2016 – Returning to the Grand Canyon State

Jon: Arizona has long held my interest as a place with dynamic landscapes and rich history, so I was thrilled to be going back. One of our first stops after the border sign was the town of Tombstone. I have a mild infatuation with the movie of the same name and had to see the place. Honestly, I can almost recite the entire movie line by line. I’m sure Amy’s ears were weary from hearing me quoting my favorite scenes. “I’m your huckleberry.

Succinctly, Tombstone is a campy western themed oasis in the desert. Some character actors lined the streets trying to get folks to go to a gunfight, ride a stagecoach, or tour a museum. A few of the original buildings provide a glimpse back to the late 1800’s when the town was one of the most deadly in the west. I enjoyed walking around and having lunch at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, which was once the Grand Hotel where Wyatt and Virgil Earp, as well as Doc Holliday, once stayed. The Boothill Graveyard, county courthouse, and Birdcage Theater did their part to complete a broken picture of the former glory, or notoriety, of this Wild West era town.

We spent the evening in Sierra Vista outside of Tombstone and ended up watching humming birds being caught, banded, and released for research purposes. Amy had the opportunity to help out by holding one of the birds awaiting inspection. Our time was brief and, for lack of a better word, interesting.

Our next stop was the original destination point when we first plotted the course through Arizona – Saguaro National Park. The park, which is divided by the city of Tucson was nearly destroyed by western expansion and, in particular, cattle grazing. Luckily, it was saved when designated as a national monument in 1933 (it became a National Park in 1994). The scenery was better than I imagined. Giant saguaro cacti stand before red rocked mountains. It didn’t hurt that many were blooming, as were prickly pear, ocotillo, and cholla.

Driving around both sides of the park provided opportunities to take in the scenery. However, the highlight was a mountain bike ride that took us directly through the center of the eastern side of the park. It seemed like we were riding through a western movie set. The trail was immensely fun, but we seldom got going full speed due to all the photo stops along the way.

Two days in Tucson wrapped up quickly. I drove us past the aerospace storage and maintenance facility, “aircraft boneyard” with over 4200 aircraft, before heading north. A stop at Montezuma Castle National Monument provided a moment to stretch legs and get a glimpse back in time while taking in the cliff dwellings of the Sinagua people who lived there some 600 years ago. We found a camp site in the middle of nowhere and let coyotes serenade us as we bedded down and thought about heading to Sedona the next day.

Sedona is best known for its colorful sandstone towers and spires. Amy and I visited previously, but we hadn’t biked there. After arriving in town and getting some information from the local bike shops, we hit the trails. Like Saguaro National Park, the riding was spectacular. I love combining fantastic scenery with good trails – Sedona surpassed expectations. We coupled the warm days in town with some great dispersed (free) camping in Forest Service land somewhere between Sedona and Flagstaff. The cool night was perfect for a little fire and early bedtime.

Following a good, but cool, night’s sleep in the forest, we warmed up back in Sedona. We decided to spend a day in Flagstaff to wait out a cold front in the hills, and to visit the Grand Canyon the next day. Wind pushed the car around under gray skies as we headed up to the National Park. We were lucky, however, as the weather was markedly better upon arrival.

The Grand Canyon’s size and beauty draws a good number of visitors. We worked our way around the crowds to get some views at a main overlook before heading on to other vistas. We found the views were every bit as spectacular, but few made the relatively brief journey down the pathway. This was my third visit to the canyon, Amy’s second, and it seemed to be the best. The sunshine, some solitude, and spectacle of the canyon were near perfect.

Our final days in Arizona were spent in Kingman, a town along Route 66 not far from the border with Nevada. We endured some loud drunken teens and a downpour while camping at the KOA. The payoff was sunshine and a classic car show. We hadn’t planned on seeing a bunch of cool cars driving down Route 66, but a friendly local at the Black Bridge Brewery clued us in. A short walk down the block and around the corner took us to the historic highway that was lined with cars and trucks. One of the best parts of travel is the unexpected surprises.

With a hotel booked in Nevada for the night, our time in Arizona came to an end. Sedona and the Grand Canyon were what I had known from previous visits. I thoroughly enjoyed taking in more of Arizona’s history and scenery and have a feeling I’ll be back again.

(Dates: April 23-30, 2016)