7. IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

Arizona

Day 16: Sunday, March 26

Two memorable scenic drives today - from Topock, AZ to Oatman and Kingman, and the eastern part of the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Got off to a late start - 8:45 AM. Didn't get much sleep last night (the beach party went on until 3 AM) and also because my body clock was still on Pacific time. The morning temperature at Lake Havasu City was a pleasant 69F - up from the night's low of 56F. I guess being in the desert at an altitude of 440' makes for balmy winter weather. Indeed, I like this place and could picture myself living living in the area - except for the summer, when day-time temperatures routinely exceed 100F.

Took US-95 northbound to I-40, then the interstate westbound to where the Colorado River separates Arizona from California. Headed north on the Oatman-Topock Highway, which is quite scenic.

This road is also called "Old Route 66" - but having traveled from east to west on route 66 some 35 years ago, I think the truth is being stretched for the sake of tourist dollars. I certainy do not recall that beautiful stretch east of Oatman - very narrow hairpins snaking up to Sitgreaves Pass (3,550') and back down to the connect with I-40 at Kingman.

The second long stretch of Old Route 66 - from Kingman to Peach Springs and on to Seligman - is an easy road to travel, not particularly scenic, but a viable alternative for those who wish to avoid interstate driving.

Took I-40 from Seligman to Williams, where I gassed up for $1.889/gal. Averaged 17 mpg on the last tank. The station manager pointed out that my right front tire was badly worn and suggested that I should use the (brand new) spare tire. Once the van was up on the rack, discovered that the left front was in pretty bad shape, too and that the rear tires were about ready for replacement as well. Considering that these Michelin tires had lasted for 69,500 miles, I agreed to a full replacement of all tires - Bridgestone/Firestone Baja Widetrack truck tires. The shocks were also pretty weak, so decided to replace them with Gabriel heavy duty ones. All this set me back close to $1,000 - oh well, part of the price to pay for driving the GTRV-Westy for almost 70,000 miles.

Then north on AZ-64 to US-180 and the Grand Canyon. Found a site in Mather Campground - already pretty full at 4 PM.

It seems that the "in" thing to do is to sneer at the touristy south rim and to prefer the north rim. I beg to differ, at least as far as the views from relatively accessible viewpoints are concerned. Took many photos while at the Canyon:

Later in the evening met up with friends from Austria who are driving a class C from Indiana to Los Angeles - a great tour package that has them deliver a brand new rig to a rental company in Los Angeles. The cost, including air fare from Austria, is less than a one-way rental of a rig for three weeks plus milage would be. What a great deal! Since the campground is full, we are sharing the site I had claimed 4 hours before their arrival.

Drove 300 miles today, was on the road for 5 hours. Enjoyed temperatures ranging from 69F in the morning to 85F in the desert and down to about 40F at midnight at the Canyon rim.

Day 17: Monday, March 27

Good scenic drives today - AZ-64 east along the Grand Canyon rim, the beautiful park road going by Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano, and then the Oak Canyon Creek road from Flagstaff to Sedona.

Started the day at 7:00 AM, when the outside temperature had already climbed to 47F from the night's low of 32F. Was on the road by 8:15 and made a photo stop at every view point along AZ-64, the very scenic East Rim Drive. Then a reasonably pretty drive on US-89 through the Navajo reservation, and then a slow but very attractive drive on the park road from Wupatki National Monument to the Sunset Crater Volcano.

Continued on to Flagstaff where I restocked the pantry and ran the Westy through a car wash. (Of course, tonight it is raining outside.) Then AZ-89A through the Oak Creek Canyon. That road must be one of the ten most scenic roads on the country. The drive into the canyon involves a 700' drop in altitude over a distance of 2.7 miles.

Sedona looks like a neat town - some beautiful homes along the canyon walls.

Continued on to Cottonwood and the Dead Horse Ranch State Park. $10 for dry camping, $14 for hook-ups. Very nice bathhouse with plenty of hot water. The pay phone at the park entrance has a data port. Was able to get my messages and did some uploading.

Only drove 190 miles today, was on the road for 7 hours. Enjoyed sunshine and temperatures in the low seventies, but clouds, a bit of rain, and temps in the high forties in the evening.

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