Driving Day … Tucson to Prescott

Friday, 27 April 2018
Point of Rocks RV Campground — Prescott, Arizona
Temps: 83F (23C) / 52F (11C)

We’re starting a weeklong stop over in Prescott, Arizona.  That means hiking and sightseeing activities will be taking precedence over writing, so I’m going to practice ‘short blogging’ with this post.  Who knows if I will succeed … but at least I’ll be trying.

Up at 6:30a this morning.  With a less than 230-mile (368 km) drive ahead of us, we lollygagged a bit … dallying over breakfast and our camp-departure chores.  A 3,000-step walk around the campground loops wrapped up our stay at Davis-Monthan AFB and we were on the road  by 8:30a.

No problems getting onto I-10W.  No traffic snarls … even with the Tucson rush-hour vehicles around us.  Our first stop was supposed to have been at the Sacaton Rest Area, about 75 miles (120 km) into our drive.  Turns out it was closed for renovation so we pressed on.  No other rest areas on that stretch of I-10 W to Phoenix, so Mui got his stretch-your-legs break at the Loves truck stop.

There was quite a bit of traffic going through Phoenix, but nothing that hindered our progress.  We started to gain elevation as we made our way past Anthem and beyond … anywhere from 1-7% grades.  The Phaeton managed these grades comfortably.  Slow and steady was the name of the game … with Mui manually shifting gears as necessary.  All along this stretch, we were delighted to see the landscape changing to include lots of saguaros on either side of the road.

We took the exit for the Sunset Point Rest Area around 11:45a … perfect timing for lunch.  The surprising thing about this rest area is that despite the wide open expanses of land in the region, there is a single rest area that serves both north- and southbound traffic.  Situated at the top of a fairly steep stretch of I-17, it is very popular with drivers who want to give themselves and their vehicles a break.  In fact, the Google Maps traffic overlay showed the rest area red … meaning very busy with possible traffic jams.

Google was right on track.  We slowly made our way down the very long rest area to find all the truck spots taken … except for the two designated as handicapped.  Luckily there was a turnaround at the end that made a second pass through possible.  This time we lucked out.

Panorama of a very small section of a very big rest area.

This rest area has a wonderful setting overlooking the Bradshaw Mountains.  There was just a tiny bit of heat-haze, otherwise the air was clear.  While Mui prepared lunch — I went for a stroll to the nearby overlook to get a couple of panoramas.  I used the camera mode of the Peak Finder app to identify what I was looking at … and got a screenshot with the names of the peaks superimposed on the scenery.  Loving this app.

Panorama of the Bradshaw Mountains from one of the overlooks.

Screenshot from the Peak Finder app … using the camera feature.

At first I thought we were going to have to eat our lunch in the Phaeton.  The picnic shelters nearest to our parking spot were full when we arrived.  By the time I started to walk back from the overlook, they were available.  A light breeze mitigated the temperature.  So, Mui put our food on a tray and we had another great al fresco lunch.

Lunch with a view!

After lunch, we went for a stroll to check out the overlooks and picnic shelters on the far side of the rest area.  One of the overlooks had a sun dial … a memorial dedicated to the employees of the Arizona Department of Transportation who died in service to the state.

On the sundial memorial are the words: “As the sun sets over
our fallen companions, may they always be remembered.”

Left: Desert landscaping adds a nice touch to a utilitarian rest area.
Right: Prickly Pear Bloom.

We left the rest area at @ 1:15p.  With only 48 miles (77 km) remaining to our destination, the last leg of today’s drive was a short one.  Up and down we went through the mountains, reaching our highest point today when we pulled into the Point of Rocks RV Campground — 5,182 feet (1,580 m).

Registering at the office was quick and easy.  By the time I walked out, Mui had the CR-V unhooked.  I used the campground map — customized to site 76 — to lead Mui up to the upper level of the campground.  I’ll write more about the campground and our site in another post.

Spacious and private … and the wi-fi repeater is right next to us.

We made quick work of settling in.  While Mui did the last few set-up chores outside, I got started on getting rid of the dust that had accumulated inside the Phaeton since we got on the road nine days ago.  Vacuuming and Swiffering completed the cleaning.  It took Mui 49 minutes on the phone with DirecTV, but we have the local channels off the satellite dish.  And the NOAA radio is set up to alert us for any weather emergencies.  We’re all set for our week here.

A day that started out warm, and progressed to 97F (36C) as we were driving through Phoenix around 11:00a, has cooled down considerably.  It was down to 86F (30F) when we arrived at the campground at 2:30p.  Now, just after 7:00p, the temp is down to 77F (25C).  We are very much looking forward to the cooler daytime temps that we expect to accompany our elevation gain.  It might even get downright chilly at night … but we won’t be complaining.

T-Mobile Update: Started out strong leaving Tucson, then dropped to a 1-2 bar signal through the Casa Grande area.  I knew to expect this since a friend in that area had mentioned it a few days ago.  Then up again to 3 bars as we closed in on Phoenix … wavering to as little as 1 bar until exit 162 … after which it popped up to 4-bar city signal.  Once we got into the dips and rises of the mountainous terrain after New River, the signal wavered a bit, going as low as 1 bar for brief periods of time.  But for the most part, maintained 3-4 bar LTE.  And here at the campground we have 3 bars.  All in all, still happy with the switch from Verizon to T-Mobile.

P.S.  You might think that I didn’t manage my ‘short post’ goal.  That’s because you don’t know just how much text I started out with from my rough journal notes ;-)

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