Route 89A

View from atop the Kaibab Plateau

Returning from the music festival, I took Route 59 out of Hurricane, UT to pick up Route 89A at Fredonia, AZ. From Fredonia, you head south and make the climb up the Kaibab Plateau. At Jacob Lake, you're at about 8000' in elevation amid a ponderosa pine forest. From here, you can take Route 67 to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I began the drive down the other side of the plateau into the sage flats and along Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.

This is real Desert Southwest mesa territory. You half expect The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote to run across the road in front of you.

South edge of the Vermillion Cliffs

Classic Southwestern mesa

View from Lee's Ferry Lodge

Near the turn off to Lee's Ferry

Crossing the Colorado River at Marble Canyon

View from the foot bridge

Spanning the Colorado

Looking straight down; a small, sandy beach separates red rock from emerald water

Lee's Ferry is just up river a piece...I reckon.

Steele Indian School Park - Phoenix

Palm-lined walkway

The Phoenix Indian School operated from 1891-1990. It was purchased by the city of Phoenix in 1996 and re-opened as a park in 2001. A wide concrete walkway, called The Circle of Life, encircles the 3 remaining buildings of the Indian School. To the south of this walkway is the Entry Garden, which is a representation of Sonora Desert plants.

Overlooking the Entry Garden

Water cascade and pond in the Entry Garden

The Arbor bridge connects the Entry Garden to the Circle of Life walkway

Memorial Hall

Grammar School building

The Dining Hall

South end of the Circle of Life

This water feature bisects the Circle of Life

Disrepair in Indian School - these pictures were taken through windows, so I apologize for any glare or fuzziness.

Grammar School interior

Grammar School interior

Dining Hall interior

Dining Hall interior

Payson, AZ

Hwy. 87 heading towards Payson

Yesterday, I took a day trip northeast of Phoenix to Payson, AZ, which is in Arizona Rim Country. It was nice to go up in elevation and get treated to temperatures that were 15º cooler than Phoenix. From Payson, I detoured through the Roosevelt Lake area on my way back to Phoenix. (see post below)


Arizona Rim Country - The rim referred to is the Mogollon Rim, which is a geologic escarpment that forms the southwest boundary of the Colorado Plateau. Elevation on top of the rim averages about 7000 ft. and the communities below, at about 5000 ft., constitute Rim Country.

The Mogollon Rim off in the distance

Another view of the Mogollon Rim

Green Valley Park - This park is the location of the Rim Country Museum and the Zane Grey cabin. Payson is a regional fire fighting center and a lot of the museum area is dedicated to that.

The lake with fishing dock

Firefighting stuff

There's an old fire engine inside

Herron Hotel

Zane Grey cabin - quite robust for a cabin

Haught cabin - now THIS is a cabin

Disrepair in Payson - The Sidles Mud House was built around 1881 and is the oldest standing structure in Payson. It was later bought by the Pieper family and was their home until they built their "mansion" next door.

Sidles Mud House

Another view

Nestled next to the "mansion"

Rental cabins next door to the Mud House

The "mansion"

El Rancho - I had lunch at the El Rancho Restaurant. I ordered a shredded beef burrito smothered in green chile sauce. It was pretty good, but still not as good as the burritos at La Pasadita in Denver.

Exterior

Interior

Lunch

Roosevelt Lake and the Tonto Basin

Gassing up the truck in Jake's Corner

From Payson, I backtracked a bit towards Phoenix and went south on Hwy. 188 into the Tonto Basin and towards Roosevelt Lake. Roosevelt Lake is a man-made reservoir formed by the damming of the upper Salt River. Tonto Basin drains the Tonto Creek area which originates near the Mogollon Rim. Roosevelt Lake consists of the lower Tonto Basin and the upper Salt River Basin.

Backwaters of Roosevelt Lake

I bet there's some good bass fishing in there

Coral pink hillsides slope down to water's edge

The Sierra Ancha Mountains to the east of the lake

Roosevelt Bridge from Hwy. 188

Roosevelt Dam

Boats under the bridge

Chase Field

Upper deck down the left field line

The Reds were in town, so I went to the game last night at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. It's a massive structure with a retractable roof. The roof was closed tonight and the inside cooled to escape the 105º heat outside. I may have to go back in late September and watch a game when the roof is open.

The stadium, with it's hangar-type roof and windows along the top, has the feel of an old-style fieldhouse, but on a much larger scale. It has all the amenities of a modern stadium - giant center field scoreboard, concession stands everywhere, restaurants overlooking the outfield, etc.

The Reds won 11-7 after scoring 4 runs in the 8th to tie the game and 4 runs in the 9th to win it. I also found out I was part of history. This game had the smallest crowd in Diamondbacks history - 15,509 in attendance.

Just about ready to start

The field is ready to go

Looking across the diamond from the upper deck along the left field line

Edinson Volquez on the mound

The mongo scoreboard in center field

Leaving Chase Field