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Category: Highway 89

MWT – Road trip photos Highway 89 Arizona

Fall Aspen and Douglas Fir in Kaibab National Forest
I left the North Rim at 3:15pm. Along the meadows Aspen showed their finest gold to orange colors, sometimes like a fence or mixed into the towering evergreens.

Vermilion Cliffs
As I droped about 3000 feet off the Kaibab Plateau to House Rock Valley the temperature increased from fall back to summer.

Vermilion Cliffs
Back in the 1870s John Wesley Powell named this magnificent 3000 foot escarpment appropriately.

After crossing the Colorado River the highway turns south and parallels Echo Cliffs. The moon was up as the sun went down…

…enhancing the colors of the Painted Desert.

And the sunset was spectacular.

Sunset over Humphreys Peak
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Flagstaff until after dark.

That is the moon
All photos were taken while I was driving. Some come out better than others. The road is smooth yet full of dips.

Made it to the KOA RV Park where I’ve camped several times before. Always get good WIFI. Tomorrow I drive the rest of the way to Yarnell.

To see glimpses into life around the world, or to share your own, go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

Arizona, Echo Cliffs, Highway 89, Humphreys Peak, My World Tuesday, Painted Desert, road trip, sunset, Vermilion Cliffs 22 Comments

(In)famous Yarnell Hill

Map of Highway 89
Yarnell Hill tends to evoke a love/hate relationship as the road’s ribbonous curves climb from desert to chaparral.

Highway 89 Yarnell Hill
U.S. Highway 89 was Arizona’s first state highway from Nogales to Less Ferry at the Colorado River.  Yarnell Hill changes 2500 feet in four miles along the side of Table Top Mountain.  An overlook about a mile from the top offers views of the valley below.

Parker Dairy Farm in the valley
This section of Highway 89 has been called the most treacherous drive in Arizona.  Motorcyclists love it, although many accidents occur.  Big rigs, like semis and RVs avoid it.  At least I do, once each way towing was enough for me.  Yet I love to drive this curvacious piece of highway.

Landslide on Yarnell Hill 1932
Couldn’t find an exact date for the first highway, but know it was an unpaved narrow two lanes.  In late 1914, the drivers of the last Los Angeles to Phoenix Cactus Derby race drove down the precipitous slope during a torrential rainstorm describing Yarnell Hill as the most challenging drive ever made.

White Elephant curve
About half way down Yarnell Hill there is a white elephant painted on the rocks, when someone hasn’t vandalized it.  The bend could be compared to an elephant’s trunk.  There is mostly mystery surrounding this apparition involving many stories told by folks who are “right” in their own truths.  The Arizona Highway Department calls it “graffiti” and occasionally tries to paint it over but unknown persons paint it back.

At the top of the hill lies Yarnell, current population less than 2,000, “Where The Desert Breeze Meets The Mountain Air!”  For many years Yarnell has offered respite for both automobiles and their occupants.  Passengers, thirsty and exhausted by the climb, were as dry as their cars’ radiators.  However since the Black Canyon Highway, known as Interstate-17, rerouted much traffic further east Yarnell has slipped into a quiet little berg.  Yet there are some nice restaurants, antique stores and art galleries.

Arizona, Highway 89, Yarnell Hill 10 Comments

What the…

…did I find in the desert?

Maybe this will help.

80-100+ year old Saguaros in front of Joshua-tree
The Saguaro, pronounced sah-wah’-ro, is the state flower of Arizona (sorry it’s not in bloom, yet) and is protected by law. It grows up to 50 feet tall, but very slowly, and the oldest plants could be 150-200 years old.

Joshua-tree, the largest of the yuccas at 15-30 feet tall, is iconic to the national park bearing its name in southern California. It also grows in abundance in Joshua Forest Parkway in western Arizona, not far from where I live. Mormon pioneers during the late 1800s named this species Joshua because its shape mimics a person with uplifted arms gesturing wildly as if to pray.

Here’s another interesting discovery.

Ocotillo, pronounced o-ko-tee’-yo, grows multi-stems up to 30 feet tall. Leaves appear only after rain then withers as the soil dries. The tip of each stem displays a vibrant red cluster of flowers. This cycle repeats several times during the year.

OK, now you know we’re in the desert, so steer clear of these.

Prickly Pear Cactus is one of the most common cacti found in the desert.

Highway 89 winds 2500 feet up Table Top Mountain in four miles
Note the prickly pear cactus in center foreground
I live at the top of this Yarnell Hill

I’ve admired this particular cluster of Saguaro many times on the drive to Wickenburg on Highway 89 at the bottom of the Yarnell Hill. Yesterday I finally stopped to take pictures. The close up idea was inspired by Joan at SAP

Arizona, Highway 89, photography, plants, Yarnell Hill 10 Comments

Lijit

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