Travelling North

Our stay in Casa Grande is coming to an end. We have enjoyed Bob and Carol's company and hospitality very much. We had a lovely dinner with them and their friends on President's Day. In the evening we went 'abroad' with Bob on Google Earth. We showed him our house and other places in West Australia ...
On our last night we all went out to the Olive Garden restaurant and had a great meal.

The weather continues to be nice until our last day when it rained. The temperature did not get above 52F and then only for a short time. For most of the day the temperature was in the mid 40's. About 4-5 C!

Trevor still wants to go north but Flagstaff has had a lot of snow and there has been snow in places much further south, including Phoenix which is practically unheard of! I am still anxious about getting caught up in snow. What do we know about driving a motorhome in snow; I think it is something that we just don't want to do. Although on my wish list is 'to stand on the corner in Winslow AZ'.

So insanity prevails! On Thursday 21 February we head north. It is 52 degrees when we leave Casita Verde RV park and a fine day.

A familiar sign and the first I have seen over here.

We will take I-10 to Phoenix and then I-17 N as far as we can.  That's the plan -yesterday's snow and wintry conditions may put paid to going very far.

11.45 - approaching Phoenix. The interstate gets wider - 5 lanes, then 6 and 7 - then we are in a tunnel; no time to wonder if it is tall enough!!
A slight anxiety comes with tangles of city highways and lots of traffic. The radio is turned right down; there isn't much talking; I try to ignore the word 'Phoenix'  in my mind - it is just another city. Right?

Another familiar sign!

Then we are on I-17 headed for Flagstaff. The sky is clouding over and we can see a lot of snow on mountains to the east.
We stop at Black Canyon City about 1pm for a bite to eat. Then we are off again. It is 50F. We are gaining in elevation. In Casa Grande we were at an elevation of 1,464ft; we are now at 3,147ft and continuing to climb.

It is a spectacular drive. The road takes us over and around mountains and then down into canyons to go up yet another mountain.
Once we leave Phoenix the high rolling desert is replaced by jagged hills covered in scrubby trees; then by mountains and thick stands of pine.
North central Arizona is full of little towns hidden away among stunning scenery with a blend of ancient cultures, military influence and ranching heritage.

We decide to stop at Camp Verde approximately 50 miles south of Flagstaff.

There have been many, many days during this trip when I have been reminded that it is not just the  destination but the journey ...
Today has been one of those days, possibly enjoyed even more with a layer of anxiety in even being there!
He can't have been right ??

We stay at the Distant Drum RV Resort.  Snow lies on the ground all through the park. The park is associated with the Cliff Castle Casino-Hotel, owned and operated by the Yavapai-Apache Nation. It is a wonderful RV park;  I think one of the best. It gets a 10/10/10 rating by Good Sam. It is cold and starting to snow lightly as we hook up. I spend about 3/4 hour in the Fitness Room - a wonderfully appointed small gym. Unfortunately the pool is covered over!!!


I haven't mentioned the restrooms - they are great. The RV park is in the Passport America book so we also get a 50% discount on the rates!
Unbelievable!
We disconnect the water hose from the tap at night as freezing temperatures are forecast.


The next morning we wake to very cold temperatures. It is only 32F at 9.45am when we set out. At first it is sunny but we run into fog as we climb up  from Camp Verde.
The sun comes back the higher we go .. and we have a winter wonderland!! Snow is on the ground right to the edge of the highway. Today we climb from 3,147ft  to 6,910ft.  I call  511 to check the road conditions to Flagstaff. The snow is now thick on the sides of the highway and still hanging heavily in the trees.

I track the temperature as we climb higher ...
at 10.10 am it is 30F; at 10.15 it is 26F; at 10.30 it is 25F. That is -4C!  At 10.55 we drive into Flagstaff - elevation 7000ft.
Although there is a lot of snow around, the road conditions are very good. The snow ploughs have been out and the sun has dried the road surface; there is no sign of ice on the road at all.





We turn onto Route 66 as we drive through Flagstaff. Neat! We are then heading east  to Winslow. We don't actually stop in Flagstaff. There was talk of finding a Starbucks but ...

Now we have a completely different outlook.The further east of  Flagstaff we go, the less snow there is until we are back into desert.
We have booked into the Meteor Crater RV park which is at exit 233; we pass it on our way to Winslow 20 miles further east.

The San Francisco peaks

The photo to the right is of  the San Francisco peaks at Flagstaff photographed through the rear vision mirror as we head out east from Flagstaff.



And finally we are .. 'standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona
                                 such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a
                                 flat bed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me.'

Sound familiar? Thanks to the Eagles 1970's tune 'Take It Easy' Winslow has attained pop-culture status. But it was really Route 66, synonymous with the classic American road trip that made Winslow.

When Route 66 became a highway in 1921, Flagstaff was established as a popular stop on the iconic highway. Famous musical acts making their way to Los Angeles would stop in Flagstaf for a gig.

The Eagles' classic 'Take It Easy' was written by musician Jackson Browne after he found himself  'standing on the corner in Flagstaff, Arizona' when travelling Route 66 to California. 'Winslow, Arizona'  was easer to sing and made the final lyrics!

Route 66 in Winslow, Arizona

The corner!

The statue on the corner is of no one special; it is a 70's man wearing jeans, boots, shirt and vest with a guitar standing on the toe of his boot.
A red flatbed Ford is parked on the street as a permanent fixture too.  We park just behind it!

We spend some time in the gift shop across the road. Trevor buys a tshirt.
Then we drive back to the RV park. We are now heading west again. It is getting cold but is still sunny. We disconnect the water hose just in case ... and are we glad we did! It goes down to 17F overnight!