I had quite an adventure up on the Rim a few weeks ago.
I decided to spend my Saturday doing a loop drive in my Arizona Backcountry Adventures book. The first part was rated a 2 and was just an easy dirt road. The second part was rated a 4, and this is where my trouble started.
Bernie has this book and has told me I shouldn't do anything harder than a 3. I learned in Silverton that he was right. But I want to do a loop, not just drive back the way I came.
The first obstacle was crazy rocks. Like, I didn't event think my tires would be capable of crawling over them. I had to get out every few feet and plan my route very carefully. After two stretches like this, I knew there was no way I could go back the way I came. I was also really impressed with my Subaru.
When I stopped to open a gate, I saw an older man on a 4-wheeler. (It was pretty crowded up there that day.) He informed me that it was the first day of hunting season and said everyone was talking about the lady in the little SUV. I definitely didn't fit in up there!
A little while later, I encountered an old man sitting next to the trail. His name was Vernon and he was 84 years old and has lived in AZ since 1944. His grandson's truck was stuck in some mud, and his son was coming in to find them on the road we were on. I offered him a ride till we saw his son.
Vernon ended up being in my car for about an hour and half. "What's a little lady like yourself doing on one of the most dangerous roads in Arizona?" he asked. I laughed to myself as I thought of some of the other roads I've seen in AZ. But the road continued to worsen. I was glad to have Vernon with me; he was a great rock spotter. He told me I was an excellent driver and, after seeing what my car could do, said he might have to get a Subaru.
Finally, we saw a truck coming that he said did not belong to his son. We stopped to chat anyway, and his son was sitting in the backseat. His son's truck was unable to get around the mud at the other end of the trail, so these guys had given him a ride. And these guys were pretty good looking.
"What are you doing out here?" they asked.
"Oh, I'm just out for a drive," I answered breezily. "See, I have a book!"
The looked at me like I was nuts.
They informed me that my Subaru would never make it through the mud about a mile down the road. They said I could try to follow them through it, and if my car didn't make it, they had a tow strap and could show me an alternate route. If I could get through the mud, it would save me about 20 miles of dirt road driving. I was willing to give it a try.
I was pretty nervous as we approached the mud pits, but as soon as I started driving through them, I was like, "Oh, I got this." I kept up with the guys' big truck easily. (Apparently there was a lot of teasing going on in the truck regarding this.) On the other side of the mud, we parted ways with Vernon and his son, and I hung out with the two guys for a little while. They asked for my number, and I haven't heard from them, but I don't really care because it was a fun day and I'm dealing with too many guys right now, anyway.
I camped with Kristin and a few of her friends that night, and we did X-Pine Canyon the next day. I don't have too much to say about this canyon except that it was nice and pretty (especially the rappels) and I had fun. Brian came with, so that was great to finally get him out in a canyon. He loved it and has been looking into purchasing all the equipment. I'm sure he'll fit right in in that community.
My favorite part of X-Pine was the hike/swim down West Clear Creek. I brought my PFD for the long swims and was so glad I did, because I was able to just happily paddle along. It was a beautiful day with nice people and I had a great time.
I decided to spend my Saturday doing a loop drive in my Arizona Backcountry Adventures book. The first part was rated a 2 and was just an easy dirt road. The second part was rated a 4, and this is where my trouble started.
Bernie has this book and has told me I shouldn't do anything harder than a 3. I learned in Silverton that he was right. But I want to do a loop, not just drive back the way I came.
The first obstacle was crazy rocks. Like, I didn't event think my tires would be capable of crawling over them. I had to get out every few feet and plan my route very carefully. After two stretches like this, I knew there was no way I could go back the way I came. I was also really impressed with my Subaru.
When I stopped to open a gate, I saw an older man on a 4-wheeler. (It was pretty crowded up there that day.) He informed me that it was the first day of hunting season and said everyone was talking about the lady in the little SUV. I definitely didn't fit in up there!
A little while later, I encountered an old man sitting next to the trail. His name was Vernon and he was 84 years old and has lived in AZ since 1944. His grandson's truck was stuck in some mud, and his son was coming in to find them on the road we were on. I offered him a ride till we saw his son.
Vernon ended up being in my car for about an hour and half. "What's a little lady like yourself doing on one of the most dangerous roads in Arizona?" he asked. I laughed to myself as I thought of some of the other roads I've seen in AZ. But the road continued to worsen. I was glad to have Vernon with me; he was a great rock spotter. He told me I was an excellent driver and, after seeing what my car could do, said he might have to get a Subaru.
Finally, we saw a truck coming that he said did not belong to his son. We stopped to chat anyway, and his son was sitting in the backseat. His son's truck was unable to get around the mud at the other end of the trail, so these guys had given him a ride. And these guys were pretty good looking.
"What are you doing out here?" they asked.
"Oh, I'm just out for a drive," I answered breezily. "See, I have a book!"
The looked at me like I was nuts.
They informed me that my Subaru would never make it through the mud about a mile down the road. They said I could try to follow them through it, and if my car didn't make it, they had a tow strap and could show me an alternate route. If I could get through the mud, it would save me about 20 miles of dirt road driving. I was willing to give it a try.
I was pretty nervous as we approached the mud pits, but as soon as I started driving through them, I was like, "Oh, I got this." I kept up with the guys' big truck easily. (Apparently there was a lot of teasing going on in the truck regarding this.) On the other side of the mud, we parted ways with Vernon and his son, and I hung out with the two guys for a little while. They asked for my number, and I haven't heard from them, but I don't really care because it was a fun day and I'm dealing with too many guys right now, anyway.
I camped with Kristin and a few of her friends that night, and we did X-Pine Canyon the next day. I don't have too much to say about this canyon except that it was nice and pretty (especially the rappels) and I had fun. Brian came with, so that was great to finally get him out in a canyon. He loved it and has been looking into purchasing all the equipment. I'm sure he'll fit right in in that community.
My favorite part of X-Pine was the hike/swim down West Clear Creek. I brought my PFD for the long swims and was so glad I did, because I was able to just happily paddle along. It was a beautiful day with nice people and I had a great time.
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