Monday, March 16 – We pulled-out of Mesa, Arizona, early this morning after a month enjoying the wonderful weather. We've sure enjoyed one of the best winters, weather-wise, here in the Southwest part of the U.S.A. It's already getting HOT in the area, climbing into the 90's during the afternoon.
With a destination of Datil, NM, in mind, we headed up the mountain on AZ-87 on our way to Payson, AZ. This road took us through Tonto National Forest. Man-O-Man, what a climb. That is the most strenuous climb our Ford-350 has been put through. There were times we were climbing at only 30 mph.
We are sure glad we chose to go over the mountains to Payson. This is truly a scenic route, one of the best we've experienced. Wish we would have planned a week's stay in this area! We then cruised along the mountain tops (the Mogollon Rim) on US-60 to New Mexico. What a change in geographic scenery. This part of New Mexico appears significantly differently from the areas we've explored several times in the past. It's very beautiful too!
Some of the mountains in this area still have snow on them.
Just outside Payson, Doug Laning (http://missadventuretravels.blogspot.com/) and his dog, Yuma, passed us on the highway. We would have stopped for a short chat if he had seen us or stopped for a break, but we eventually lost sight of him. Darn! We met Doug and Yuma in Quartzsite, AZ, this past January at the Blogger Fest.
We slowed down in Pie, NM, hoping to stop at Pie-O-Neer for a piece of their famous pie. Unfortunately, they were closed. We weren’t surprised. We sometimes felt like the only vehicle on the road.
We are in Eagle Nest RV Park located in Datil, NM. It is just a scattering of RV sites behind the Eagle Nest Restaurant. Great for a few nights or over-night…nothing fancy. Gravel/dirt streets and sites. All the sites are FHU, 30 amp sites. The sites are haphazardly set with no apparent plan. You pick out a site and pay in the restaurant. Most of the sites are occupied by workers. By the looks of their trucks, they appear to be highway construction crews.
Looking right.
Looking left.
We are only here for the night. We are visiting the Very Large Array (VLA), 20 miles down the road, first thing tomorrow morning. Stop back to check out these huge satellite dishes. Maybe they heard life out there in another galaxy?
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!
That really does sound like a climb. Glad you made the climb hope. I'm sure you'll have no problem getting down and back to those flat, straight roads. Enjoy those dishes.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting a little too hot for my liking here in Yuma also. Two more weeks to go.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a beautiful drive and made it safely to your next stop. Have a fun day:)
ReplyDeleteA long haul but a beautiful drive. It's really not too bad considering how high you climb. Shoot - I wanted to hear about the pie. Wonder if it'll be open when we go through. Probably not. Looking forward to your post on the VLA.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a beautiful drive. I'll be following your journey closely for new ideas for our Texas travels next winter.
ReplyDeleteWe will be leaving Borrego Springs in 4 or 5 days. Then to Yuma/Mexico for dental work then, finally, north. That drive sounds great! So pretty.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good choice with AZ. Texas weather this winter has been the pits. AZ next winter for us too.
ReplyDeleteawwww. . .we think New Mexico is beautiful as well!
ReplyDeleteHope your back is feeling better. . .can't wait to see the VLT. . .
yeah. . .that should say VLA. . .not sure where my fingers were going. . .LOL!
DeleteWhat a great drive:)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely drive. Hope Marsha's back is feeling much better.
ReplyDeleteYou had us at pie, we were disappointed when it was closed, but not as much as you I'll bet.
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