Finally we’ve hit what I think of as “Arizona” - dry, desert, stones and cactus and not a lot else. It took a day of descending, heading down from 6000 ft to 2000 ft elevation.
At one point we passed through Peeples Valley - I figure that’s where all the little figurines in board games come from.
Parts of the ride - the descent down towards Congress, AZ - reminded me a lot of the ride down into Stinson Beach; the terrain and the road felt very similar. People in the group that really love descending had an amazing time, but descending makes me a bit nervous so I really enjoyed it but also I was clutching the brake a lot.
It’s incredible how much the terrain and the weather can change with the decrease in elevation. Wickenburg, down here at 2000, in Mariposa County (yes, that Mariposa County) is hot, dry, stones and cactus. But Prescott, where we started at 6000 feet, reminded me of Truckee - cool, a bit wet, pine trees, good restaurants. I guess Arizona is more interesting than I thought, but I could only handle the parts up near the Canyon.
For dinner we all went out and had a group meal at Denny’s. It was very nice and we got to introduce the Dutch folks to America’s Diner.
Honestly if it wasn’t for the terrible weather during that 2-3 day stretch, this would have been the perfect trip. As it is, I’m glad that the good bits are happening at the end because that’s what I’ll remember now.
