Sonya Stanchfield was in the Verde Valley for the first time last week along with her husband, John.
An artist and farmer, Stanchfield said she was drawn to the area because the couple wanted to check out Sedona.
Stanchfield said she wanted to see the area because of its reputation as a community that focuses on artists.
“We’ve always wanted to visit,” John Stanchfield said.
On Wednesday, however, the couple was in Camp Verde, enjoying a lunch beneath the Camp Verde ramada off of Hollamon Street.
The couple had spent the day visiting Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well as part of a series of side trips beyond Sedona.
John said he enjoyed the cliffside castle but was actually more interested by the variety of trees in the area around the national monument.
They also made it to Tuzigoot near Clarkdale, the old housing complex built by the Sinagua who lived in the Verde Valley until the 1400s when they left for reasons that are still unclear.
The couple had planned to perhaps take a trip to see the Grand Canyon.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, Nov. 26, edition of The Camp Verde Journal.
