An Englishman in Arizona

[twopoint6khz]

WARNING: Contains uncensored images of a 2WD vehicle, lots of pavement and probably some British spellings.


I read the boards on here with a degree of envy for all the superb backcountry travel you guys seem to enjoy in USA, particularly the southwest. Well, the chance arose to head that way myself, so here is my take. It's obviously not the fully-loaded, off-the-grid-for-5-days kind of trip you might enjoy if you were a local, but such are the limitations of airline baggage allowances and rental car contracts. For me travel is mostly about getting off the beaten track a wee bit and taking pictures of things, so this suited well.

I was in Phoenix for a few days for a conference and had a few days spare at the end, so the plan was as follows: rent a car, see some of what Arizona has to offer, and make the accommodation a mixture of sleeping in the boot/trunk and $50 motels. I didn’t want to smell too bad on the flight home after all.

I am from the middle of nowhere. Phoenix is HUGE. I did some running, and driving, around the city and just couldn't really get over how sprawling it was. Although the centre was high-rise, that was only really a few blocks, then it was just low-rise development right to the horizon in every direction. I could definitely get used to sitting outside for breakfast in March and seeing sunsets like these every day.

Downtown PHX sunsets


Having spent 5 days downtown it was time to head out. After the usual experience at the rental desk in the airport – lies, damned lies, and rental car agents – I managed to secure something which, although not 4WD, did at least have a decent amount of sleeping space and a V6 engine. For a few tense minutes it looked as though I was going to be sleeping in the foetal position in the back of a Jeep Patriot.

From the scant choice on the lot, the best of the bunch was a brand-new GMC Acadia. Hardly the last word in off-road capability, although it did have a terrain response dial. As far as I can work out, ‘snow’ mode just blunted the throttle response, ‘race’ mode made it rev more, and I never quite figured out what trailer mode was. Leather everything and a self-opening trunk sealed the deal.

Let's off road!


Day 1 was Phoenix to Flagstaff via Prescott. I took the ‘scenic’ route up US60 and over the hill, rather than just blasting up I-17. Already I had checked off a few US clichés – long, straight roads with telegraph poles to one side, endless sunshine, tumbleweed, and even ‘All Right Now’ on the radio (although – pop fact – this is actually an English song).

About to go up quite a lot...


After the desert heat of Phoenix (it’s a dry heat, right?) the relative cool of the pines at Prescott was a relief. Parking up, I took a few snaps and wandered round the historic centre before heading out. There were a lot of nice-looking 4x4s, ATVs, mountain bikes etc in town – clearly a place that knows how to get outdoors, and looking at the weather and the terrain, I can see why.

On the way out of town I stopped at the offices of a certain publication… big thanks to Sarah for not calling the cops, but instead showing me the offices and letting me pet the (very cool) dogs. I snapped a few pictures of the assembled vehicles in the car park, and discussed travel plans, before heading on.

Very cool to see this Land Rover in the flesh/metal.

I drive a 110 every day... but this is older than mine, and therefore cooler.

Having driven 2WD Sprinters, the lift on this is astonishing. The Merc badge is at shoulder height


The drive over the hill via Jerome is worth it just to see the massive drop to the desert floor when you come over the mountain. Photos really don't do it justice.

Road about to drop into Jerome, AZ


To be continued....

 

[Cummins_expo]

Love the story telling! Can't wait for more.

 

[twopoint6khz]

On the way through to Flagstaff I stopped by Sedona. Sure, it’s mega touristy, full of crystal healing types and rich families taking pink Jeep tours… but it sure is pretty. I live near somewhere very similar (Keswick in the UK) and the same theory applies here – town centre and popular trails are tourist hell, but get ¼ mile off the beaten track and you have the place to yourself. I was just passing through, but I had plans to be back later and do some hiking.

Red sand right on the edge of town

Not the greatest sunset this evening, but still dramatic.


I stopped by McDonalds – apparently the only one in the world with green arches – before driving up to Flagstaff.

The drive up Oak Creek Canyon on US89 is pretty special. The canyon gradually narrows til it’s just the road and the creek surrounded by cliffs… then the canyon runs out and the road just winds up the canyon wall and onto the plateau. In the dark, all you can see as you approach the end of the canyon is headlights 500ft up the canyon wall.

The Route 66 Travelodge in Flagstaff didn’t have bullet holes in the windows… but it might as well have done. Adding to the atmosphere was the train line around ¼ mile away with numerous loud freight trains passing through. Despite this I slept like a log due to the long day, and probably the last remnants of jet lag.

Next day I went full tourist in Flagstaff. One of the highlights of any Englishman’s trip to the US is comparing areas of difference in our otherwise quite similar cultures. Exhibit A: the drive-up ATM.

We’ve just about progressed to drive-through Starbucks in the last couple of years. Could this be the next big thing? Someone pulled up to use it and my slack-jawed expression probably caused him some concern.

Downtown Flagstaff was quaint enough but nothing really seemed open. One of the downsides of flying in from a time zone 7 hours east was that I was up and awake before 6am every day. It seems the laid-back culture of places like Sedona and Flagstaff didn’t really get going until late morning…

Side street, Flagstaff.

Hotel Monte Vista from the front...

...and from the back.


The train line running through the middle of town provided ample opportunity for little-kid moments. I did wonder what would happen if a train stopped whilst passing through, and sure enough this was answered an hour later when a train broke down, cutting the town in two for over an hour. Fortunately an underpass allowed me to get back to the car.

This was probably a mile long so the guy trying to free off the brakes had a good walk.

US trains are way cooler than British ones.


I lost count of the number of trucks attached. The train was going past, at various speeds, for well over 5 minutes. And over the other side of town was a locomotive which looked like a stripped-down version of the one from Back to the Future III.

The early afternoon was spent hiking Elden Mountain lookout trail. The trail climbs a hill similar in size to that outside my window at home, and much less steeply, but the heat and the elevation (7500ft at the bottom) made it a little more interesting. The sun at this altitude and latitude is extremely direct and being from northern England (55 degrees north) I basically haven’t been exposed to sunlight since last October. Cue repeated application of sunscreen.

View from the top with the San Francisco Peaks in the background.

Apparently a foot of snow had fallen last week, but most of it had melted off again already. The last quarter mile was still hardpacked snow, making for tough going. Also visible from the top was the beginning of this afternoon’s objective – the high desert to the north. After stocking up on junk food from a crazy-expensive Safeway (the exchange rate doesn’t help, but still) I headed out.


To be continued...

 

[Gren_T]

Nice.. more soon please.

Regards

 

[1leglance]

Very cool to see my state of Arizona through another perspective, thanks and keep it coming

 

[twopoint6khz]

As someone from the lesser-developed part of the UK, I am used to open country, but this was something else. Miles and miles of effectively unused land… but all with that little fence 50ft back from the road. Guess there are some folk out there sitting on a whole lot of acreage.

Further on the terrain turns redder; the towns get further apart still. It was getting late by the time I rolled into Kayenta, AZ, and was nearly dark by the time I arrived in Monument Valley. The full moon was a sight to behold, rising above the desert.

Moonrise on US160.

Just north of Kayenta, heading for the Utah state line.


I rolled in just in time to witness a technicolor sunset behind the rocks.

There was some cloud cover and a comfortable night was had in the back of the GMC. The interior is similar in size with the seats down to the back of my Volvo XC70, but the extra height means sitting up is a possibility.

Again I was out of bed before dawn to play with the camera. The light in the desert early in the morning is truly ethereal, unlike anything I've seen before.

I skipped the actual park and headed further up US-89 to get…. that picture.

Run, Forrest, run!

The red rocks in the early morning light were spectacular, and the beauty was only increased by my being all alone there.

I hadn’t much of a plan from this point on. I sort of wanted to see the Four Corners Monument, but wasn’t overly bothered. I also wanted to do some less touristy things and maybe get slightly lost.

I passed through Mexican Hat (which I always thought was a silly name – until I saw the eponymous rock) and found some dirt roads to play on. Driving a rental car, especially a brand new undamaged one, adds to the sense of excitement when going off-pavement, since at any moment you could land yourself with a substantial damage bill. There is therefore a fine line to be trodden between enjoying and bankrupting oneself. As it is, the roads in this area were tame and could be passed in a family sedan, although the sand was a few inches deep in places.

Some distance further on I took a turn onto Utah SR261 as there appeared to be an interesting looking climb on the map. As I rolled down towards the cliff I could scarcely believe the road was about to climb it. But just before the bottom of the hill, on the right was a dirt road with a sign saying ‘Valley of the Gods’. It rang a bell and seemed worth a look. I figured I could always turn back if the terrain got too extreme for the mighty GMC.


To be continued...

 

[DVD]

Great report. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

 

[twopoint6khz]

Suffice to say, Valley of the Gods is definitely worth a look. I later realised I'd seen it before in this article on ExPo, amongst other places. I kept stopping to take photos, only to be confronted with something still more amazing just around the corner.

After around 10 miles, I reached the pièce de résistance – the rock formations which, whisper it, are more spectacular (and more intimate) than Monument Valley. And it doesn’t cost $20 to get in. There were a few folk packing up their trailers after a night’s camping, and what a great camping spot it was. Speaking to one of them, he nearly choked after I told him I drove a Defender 110 every day. I replied that he had these kind of things on his doorstep, and he conceded the point (plus he can drive a V8 and afford to put gas in it. I ask you).

After more photos than should be legal, I carried on down the dirt track back towards the national road. The dirt on the car was starting to build up by now, and I was hoping a blast down the interstate would clean it all off, since rain looked like only a remote possibility…

There were tracks leading off the main dirt road at various points, all of which looked like the beginnings of a good adventure.

Turning south on US191, I carried on until reaching US160 again and heading back east to complete the loop. These middle-of-nowhere gas stations (must…not…say…petrol) really make me wonder. Where do the employees live? Do they get free fuel due to having to drive 150 miles a day to work and back?

US191 at rush hour

Other things that the US does better than the UK: trucks/lorries. Oh and windmills.

Heading back towards Kayenta


Passing back through Kayenta, I paused at yet another McDonalds to absorb some wifi (because then you can call the UK for free with WhatsApp!) then continued back on US160. This coal conveyor, which I had seen dimly in the twilight the previous evening, really was enormous, stretching from the top of a cliff about a mile away to these large towers next to the railway.

Driving back towards Tuba City brought home to me how remote some of these communities are. I live around 10 miles out of town at home, and people often comment how ‘remote’ we are… no we aren’t. Best were the ‘school bus stop’ signs in seemingly the absolute middle of nowhere. I have no idea where the kids would come from, nor what school they would be going to.

I headed back in the direction of Flagstaff for the evening, dehydrated and tired from a day in the desert, but loving every bit of it.

World's loneliest railway crossing, somewhere on US160


To be continued...

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Nice write-up and pictures. The reservation you drove through is quite large at 71000 square Kilometers. The coal conveyor feeds a train of some 850 hoppers that in turn feeds the Navajo Power Generating station near Page. The train runs twice a day. Both the mine and the generating station are slated for closure. Just an FYI - the Navajo National Monument is a free campground just outside of Kayenta. Sunsets from there can be quite spectacular. The campground is amazingly clean and quiet.

 

[twopoint6khz]

The reservation you drove through is quite large at 71000 square Kilometers.

No kidding - slightly more than half the size of England.

Thanks for the tips - I would love to go back sometime, but it's not likely to be soon!

 

[pluton]

Thanks for the story and pictures. It's great to have the Englishman's take on things.

 

[AggieOE]

Pictures and writing were on point! Looks like a great trip and there seems to be a lot more room in that GMC than I figured.
You're welcome back to the US anytime. lol

 

[twopoint6khz]

A long afternoon’s drive brought me back to Flagstaff. I stopped to look at Sunset Crater national monument, but at $20 entry and without a trail that lets you walk up it, I passed. Instead I settled for a free drive round some forest roads across the other side of US89. Great to have not only trails which are open to motorized vehicles, but also a map showing you them all....

These guys in the Grand Wagoneer (?) had it about right – beautiful spot, classic vehicle, cold drinks, and plenty of relaxation. I didn’t dare get any closer for a photo as it looked like there might be, ahem, intimate goings-on inside the vehicle…

This evening’s motel seemed like very good value, and I discovered the reason why upon check-in – it was all of 50ft from I-17. Fortunately, as before I was exhausted and the occasional howl of a passing truck didn’t disturb me at all.

I was up at the crack again the following day, determined to walk some trails in Sedona without the company of a thousand tourists. Banging on the door for breakfast at 6am, I stuffed my face and headed out. By the way, US breakfasts are weird. I think the cultural gap is just too big to bridge here. I mean, scones (which for some reasons are called biscuits) and gravy for breakfast? Come on.

I arrived down in Sedona before 7am… only to discover that the West Fork trail doesn’t open until 9am!! I parked up the road and snuck in. This all turned out to be a blessing in disguise as, around ¼ mile in, the river was so deep from snowmelt that it would require fully swimming across. As I was light on clothes this wasn’t something I was massively keen on. If I’d paid $10 to park before finding out, I'd have been less than amused. I got a few snaps and snuck back out again. The trail runs across the other side of the river from some houses and I was fully expecting to be shouted at – no one is more protective of their rights than the wealthy ageing-hippy types who seem to populate these areas!

I headed round past town and parked up. I was imagining I’d be able to get all the way to the Brins Mesa trailhead, but the road ran out about 3 miles short. Well, ‘high clearance 4x4’ was recommended anyway, and I had neither. Having looked at the trail a few hundred yards down, I definitely made the right choice. My Defender would have eaten this for breakfast, but the GMC had way too much low-hanging bodywork, plus the sand was getting deep in places.

Red rocks and dirt roads


This is a cool idea – trailheads that are accessible only by proper 4x4. Unfortunately in the UK we seem determined to stamp out what few 4x4 access rights remain. One day I will put my Defender in a shipping container across the Atlantic and have the ultimate USA roadtrip… shortly after I win the lottery and marry Cameron Diaz, right?

It was still fairly early so I headed up Devil’s Bridge, which was already starting to get busy. The red rocks are of course spectacular and unlike anything I’ve seen before (areas of south-east France look topographically similar, but are white rocks instead).

At some point on this trail, my cellphone went missing. It may have come out of my bag, but I have a feeling some kids actually took it out the side pocket while my back was turned to take photographs. As a trusting rural type (I rarely lock my car) this was a bit of a shock. The phone itself was pretty old and knackered, plus fully backed up and encrypted to death, but the inconvenience…. Fortunately I had paper copies of all my travel documents, plus a load of paper maps. Old habits die hard, and with good reason it seems. I also still thankfully had my works laptop, meaning I could go online to get the phone blocked and alert people that I would be out of contact. I walked the Devil’s Bridge again looking for the phone later, and asked a couple of forest ranger types, but to no avail.

I also managed some of Brin’s Mesa trail, but the lost phone cut into hiking time somewhat.

Shhhhhhh....


The scenery in Sedona really is incredible – round every corner is something else to take a photo of. One becomes blasé about spectacular vistas, layered rocks, expansive forests, etc etc. Oh yeah, and cacti. I bought one of the kids a ‘grow your own cactus’ as a souvenir. Chances of it surviving in the northern English climate are approximately zero, but you never know.

Towards the right of this photograph is... a golf course.


To be continued...

 

[PhulesAU]

Biscuits and gravy...... LOL reminded me of a movie line. "They got the same stuff we do, it's just the little differences."
Jules and Vincent talking about fast food.

 

[twopoint6khz]

Side street, Sedona.


There was just time that evening for one last hike around the base of Coffee Pot Rock. In England this would be called Teapot Rock of course. The fading sun made for some stunning lighting on the rock towers.

I’d used what remaining electronic equipment I had to scope out a camping location for that evening. I had thought about Mormon Lake, but it was quite a long way in the wrong direction, went off the edge of my map, and I no longer had any GPS. Instead I elected to head down US179 past Oak Creek, under I-17 and out into the land around Beaver Creek. Apparently there was some dispersed camping on the dirt roads south of the campground. After a bit of hacking round in the dark, I found a location next to a forest road and called it a night.

The stars were out, and when the full moon rose it was strong enough to cast good shadows.

I slept like a log and didn’t wake until 0830 the following morning, when the rising sun hit me square in the face (that sounds like a euphemism, but it isn’t). After packing up I had an explore of the dirt road network around the Beaver Creek area. Apparently it was historically a drove route for cattle from the lowlands to the high country. Must have been pretty brutal herding beasts up the hill and presumably just sleeping wherever you got to that day.

Once I'd had enough it was off back down the Interstate to hand the car back in, but not before stopping at the Sonoran Desert Preserve in Phoenix for a look at some cacti. The foliage here is about as different from northern England as it gets. I also took the opportunity to get sunburnt. Mine was the only car on the car park as I headed back in about 1pm – what’s the proverb about mad dogs and Englishmen?

It was 96 degrees on I-17 back towards the airport, vindicating my decision to stay in the high country as long as possible.

The final stats were 975 miles driven, total fuel cost basically nothing. You guys have no idea. First time I filled the car up I went in to pre-pay and asked to put $70 on. The guy nearly choked. In the end it cost $26 from 1/3 full. In England it would have been $100 equivalent… which is why we all drive tiny-engined diesels.

Arizona is an amazing place, with such massive variety in a relatively small area. I love where I live, but I can see why folk love living here too. The constant sunshine probably helps…. Oh and everyone I spoke to on the whole trip was amazingly friendly, in a genuine way. All apart from an English couple I talked to at Monument Valley…

One day I will be back!