Water, where you'd least expect to find it.

Lakes in the Desert and a Visit to an Old Friend

Lakes aren’t exactly what you expect to find smack dab in the middle of the desert, but just outside Prescott, AZ, sits a real gem—Watson Lake. A stunning surprise in an otherwise arid landscape.

Lake Watson, Prescott

After my fiery escape from the Bradshaw Mountains, I rolled out of Prescott and headed for Jerome. But it wasn’t the town itself that drew me back—it was a crusty old character named Don Robinson, who runs the Gold King Mine Ghost Town, just a quarter-mile past Jerome.

Jerome: From Ghost Town to Tourist Trap

Sadly, Jerome isn’t what it used to be.

Once an almost-abandoned mining town with dusty windows, quirky shops, and restaurants that proudly displayed “Open from 11 to 4” signs, Jerome has now transformed into just another tourist trap. Gone is the eerie, forgotten charm. In its place? Crowds, souvenirs, and overpriced trinkets.

The only Submarine Engine that actually functions outside of a Sub.

After and Before. Only last year Don raced this car. The one on the left that is.

Don Robinson: The Wizard of Rusty Relics

But Don? He hasn’t changed a bit.

Don is a mechanical genius with a knack for taking a pile of rust and turning it into something that moves, grunts, or twirls again. If it once had wheels, gears, or an engine—be it an old car, truck, or even a submarine engine—Don can bring it back to life.

At 73 years young, he’s still at it, though his hat and shirt have seen better days, and his pit crew has shrunk in both size and ability.

But that doesn’t slow him down. Don still builds and races cars, tinkering away in his mechanical wonderland, turning sow’s ears into silk purses—or at least something that runs.

And that, my friends, is far more interesting than anything you’ll find in a Jerome gift shop.

Directing work under the hood.

Don and his pit crew. At least what's left of it.

Pushing onward.

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