I just now looked at the calendar and realized that Wife and I have been here in Arizona for almost six weeks now. Time has gone by quickly. It’s not surprising, as we’ve kept pretty busy visiting not only local attractions, but also getting out and about in this large western state. There’s quite a bit to see.

One of our favorite stops in Tucson itself was the Tucson Botanical Gardens. When I was here briefly last October Youngest Son took me there, and I greatly enjoyed that visit. It was summer’s end at that time, so when I recently took Wife to visit, much of the greenery wasn’t anymore. Winter does have an effect, even in the Desert Southwest.

But there was still plenty to see. Just about every species of cacti seemed to be there, along with examples of all of the other flora found out here. As an added bonus, the Butterfly and Orchid Pavilion was open during this visit- it was closed last October. That exhibit alone was worth the price of admission. Neither Wife nor I had ever before seen so many different butterflies. Here are a few photos:

Another fun place to visit in Tucson is Reid Park Zoo. As zoos go it’s by no means the largest we’ve visited, but it is well done. All of the usual critters are there, along with some specific to the Sonoran Desert. I thought the elephant enclosure was one of the better ones I’ve seen. It was large and home to a small group of pachyderms, including a young one who was having a good time flinging mudballs at a couple of the older residents.

A day or two before our visit a baby giraffe was born, but had yet to be introduced to the public. There is a contest underway now to name her.

Personally I’m somewhat torn about zoos. I’ve been to a lot of them, and understand all of the arguments for and against keeping the critters captive, but at the end of the day I’d rather we didn’t. While some animals take to that environment well enough, it’s very obvious others do not. Particularly the predators. Have you ever noticed how lethargic, and for lack of a better word- bored- the big cats are? It’s sad to see.

Towards the end of January Wife and I spent a few days swinging through the western part of Arizona. We didn’t have the best weather for it, as it was rainy when we rolled through Quartzite and then up to Lake Havasu.

Quartzite was beginning their annual Big Tent Sale week, and with the heavy rain and heavy RV traffic we didn’t stop, but continued up AZ 95 to Lake Havasu City. The ride was very scenic, even in the wet weather. The geology along the Colorado River, which AZ 95 follows once you clear Parker, is stunning. That stretch of road is one of the most unique I’ve traveled, and I’ve been down more than my share of roads.

We stopped for a night in Lake Havasu City, which we found to be a totally unremarkable tourist trap. On the eastern shore of Lake Havasu, a man-made lake formed by damming the Colorado, the city itself seemed to have little to offer. I suspect their stock in trade is catering to outdoor sports enthusiasts, boaters and RVers. Oh yes- there’s London Bridge, too. We drove across it once in each direction. It did not fall down.

Our plan from Lake Havasu was to pop north about 20 miles and pick up old Route 66 at the California/ Arizona border and head east. But when we checked out of the hotel and got to the Jeep we found the left rear tire almost completely flat!

Fortunately, I travel with a small air compressor and a can of Fix-a-Flat. After dumping half the can into the tire, the compressor pumped it up to 35 PSI without issue. We decided to continue the trip, with a fallback plan of putting on the spare if the tire didn’t hold up. 

It was still raining that day, a Tuesday, I think. We made our way up to “Scenic Route 66” and turned right. Oatman, an old mining town converted into a tourist destination, was the first planned stop for the day. The main attractions at Oatman are wild burros roaming the street.

We arrived there mid-morning, and the rain had stopped. It was still overcast and a bit chilly, but drying out. Sadly, we saw no wild burros that morning, but did see plenty of evidence of their existence all over the street.

As we continued the trek eastwards, we had to transit Sitgreaves Pass along old Route 66. We entered the clouds at the higher elevation, and encountered more rain. Thankfully it was light, but it made traveling over the old and broken road more interesting than expected. When we came down out of the mountains into Kingman, it was time for a well-deserved break and we stopped at the Route 66 Visitor Center.

We abandoned the Mother Road in Kingman, continuing east towards Seligman on Interstate 40. There we stopped for a non-memorable lunch at a place called The Roadkill Cafe. The name of the place was the best thing about it. We also saw an interesting train go by. It was a large train, and all of the containers were emblazoned with a familiar logo. No doubt what we watched for several minutes was merchandise from China making its way east from Long Beach?

After lunch, we continued along I40 East for a while, and then turned off onto AZ 89 South towards our destination for the evening, Prescott. Once off the highway we enjoyed a very scenic ride through the countryside, and then through Prescott National Forest. It was late afternoon when we arrived in that city, which turned out to be the highlight of this mini-road trip.

Prescott, the home of the world’s oldest rodeo, was the first capital of Arizona Territory. In 1867 Tucson became the capital, but that role was returned to Prescott in 1877. Finally in 1889 Phoenix became the Territory capital, and then state capital once statehood was achieved. One of the things we Easterners have to keep in mind is how young this state is compared to home. Arizona was the last of the contiguous 48 states admitted to the Union. That happened on February 14, 1912. I’m not sure if Valentine’s Day existed then.

We spent that evening in Prescott driving, and then walking around the historic downtown area, featuring theYavapai County Courthouse in its center. We found a nice little place for dinner named the Gurley Street Grill, where we had better than expected meals at reasonable prices- a rarity these days. According to our waitress, a restaurant had been at that location for over a hundred years. The restrooms were labeled “Gurleys” for the ladies, and “Gurley Men” for the guys. Heh.

The next morning we started the day touring the grounds of the Courthouse. There are many plaques and pieces of statuary worth taking a look at, and the folks we met as we walked were really friendly. 

We then visited the Sharlot Hall Museum, which was an excellent choice. Sharlot Hall was a pioneer in the collection and preservation of Arizona history, and somewhat of a character as well. The museum tells her story and the story of early Arizona very well, and its staff members are exceptional. If you ever find yourself in Prescott, make some time for this museum, located two blocks west of the Courthouse on East Gurley St.

After visiting the museum and then a weaving shop Wife wanted to check out, we headed over to Watson Lake Park for our standard on-the-road picnic lunch. What a fabulous choice, and as an added bonus Wednesdays no fee is charged for entry. We parked the Jeep near the lake and found a perch overlooking the stunning rock and water vista, watching eagles, herons and other birds flit around. We also heard Canada Geese somewhere down on the water, but never did see them. I climbed down to the waterline to check it out more closely. Here are a few photos:

After lunch we allowed Google to route us through a very tedious route out of Prescott, towards the road that would take us over Mingus Summit and down into Cottonwood, and then, Sedona.

While only a 60 mile or so trip, the road over the mountain was a slow, and sometimes scary ride. AZ 89A is a well-maintained road, but it is a mountain road with all of the usual ascents, descents, sheer drop-offs and hairpin curves. It tops out at over 7000 feet. I thought the descent into Jerome, and then Cottonwood was more difficult than the climb, exacerbated by the now-expected aggressive Arizona drivers. Folks need to calm the hell down on the roads out here. 

Although we didn’t stop at Jerome, an interesting-looking town wedged into the mountainside, it is on the list of places to return if opportunity presents itself. We wanted to get a look at Sedona, our last stop before returning to Tucson the next day.

Sedona is known as “Red Rock” country. We’ve seen that geology before, having toured southern Utah a few years ago. We’ve hiked Bryce Canyon, among other places. It was stunning to look at then, and Sedona wasn’t any different in that regard.

What was different was the crowds. We were there on a Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. Traffic was ridiculous; trailheads were full. I can just imagine what the weekends are like there. It reminded me of Acadia National Park on a weekend at the height of summer. Multiplied by a thousand. I was not a happy camper, and it was my own fault- I had no reason to expect anything else in such a hyped-up place.

The weather had again turned sour, making any hiking excursion a less than optimal experience. So on Thursday morning we left, and headed south to return to Tucson.

I’ve not completely written off Sedona, and will return if I can. But the crowds and commercialization of the place is tough for me to take. The whole area looks like a big red adobe strip mall. So, we’ll see what happens.

That was the end of the four day loop. We slid southward through the high country and snow, arriving back in sunny Tucson and the desert around dinnertime on Thursday.  As earlier noted, Prescott was the highlight for me, and I really would like to go back there soon. Perhaps give a go at a bar crawl along Whiskey Row? That probably sounds like more fun than it really would be, but I’m willing to try it on.

We’re heading out on another trip in a few days, this time up to the northeast. We’ll be revisiting places we’ve been before, but at a different time of year. And several years later, too.

And: the Transcontinental Jeep now sports four new BF Goodrich tires. The reinflated tire held up without issue all the way back, even though I did find a small nail in the tread once home. It was time to replace them anyway. I had the rear brakes done as well- the pads were down to the metal.

Finally- I’ve been hiking the canyons and hills around here quite a bit. Here are links to the latest two videos on the ‘Tube.