November 22 (Wednesday)
Today is the day
before Thanksgiving here in the US. The crowds are getting bigger and touring
around areas unfamiliar to us means having to concentrate on the roads a bit
more than usual. So we thought we might try some roads that might be less
travelled.
We drove north up
I17 to Schnebly Road. The road joins I17 and the town of Sedona. I suppose our
first clue was the sign at the beginning of the road that stated 'High
clearance vehicles only'. Well, I do have a one ton four wheel drive diesel
truck, so I should be ok, right? The road is twelve miles long………it took us two
and a half hours! Rough does not begin to describe the rock laden, boulder
strewn, goat trail carved out of the Arizona wilderness that they have the
nerve to call a ROAD! My upper and lower teeth fillings traded places a few
times. I'm sure I saw a warning message on the truck dash flashing 'WTF dude!'
a couple of times. Likewise, the warning signals from my bladder made me regret
having that cup of coffee before we started down this 'road'! Anyway, we did
make it down the hill. Marvelous scenery, at least Cheryl said it was. I was
too busy trying to keep the wheels turning and the truck on the road and away
from the several hundred foot drop off the edge of said road. We did stop a few
times at viewpoints and the scenery is definitely amazing.
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| The road wasn't that bad at this point. |
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| What a view! |
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| Sedona is way down there. |
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| Road getting worse! |
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| Yes, that is a manhole cover. Some sort of drainage system. |
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| Marigold Rock |
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| Desert pinstriping |
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| Yes, I may have hit a few rocks. |
There is a rock
called Marigold Rock that apparently has been the site of a number of weddings
on top of it. I assume the bride is lowered by helicopter in her dress. Grandpa
and Grandma must watch with a telescope from the comfort of their hotel room in
Sedona. Dunno!
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| Marigold Rock. Yep, those are people up there. |
Schnebly Road is
named after a Mr Schnebly, who in 1902 applied for a Post Office. They asked
the name of his 'town' and he used the first name of his wife……'Sedona'.
After the decent from
Schnebly Road we decided to take a much calmer road north from Sedona up Hwy 89
to Slide Rock State Park. We enjoyed lunch in the shade (it was about 80 F / 27
C), then walked along the upper rim of the River. I also went down to river
level to get some photos. The area is popular with swimmers. The fun is sliding down the slippery rocks in the river. Must be packed here in hot weather.
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| Great swimming area |
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| A great spot for photos! |
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| The stones are becoming part of the tree. Awesome! |
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| A great family spot. |
This area was
initially settled and farmed as an orchard. Red Delicious apples seemed to
handle the environment best. A number of historic farm machinery is on display.
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| Used as a tourist cabin in the 1930's |
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| Tourist cabin |
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| Pendley House being refurbished |
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| Apple shed |
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| Orchard fenders (or aerodynamic for speed!) |
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| Must turn pretty well. |
We called it a day
and headed back through Sedona and home to Camp Verde. So many people around
for the Thanksgiving weekend. Even our campground is full.
That was Our View From Here......
Very nice pics. I could spend hours taking pics of water rushing over rocks. Love playing with the shutter speed. We have found lots of rocky bumpy roads hardly fit for motorized vehicles. Trucks like ours are the worst as the suspension is made for hauling heavy loads. Vehicles with big tires, low inflation and soft suspensions seem to do the best. Like you I creep and crawl along the road.
ReplyDeleteI have been passed on the rough roads by Lexus cars! You are so right about the rough ride. I rationalize by saying they could never haul my fifth wheel with their Lexus.
ReplyDeleteGot a good chuckle on your description of the road Dave. An empty one ton dually probably rides as smooth as my truck. 😜 Those views look like it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels!