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Arizona: Sept. 27-Oct. 10, 2022
We are smitten with Arizona--at least, the regions of the state where you can't griddle flapjacks on your windshield glass in the noonday sun. Entering AZ by way of the Colorado River at Glen Canyon Dam, we high-tailed it down the middle of the state to Phoenix, where we had our van's broken water system repaired. By this route we experienced in quick succession Arizona's two great geographic zones: the mountains and canyons of the Colorado Plateau to the north, and the vast open deserts (Sonoran, Mohave, and Chihuahuan) to the south. Let's just say we're partial to the former, and so for most of the next two weeks we stayed in the uplands where we enjoyed cooler temps and even the shade of an occasional tree. At the end of this posting you will find the story of our hair-raising adventure on the Colorado Plateau's Mogollon Rim, as well as a photo montage of historic Route 66. In case you're wondering, What? No Grand Canyon? Well, September is a popular time time to visit the national park, with reported wait times of up to two at the south entrance gate, so we will return there in the off-season. Next stop: California!
Glen Canyon Dam at Page: Northern gateway to Arizona
Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River at Page, AZ
Long ride southward through the Navajo Nation
Endless highway, Navajo Nation
The first Saguaro cactus appears outside Phoenix
In and out in 18 hours: Repairs to our van's water system get done at Sportsmobile's Phoenix location, but with temps of 100 degrees we flee to the highlands up north
Giant Logs Trail, Petrified Forest NP: High desert geologic treasures
Petrified Forest National Park: Declared a national monument by Pres. Teddy Roosevelt in 1906; elevated to national park status in 1962
Giant Logs Trail, Petrified Forest
Long Logs Trail through the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest NP: High altitude desert vistas and massive petrified fragments are our reward for hoofin' it
Ancient logjam: Long Logs Trail, Petrified Forest NP
Unnatural colors abound at Petrified Forest NP
So-called "Newspaper Rock," Petrified Forest NP: 650 petroglyphs, some 2,000 years old, were carved into rocks and boulders at this site
This boulder features anthropomorphs, that is, human petroglyph forms (Petrified Forest NP)
Flagstaff, AZ: Fine example of native stone architecture
Sedona, AZ
Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona, AZ
Hotel St Michael on Whiskey Row, Prescott, AZ
Statue of Buck O'Neill, Rough Rider in Spanish American War of 1898, Courthouse Square Park, Prescott
Whiskey Row, Prescott
Point of Rocks RV Campground, Prescott, AZ
Looking through our rig (bed in place) to our "backyard": Point of Rocks Campground, Prescott
Back to our comfort zone in the high forests of northern Arizona
National Forest campgrounds abound in the mountains of northern Arizona: our campsite was Loop B, #32
Signs galore but no wildlife sightings on this stretch of Hwy 260, northeast AZ
Two elk greeted us at our campground in Payson, AZ, but escaped the photographer's lens
Camping amidst the Ponderosa pine again, Houston Mesa Campground, Payson
Elevation 6331': Everything is sweeter above 6000 feet
Harvest Host Black Horse Brewery, Show Low: Mark enjoyed a glass of their Dirty Blonde Ale
Time to head toward the southwest corner of the state: Lake Havasu City (Route 66 again!)
Rock, meet Water: Lake Havasu as seen from London Bridge, Lake Havasu City, AZ
Palm trees for shade: Campbell Cove Campground, Lake Havasu City
Our campsite on the Colorado River, River Island State Park near Parker, AZ
Rainbow follows a dust storm, River Island State Park, Parker
Again seeking cooler temps in a higher elevation: Lake Alamo State Park, Wenden, AZ
Saguaro Cactus in our campground, Lake Alamo State Park
Wild burros, descendants of pack animals abandoned by prospectors and miners, roam freely in Alamo Lake State Park, AZ
Get off my mountain! Wild burro, Lake Alamo State Park, AZ
White Knuckle Drive on Mogollon Rim
The visitor's center near Forest Lakes, AZ was already closed for the season: a portent?
Mogollon Rim: The 200-mile-long escarpment (much of it 7,000' in elevation) marks the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau and cuts Arizona into two distinct geographic zones
Rim Road (Forest Road 300) follows the knife edge of Mogollon Rim for 45 miles between Heber and Pine, AZ
Fire tower, Rim Road: A reminder to drivers that this road was cut for firefighter access
Rim Road: Here, winter comes early (Nov.) and stays late (May)
Rim Road: Mostly unpaved, with maintenance confined to smoothing out rocks and wash-outs
790-mile-long Arizona Trail traverses Rim Road near its western terminus
Rim Road: Hey, you, pay attention, would'ya?
Supremely confident as we slowly make our way along Rim Road
Lunchtime stop, Rim Road: Conditions still clear, visibility exceptional
Rim Road: Storms developing to the south but we're still good
Rim Road warrior with our trusted van, Morgan
Heading 5
Rim Road: The threat of flash floods is ever-present in the mountains
Stormy at the western end of Rim Road, but we're at mile-marker 32 and should be off the forest road soon, right?
Heading into the storm on Rim Road: Driver taking on air of gravitas
And just like that, we are engulfed in a hail storm on Rim Road near Kehl Spring Forest Camp. Tense moments of "what-do-we-do-next?"
Rivulets forming along the road after storm, Rim Road
Grateful for tire tracks left behind by a 4x4 vehicle that careened past us: mountain folks know to head out in a storm like this
A couple of miles further along Rim Road: No sign of hail, but flooding in low-lying areas
Phew! We made it. But what's this? Another storm brewing on Hwy. 260 west of Pine, AZ
When you start seeing menacing faces in the clouds, it's time to turn around
Back to the high elevations: Heading north on Hwy 87 out of Payson, AZ
After a rain-soaked night at our favorite campground in Payson, we wake up to bright skies
The Mother Road, Route 66
Arizona has a special claim on Historic Route 66, one of America's original highways
Heading 5
From downtown Chicago to California, Route 66 ushered in the Post-War era of car travel to the west
1935 Studebaker and telephone poles running along Interstate 40 in Petrified Forest NP mark the roadbed old Route 66. Kathy's parents traversed this spot on their honeymoon in 1950.
Another Historic Route 66 sign, this one in Flagstaff, AZ
Stretch of "preserved" Route 66 from Seligman to Kingman just west of Grand Canyon: Laying claim to a legacy
Also known as "The Mother Road," services sprang up all along Route 66, as here in Seligman
Betty Boop in Seligman: Route 66 expressed the spirit of the Greatest Generation
Route 66, Seligman: Another motor motel offering weary travelers respite
Picture time, Seligman, AZ
Heading 5
Kingman & Seligman: Vying for prominence on Route 66
Can you make that sign bigger? Kingman, AZ
Siesta! Route 66, Kingman, AZ
Famous sequential advertising signs for Burma Shave along Route 66 near Seligman: Seen on America's highways 1925 to 1963
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