Tonto Natural Bridge and Payson

November 18 (Saturday)

Today we headed Southeast from Camp Verde on Hwy 260 toward our destination of Payson. On the way we went through the Coconino and Tonto National Forests and the small towns of Strawberry and Pine. (they sound like air freshener names) We didn't spend time in either town but just driving through piqued our interest and we may need to come back and spend some time looking around these quaint towns.

The highway takes you up a few thousand feet. The road is very good albeit a bit narrow in spots with no shoulder so you do need to pay attention. The views are unbelievable!

We came to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. The tight twisty turns, very steep hills and narrow roads ends at the park gate. Costs $7 / adult seemed a bit high but after looking at what the Park had to offer in terms of views and the main attraction, the Natural Bridge, the cost was well worth it.

The natural bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. It is 183 feet high, 400 feet long and 150 feet at its widest. The bridge has been formed over thousands of years by the mineralization in the water that flows constantly from springs above the bridge.

The trail down to the stream below the bridge is quite steep and rough but the view of the bridge from below is worth the effort.

We had lunch under a nice shade tree then continued on toward Payson about ten miles down Hwy 260. Payson is a very pretty town and we'll be back to look around another time, but our main reason for coming was to see the Zane Grey Cabin and Rim Country Museum.

'Rim' refers to the Mogollan (mo-goy-an) Rim, a geological feature that rises to the North and East of Payson. On top of the rim is the vast area known as the Colorado Plateau. When the earth was shaping the mountains this area didn't buckle into mountains rather rose up as one huge plateau. All the area of northeast Arizona is on this plateau. Its very impressive and worthy of a visit.

The museum tour was led by a docent, which is good and bad. Good in that hearing the stories of the exhibits is engaging, but not having the ability to read and look at all the exhibits on our own leaves you feeling you have missed a lot. Regardless, those were the rules. Our docent showed us a timeline of exhibits from the ancient peoples, the Tonto Apaches, to rodeo and mining history of the area. Quite entertaining and informative. Unfortunately as with most museums, photography is not allowed inside.

Reconstructed Zane Grey cabin.

Next was a tour through the reconstructed cabin of Zane Grey, noteworthy western author. His stories of the old west have captivated generations. Just the other night we watched a TV movie called 'Riders of the Purple Sage' which was a screenplay of a novel of the same name. One of his best sellers.

Zane Grey was actually a dentist by profession but only practised about a year. He is likely best known as a fisherman and wrote many books on the subject, mostly deep sea fishing. He was also interested in the western lifestyle and to better immerse himself he befriended a rancher in the Payson area and built himself a cabin just below the Mogollan Rim. He travelled to the area a number of times to write and hunt. After he died the cabin was burned to the ground in a forest fire. The reconstructed cabin we toured is believed to be historically accurate in most details.

He wrote continually and was accompanied by a staff including secretaries that transcribed his handwritten notes on a typewriter. Interestingly his manuscripts were always sent to his wife Dolly, an English major who lived in their California home. It has been suggested that it was actually she who did the writing based on his stories and notes that he sent her.

Time to head back to Camp Verde before it got dark. On the way a Javelina (wild boar) crossed the road ahead of us, but all we got were blurry pictures and a far-away shot on our dashcam. A beautiful drive home with the sun shining on the Mogollan Rim.

That was Our View From Here!