We felt that we shouldn’t miss Prescott, AZ as we generally head west toward Las Vegas, where we will spend Thanksgiving week with Andrew. So from the desert we drove north back into the piney mountains. The town lies at 5000 feet in the midst of two national forests. Hiking/biking trails surround the city on all sides and the climate, although cooler than Tucson, easily supports year-round outdoor activity in the sunshine. The iconic Thumb Butte, above at sunset, is a great hike as we discovered yesterday. The greater community has three colleges, a VA hospital, and all of the usual retail big and small. In addition to Starbucks, free-standing and in several grocery stores, there are at least 10 other coffee places, including one combined with a laundry. Not bad for a population of 40,000.