Arizona

[calmloki]

Just back from a run through AZ. High points included getting out of old downtown Bisbee and checking out the old hospital building and mine manager's uptown digs. Colossal cave near Tuscan was a cool tour, but surpassed by our GPS leading us astray and trying to get us to the locked back gate of the caves - got to take the lowered sport suspension BMW station wagon on some rocky paths up into the hills - all the way to the old rusty sign that read "Private property, turn back now". Fun listening to the Google maps girl say "turn left on East Rough Way". She wasn't kidding.

Arizona looks greener this year than I've seen before - next day we took the Apache loop though more old mining towns with great old buildings and wonderful colorful rock walls, shining cholla, pad cactus and saguaros. Found out that the Apache loop includes about 22 miles of fairly twisty gravel road with nice drop offs. Forded a couple streams flowing over the road - something tells me the Apache loop isn't open year round. Got a kick out of pulling up next to a Wild Country Jeep Tours rig in our ride. After that we followed Rt 66 to and through Seligman - left there when 6 tour buses arrived and went to Oatman, which had lots of fine upstanding donkeys and too damn many people. Didn't even get out of the car there, but absolutely loved the road to Oatman from Kingman (skinny, dropoffs, no berms or guardrails, beautiful scenery). A great state to wander in!

 

[Animorph]

I took my brand new 1977 924 Porsche on the Apache Trail, trying to break it in a bit before hitting the freeway over to Los Angeles. That dirt section was unexpected. As a rather inexperienced driver on dirt roads, I had the ventilation fan on. I started getting clouds of dirt through the vents, and it took a while to figure out where the recirculation button was. Haven't been back since then, but it was an experience.

 

[grasshopper]

View east from the Apache trail road not one civilized thing in site, except for Ms G.

 

[KingB]

Did you go to Tombstone of the OK Corral fame between Bisbee and Tucson. Also the airplane graveyard near Tucson.

 

[REWahoo]

Can't help noticing Ms. G. has quite a blank expression...

 

[bssc]

Wildflowers are blooming like crazy.

 

[grasshopper]

Can't help noticing Ms. G. has quite a blank expression...

Maybe she should have that looked at.

 

[calmloki]

Did you go to Tombstone of the OK Corral fame between Bisbee and Tucson. Also the airplane graveyard near Tucson.

Tried to stay there at the Trailrider as we did last year but it was packed solid with bikers. Asked them if I had to put the car up on two wheels to go through the parking lot. Ended up a bit south of Bisbee next to another couple bikers - a retiree from NY who had moved to Minnesota and a couple who had come to see him. AZ is fine country for Harleys.

 

[calmloki]

Wildflowers are blooming like crazy.

Yes they are! Oh - we also went past an van rolling down the highway in Tucson with advertising for a bull and donkey show on it. and the bull and donkey inside. Had to circle the van to check it out and smile and wave at the proud show-people.

 

[yakers]

My favorite part of Route 66 is the Oatman to Kingman road. One of the most primal paved roads I hae been on. You can just feel the migrants wondering what they had got themselves into headed towards the promised land of California.
If you liked Bisbee you should check out Jerome in northern AZ and a great road from there to Prescott.

 

[calmloki]

My favorite part of Route 66 is the Oatman to Kingman road. One of the most primal paved roads I hae been on. You can just feel the migrants wondering what they had got themselves into headed towards the promised land of California.
If you liked Bisbee you should check out Jerome in northern AZ and a great road from there to Prescott.

Yep yep! Went through Jerome after Prescott. Have a Rt 66 book and tried to stay on as much of 66 as possible after hitting Flagstaff. Got to Kingman and blasted some "get your kicks on Rt 66" music and headed for Oatman. Primal. Good word for that road. Pulled over to the drop off edge to allow a pickup with a good sized trailer to get past us - he waved thanks, I gave him a thumbs up. Went down the road he had just come up and I don't know how he made it - a steep uphill hairpin with major gouges in the roadbed from people dragging on the way up. Awful pretty country that was dangerous for a looky-lou driver.

Took the wrong road and ended up in Topock rather than further north, so blew off going up to cross the new bridge at Hoover and go on the dam tour in favour of a fast trip down to our own bed. While we said hi to the Oatman donkeys the town was full of people and I just had enjoyed not-people so much I didn't want to do Hoover. Had a real good nature buzz going.