Hello Friends,
Following Vanessa's trip to the Chandler spa (Autonation Honda for routine maintenance - fluid and filter changes, tire rotation) I decided to head up into the mountains as long as the weather was holding. I had heard good things about Prescott and Payson so had a vague itinerary involving a loop through those towns in mind.
Heading NW out of Phoenix on 60 I only made it (almost) to Winkleman, where I spent the night in a rest area on the side of the highway close alongside the Hassayampa river. This was nothing special as there was the usual comings and goings and highway noise throughout the night but at least it had a flush toilet and potable water! Also I enjoyed the informational signs about the Hassayampa river and the riperian restoration projects going on there and throughout the state. Interesting facts I've absorbed include 90% of the original riperian habitat in AZ has been lost and 70% of the native species in the state depend on that habitat! Yikes!
The next morning I went into Winkleman for breakfast and to visit the library, both of which were very nice. I like Winkleman! It's a cute small town without too much traffic and plenty of open spaces surrounding it (unlike some towns I will come to soon enough: talking to YOU, Prescott!).
Then I lit out for Prescott and got sidetracked hiking at the Granite Valley Hotshot memorial as detailed in the comments attached to the pictures, linked to below.
Arriving in the Prescott vicinity later in the day I was dismayed to find my pre-identified likely camping spots were no good as the surrounding national forest was all full of private residences. With the daylight ending I headed toward the nearest Walmart but found out they don't allow overnight parking there, nor at the other two Walmarts I passed in Yavapai Hills and Prescott Valley as I continued east toward Jerome/Cottonwood and the next likely camping spot I'd noted on my route. With the sun having just set, this spot turned out to be just okay as it was a large dirt lot just off the highway which for some reason saw a lot of comings and goings throughout the night.
The next morning I had my lovely drive into the Verde Valley and the town of Cottonwood through the small mountain town of Jerome (also documented in photo commentary).
I like the Verde Valley. Much lower-key than Prescott. Prescott had a cute downtown area with lots of nice looking restaurants and bars but as I noted, no place for overnight parking/camping. So I'm sure it's fine for some people but not my cup of tea. Too many people and too much traffic! I was happy to be back in the hinterlands with plenty of wide open spaces.
I camped two night in the Verde Valley (photo commentary) then headed toward Sedona (more photo commentary), not because I wanted to be in Sedona (Prescott on steroids!) but because a friend had told me about an impressive mountain drive there: the Schnebly Hill road (see photo commentary). Leaving that area the next morning (yesterday) I headed south toward Payson and only made it just a little past Pine last night. Another unremarkable night at a dirt lot just off highway 260, though the drive getting there was beautiful.
Now I'm finally in Payson, at the public library, wrapping up this phase of my journey. Payson is also a nice little town in a beautiful setting but rain is forecast for the entire state for the next several days so I'm taking that as my cue to go visit some friends in Tucson for awhile.
Toodles for now!
Chris
PS: The Pics!
