Cousin Michelle and J.D. joined us for brunch at Steve and Marti's, after which we met up with the rest of the Goetz gang in downtown Prescott to do some browsing in the local shops. This was the last activity of the Goetz brothers reunion before John, Kathy, Bill, and Patti had to drive to Phoenix to catch their flights home. Tom and I still had a few more days to play in Arizona.
Interesting find at a shop in Prescott
In the late afternoon, the two of us drove over to Watson Lake to do some hiking. Watson Lake is a scenic reservoir on the north side of Prescott with large areas of exposed bedrock and boulders referred to as the Granite Dells. We visited here on our 2021 trip, and it was an area I wanted to see again.
Granite Dells
Watson Lake
Nice day for a paddle
The best spot to access the Granite Dells is the north boat ramp at Watson Lake Park. There were quite a few people out kayaking on this sunny Sunday. Though a little congested by the shore, as soon as we hit the trail, foot traffic thinned considerably.
Starting up the trail
Steeper route to the top
Little lizards
There's a trail that completely circles the lake, but we'd gotten a late start, so we picked out what looked like the best section, the Watson Lake, Granite Dells, and Flume Loop, a moderate trail of just over two miles. The views were awesome!
Watson Lake Dam
Watson Lake Dam from below
Below the dam
Today was the prettiest day of our trip so far, around 70 degrees, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky. Despite being nice and warm in Prescott, we could see to the north, at a higher elevation, there was still a lot of snow on the mountaintops. Yikes!
Snow-capped peaks
We spent our last night in Prescott back at Steve and Marti's watching a movie, a more mellow evening after last night's festivities. For dinner, we ate our leftovers from Papa's Italian Restaurant. Delicious!