Son of a Sailor

Monument Valley to Prescott, a very long.....fun drive.

**Morning, looking away from our room west, as we prepped to leave.**

Looking out over the backside of Monument Valley away from the rising sun, I knew the day would bring a long drive. I was ready. We were heading across Arizona…from the storied desert landscapes of Monument Valley through the canyons and forests of the Arizona high country, into Prescott.

**From the deserts and remote reservation lands through the posh Sedona to Arizona Cowboy Country, Prescott.**

We were heading to Prescott and staying there for a day or so in order to attend the Worlds Oldest Rodeo…the Prescott Rodeo. We knocked out the drive between Monument Valley and Flagstaff in one long push, with lots of desert driving in and among reservation lands. Once in Flagstaff, we charged at the Rivian Adventure Network Chargers and made sure we had appropriate attire for the rodeo. Fully charged, we took off through Sedona and on into Prescott. Once in town, we made straight for a hotel we had stayed in when the kids were tiny, the Grand Highland Hotel. This is an original brick structure from the rowdy days of Prescott being a frontier town, having NOT survived the great fire of July 1900. It was rebuilt in 1903. It served as a rooming house and brothel, now a boutique hotel.

**The back of the hotel, where you actually enter and exit with luggage, because there’s a free parking structure right where I’m taking the picture.**

Once checked in, we went for a walk and figured out what day it was, meaning we would stand by and observe the memorial services happening in the Central Park area.

See, we were in Prescott twelve years to the day (June 30th) that 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew were killed on a fireline, in the line of duty. The Granite Mountain Hotshots were based in Prescott. Knowing this, we had strong feelings of a duty to remain and observe the memorial service, as a way to honor each of those firefighters. Present at the memorial service was the one member of the crew who survived and Captain Eric Marsh’s spouse. A major motion picture (movie) was made about the tragedy starring Josh Brolin, titled “Only the Brave”.

**Firefighters holding vigil at the Granite Mountain Memorial site in Prescott. This is in the park where the memorial service was held, but we did not take pictures of the service out of respect.**

**The Prescott Courthouse, still in use in the middle of the park/square and across from the Grand Highland hotel.**

In the evening, we walked a short distance down from the hotel to the Palace Restaurant and Saloon for dinner. This bar was originally built in 1877, burned down in 1900 and was rebuilt in 1901. However, the wooden Brunswick bar is original. The popular legend (supported by some facts) says that even with the fire burning around them, seasoned patrons succeeded in picking up the bar and moving it across the street while the fire ravaged whisky row. And….those same patrons pulled their stools up the bar and kept drinking. Yep, there’s a tale for you!

**The famous original Brunswick Bar, centerpiece of the Palace Saloon.**

**I think this just speaks for itself.**

**Several movies have been filmed in the Palace, including Junior Bonner.**

**You can’t go many places in Prescott, Az without observing respectful tributes to the Granite Mountain Hotshots.**

Monument Valley to Prescott was a long drive in an EV, but worth it. It’s meaningful that we were able to observe the June 30th Memorial Service to the Granite Mountain Hotshots in their own town. We also had the same room in the Grand Highland that we stayed in with our very little kids years ago, which is significant to us too. We know you can never exactly recreate memories by doing the same things years later, but you can always create new memories.

We slept really well that night, looking forward to seeing the Worlds Oldest Rodeo the next day.

This website exists to educate and entertain you as we travel with our kids. We’ve traveled on our cruising sailboat with our kids, driven a skoolie (school bus) across the US with kids and we’ve taken major trips with our kids all over the world. We would like to position ourselves as travel resources if you have questions about what to bring, what to expect and how we managed these extensive travels on small budgets and some patience.

Have questions or need advice? Reach out to us, we’d love to answer questions or take comments.

Here’s some of the other posts about this 2025 Road Trip by EV with kids:

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 1

Colorado Road Trip W/Kids 2025- Day 2 On The I-40

Colorado Road Trip W/Kids 2025- Day 3 Colorado or Bust!

Colorado Road Trip W/Kids 2025- Days 4-7….Donkey Hooves

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 8…..Colorado Dreamin

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 10….Mesa Verde National Park

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 11….Four Corners & Monument Valley