is not surprising so many creatives have settled here.

Listen to live music while meeting the locals. It's a great bar to get to know the history of Jerome, how it was almost abandoned after the mine closed.

The Jerome Grand hotel sits atop Jerome and has a phenomenal view down on the town and the valley. It is a beautiful old building. However, it also used to be a former hospital and asylum and my neighbors at breakfast had a few stories about her being woken up by something "ghostish", messing with her iPod in the middle of the night. You've been warned.