NWA742 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 1532 times:
Hey guys,
A few weeks ago I decided to turn a little company gathering in PHX into a week-long road trip from Austin throughout the southwestern USA - unfortunately per the events in this thread several members including myself had planned a meeting but it didn't work out:
However I was able to visit some very beautiful and interesting locations throughout that I had never seen before. Two of them were inspired by members Tom in NO and RJDxer and their road trip threads here:
The routing went like this - Austin - El Paso - Las Cruces - Tucson - Phoenix - Flagstaff - Page, AZ - Flagstaff - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - ABQ - Lubbock - Austin - spanning 5 days and 2800 miles. Stayed in Las Cruces for a night, Flagstaff for 2, and ABQ for the 4th.
On I-10 heading west towards El Paso. Texas is really beautiful and green this year thanks to the excellent above-average rainfall we've gotten.
Inspired to eat here by our member RJDxer - he should recognize this place - Chuy's John Madden Hall of Fame restaurant in Van Horn, TX. Interesting little place, and decent food for what it is.
Inspired to visit here by Tom in NO - Steins Railroad Ghost Town on the I10 border of NM and AZ - was there at opening hours but it was still gated off and had a "closed" sign on the window, so I didn't get to go in. Interesting place, though.
Interesting rock formations in AZ, heading towards Tucson.
Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson - tons of amazing aircraft on display.
One of the first Lear 35s.
707 cockpit section on display, they allow you to sit inside and mess with anything you want.
Pretty self-explanatory - just badass.
5 ex-presidential aircraft
One of NASA's zero gravity simulators.
Strong cell building up to the south.
On I-17 heading towards Flagstaff, just north of Phoenix. Rain in the distance.
Heading north the next day on HW 89 towards Page to visit Glen Canyon & Lake Powell.
Simply beautiful - the Painted Desert.
Rock formations making my Taurus look tiny.
Hiking through the desert to see the Colorado River's Horseshoe Bend, just south of Page.
And here it is - simply amazing. Well worth the hike.
Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge.
Both the dam and bridge are amazing pieces of design and engineering.
Gotta love the lake.
Beautiful drive back south towards Flagstaff at the end of the day.
And of course, had to see the canyon again:
Yes, that's a Boeing bumper sticker.
I took this one for you, ANCflyer
Hope you enjoyed - the southwestern United States is one amazing and beautiful part of the world. Stay tuned for the next trip report from Seattle, Everett, Vancouver, and British Columbia - coming soon!
DavestanKSAN From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 1678 posts, RR: 15 Reply 2, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1495 times:
Great trip report dude!!!! Really great shots you have there !!!!
I love the Horseshoe Bend one . How long was the hike? Was it hot? (A dry heat that is, haha). That dam and bridge look so foreign in that huge patch of desert. Pretty amazing feat of engineering like you said. Of course the Grand Canyon shots were great too. Oh and the cloud shots were cool too. During the summer, we can see lots of storms way out east. It's pretty cool
Next time you gotta head all the way out west towards SAN. Not too many liberals I swear . Haha, just kidding. Although I must admit, the drive between PHX/SAN is incredibly boring until about an hour or so out of SAN. All of a sudden you go up a mountain, then you go back down, and suddenly you're here.
Cool to hear you're going to SEA, and the surrounding area!!!! Really beautiful up there, and of course, really rich in aviation, so you'll have a great time .
Anyway, thanks for the report !!!!
Dave
Yesterday we've sinned, today we move towards God. Touch the sky....love and respect...Safe Star!
Halcyon From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1492 times:
Thanks for the post NWA...you got some pictures that I didn't bother to take during my time down there, so it's nice to see them now. My last trip was (PHX)-PRC-GC Southern Rim-Page-Vermillion Cliffs-Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP-Zion (Just BEAUTIFUL!)-and all the way up to Montana. That area in the South often looks dead, but it's some of the most beautiful ever.
Fumanchewd From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1482 times:
Very nice. The longer I live in AZ the more and more I begin to appreciate how beautiful and diverse it is. Very nice photographs. Sometimes it is hard to capture the correct color of the painted desert.
Yeah I enjoyed Tucson - I also stopped by the new In-N-Out you guys have there - that place was insane but it was good.
One thing though - what the heck is it with Tucson drivers? Everybody seems to be in a life or death rush situation. One of the "worst driver" cities I've ever been to.
In fact, the entire stretch of I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix was one of the fastest paced highways I've ever been on. I was doing 90-95 most of the way and people were blowing by me the entire time. Didn't see a single state trooper either.
Quoting AirTranTUS (Reply 1): Nice pictures. Glad you enjoyed your time here in our lovely state.
Thank you - I certainly did. AZ is an incredible state - I'm considering living there some time.
Quoting DavestanKSAN (Reply 2): I love the Horseshoe Bend one . How long was the hike? Was it hot?
It's about 3/4 of a mile each way - not too bad. The only issue is that coming back, you're going uphill the entire time and walking through a lot of sand at some points. Combine that with the heat and altitude - it can take it's toll really quick. Make sure you bring lots of water.
Quoting DavestanKSAN (Reply 2): Next time you gotta head all the way out west towards SAN. Not too many liberals I swear
I'll do that.
Quoting Fumanchewd (Reply 4): Very nice. The longer I live in AZ the more and more I begin to appreciate how beautiful and diverse it is. Very nice photographs
Thanks - the camera used was a Fuji A820, 8.3MP point & shoot - I was very impressed with it.
Quoting Fumanchewd (Reply 4): Not to be a jerk, but I can't let it slide. It looks like a Lear 23/24. They're loud and proud.
Fumanchewd From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 1458 times:
Quoting NWA742 (Reply 5): Bastard, I knew the 35 probably wasn't right.
Its good you got a picture of the 23/24 though. Lear 35s are like Camaros. They're kind of cool but there are alot of them hucking around. The rarer 23/24 is pretty much a straight jet engine. She smells like jet fuel, throws fire out the back on start up, and can climb vertical on take off. It is the first performance business jet and its a cool photo to have.
57AZ From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 2550 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 1441 times:
Quoting NWA742 (Reply 5): One thing though - what the heck is it with Tucson drivers? Everybody seems to be in a life or death rush situation. One of the "worst driver" cities I've ever been to.
Those weren't Arizonanans you saw-they were Californians. All kidding aside, the traffic here is really pretty good anywhere except around the interstate. It's royally messed up and will remain so for the next three years-all of the major interchanges in the downtown area are closed for the duration of the I-10 widening program. Every so often, they will have major work that requires the through interstate traffic to be routed onto the service road.
As for Inn and Out, I haven't been to the new one and don't intend to. You can get a better burger downtown and support the local businesses instead of exporting your money to California.
Quoting NWA742 (Reply 5): In fact, the entire stretch of I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix was one of the fastest paced highways I've ever been on. I was doing 90-95 most of the way and people were blowing by me the entire time. Didn't see a single state trooper either.
We don't have state troopers-the state law enforcement is the Department of Public Safety which administers the Highway Patrol. Also, just because you didn't see them does not mean they did not see you. They are well known by locals here to do speed enforcement using unmarked cars and these aren't Plain Jane Impalas and PIs. The only way you can tell it's a undercover Highway Patrol unit is the extra heavy window tint-effectively one way glass and the one or two extra antennae. The paint is high quality metallic that you'll find on any other car, not fleet white. They aren't out to scare you into slowing down-they're out to bust you. Also, in Arizona you are required to stop if an officer in an unmarked car activates his lights to initiate a traffic stop.
"When a man runs on railroads over half of his lifetime he is fit for nothing else-and at times he don't know that."
Mdodd From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 348 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 1436 times:
Nice TR!
I need to get out West soon, again!!
Quoting 57AZ (Reply 7): Also, in Arizona you are required to stop if an officer in an unmarked car activates his lights to initiate a traffic stop.
Huh, didn't think anything of this. Ditto here in NJ.
Who's lucky enough NOT to have to do this??
57AZ From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 2550 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 1428 times:
Quoting Mdodd (Reply 8): Huh, didn't think anything of this. Ditto here in NJ.
Who's lucky enough NOT to have to do this??
Well, when I lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee the police department there made it clear that under the Tennessee Code Annotated, motorists are not required to stop for an unmarked police car. In fact, the policy in Chattanooga at the time was that if an officer in an unmarked unit observed a violation, they were required to call in a marked unit to execute the traffic stop.
"When a man runs on railroads over half of his lifetime he is fit for nothing else-and at times he don't know that."
Continental From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 5476 posts, RR: 21 Reply 10, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 1421 times:
Quoting NWA742 (Thread starter): Texas is really beautiful and green this year thanks to the excellent above-average rainfall we've gotten.
Send some up here. Water restrictions are a go here in MN as of yesterday. Everything is uncharacteristically brown and dead thanks to record droughts.
Nevertheless, nice report. AZ sure looks beautiful, I'd love to drive through there one day.
Tom in NO From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 7194 posts, RR: 41 Reply 13, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1337 times:
Great report and incredible pics.....glad you enjoyed your roadie...
Quoting NWA742 (Thread starter): Inspired to visit here by Tom in NO - Steins Railroad Ghost Town on the I10 border of NM and AZ - was there at opening hours but it was still gated off and had a "closed" sign on the window, so I didn't get to go in. Interesting place, though.
She must've run up to Lordsburg or something.....they live in the place just off to the right as you enter the property. And I'm sure you noticed all the UP trains that pass right by there.....we were there probably 90 minutes, and there were no less than eight trains passing during that time.....something like this: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=136136&nseq=2
Quoting NWA742 (Thread starter): Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson - tons of amazing aircraft on display.
Love that place....my eight year old and I passed through there about four years ago.
Without a doubt.....was there last in '99. About time for a return visit, which will also include:
Quoting AirTranTUS (Reply 1): Quoting NWA742 (Thread starter):
Interesting rock formations in AZ, heading towards Tucson.
Dragoon Mountains.
Gotta spend a little more time in this area next time out, visiting the land of Cochise, and especially Tombstone (I'm reading two books on the OK Corral Gunfight)...
Quoting DavestanKSAN (Reply 2): Although I must admit, the drive between PHX/SAN is incredibly boring
I'd agree with that. Of the drive we made almost two months ago, that segment was pretty boring (although Gila Bend rocks (you've seen that Space Ace Lodge in the middle of town?).
Tom at MSY
"The criminal ineptitude makes you furious"-Bruce Springsteen, after seeing firsthand the damage from Hurricane Katrina
Tom in NO From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 7194 posts, RR: 41 Reply 17, posted (5 years 9 months 3 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1242 times:
Looks like we took pictures within spitting distance of each other in the Dragoons, here's the one you posted:
From our roadie in early June:
And a frame of reference for the rest of you.....I-10 in southeast Arizona:
Tom at MSY
"The criminal ineptitude makes you furious"-Bruce Springsteen, after seeing firsthand the damage from Hurricane Katrina
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From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
Great trip report dude!!!! Really great shots you have there 
!!!! 
. How long was the hike? Was it hot? (A dry heat that is, haha). That dam and bridge look so foreign in that huge patch of desert. Pretty amazing feat of engineering like you said. Of course the Grand Canyon shots were great too. Oh and the cloud shots were cool too. During the summer, we can see lots of storms way out east. It's pretty cool
From Canada, joined Aug 2004, 3320 posts, 
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