FR 525: Our Great Escape

Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself.

Our plans for the day-- park, plug in, run some errands-- had evaporated.

           

It was past 2:00pm, we had pulled in and immediately back out of the only RV park with a space available in Flagstaff for the weekend (had a "gross factor" off the charts), and we were hungry and getting grumpy. Our only plan was to go to Target, where we could have lunch in the trailer and get our groceries and other necessities as planned, though we had no idea where we'd be settling in for the night, yet.

           

Brent managed to find a corner of the busy lot to park our truck and behemoth trailer and he rounded up Evelyn to walk with him to Chipotle a couple of blocks away while I checked the campground apps on the tablet and chilled out. In Brent's words: "Just hang out here with Kailyn and have a glass of wine". So I did. Kailyn slept on the couch and I sipped wine and tried to ignore the frustrated knot in my stomach made worse by my hunger and the uncertainty that comes with not having a plan.

           

By the time Brent and Evelyn returned with lunch (she rode her scooter the entire mile and a half round trip!), I felt more relaxed but not better about our situation. He was calm and collected. That's the beauty of our relationship. We always manage to balance each other out. When he's steaming, I keep the calm and humor and when I'm about to blow, he turns the heat down with his confidence and patience. After lunch, I left the family behind me in the Target parking lot, Evelyn riding her scooter around our trailer, dogs tied to the steps laying on their huge comfy bed, and Brent checking under the truck's hood just because.

           

It's strange how a Target trip can be something to look forward to-- something familiar in light of all unknown. I felt my nerves calming a bit as I shopped Halloween decorations (I couldn't wait to cozy up our home with a more festive flair!) and I momentarily forgot about our current situation as I filled our cart.

Evelyn says the Halloween decorations make her happy. :)

           

When I returned, Brent said he had a plan. He figured we could head toward Cottonwood, which would mean we travel south past Sedona and then up north again in the upward stroke of a "v" on the map. He had found a single night's reservation in an RV park in Cottonwood. It wouldn't help us the next night but gave us somewhere to go that night, so it was the best we had. We would be traveling about 50 miles from our current location but it would get us close to Sedona all the same, and that was where I wanted to visit, so there it was.

          

As the sun began to set, we'd been back on the road for some time. Evelyn finally closed her eyes and started in on a late nap. Brent pulled over at a scenic vista and he and I got out and breathed in the cool air of dusk, snapping pictures of purple mountains and distant rocky hilltops and deep canyons of Sedona. Our journey continued and darkness set upon us.

A panoramic inspiration to keep on truckin'

It was well after 8:00PM when we arrived at the RV park in Cottonwood where we had a spot waiting for us for one night. It was dark. Brent eyed the low hanging mature trees that hung over the narrow driveway and road of the little trailer park. We rolled slowly in past 12 or so RVs, all of which were obviously permanent fixtures of the park. They had likely been there since before the trees were so mature as I couldn't imagine how some of them would even pull out now. We arrived at a tight left turn with even lower trees and not enough room to make the turn without causing some damage or running something over. This wasn't going to work. Brent announced we couldn't stay here, but our biggest problem now was getting out. There was no moon and there were no street lights in the tiny park. We were nearly blind but had no option but to back out the way we'd come in. I walked behind with a lantern and Brent did his best to avoid swiping low hanging trees and get us back out of the park, which he did without incident.

           

We were out, but we still had nowhere to go and it was now after 9:00PM.

           

We were parked in a dirt lot near the entrance of the RV park where a food truck retiring for the evening had been parked when we arrived an hour earlier. Brent went back into the trailer to get us some snacks. I dove into the tablet again while Evelyn chattered away, asking where we were going to park and when we'd get there. I opened an app my dad had told us about: Ultimate Campgrounds. Though we'd used it a bit to this point, most of its listings are "dispersed" camping-- free but primitive and on Forestry Service or BLM land. I started tapping on those nearest us and after some exploring and further research through the old reliable, Google Images, I showed Brent some pictures of people camping off of FR 525 (Fire Road 525), also known as Loy Butte Rd. Brent was on board. It was about 5 miles up the highway on which we were currently sitting motionless.

           

This was our best choice at this point. We hung a left off the dark highway and found ourselves on a washboard gravel road in total darkness. After about 100 feet, our headlights illuminated a slumbering motor home on the right side of the dirt road: "Well, other people are staying here too, right?" We continued on at a rattling crawl, Brent navigating the washboard as best he could without vibrating everything off their hinges in the home trailing behind us. We began to glimpse the glittering of campfires off to our left and Brent consulted the satellite image of Google Earth to concur that there was a circle of a dirt clearing on the other side of a gateway through the brush to our left. Brent got out with the lantern and checked it out only to return with eyes aglow. He was thrilled! This was his thing!

           

We pulled in to the large dirt clearing where two other parties were already camped for the night: an older model Class C motor home and a car with tent pitched behind some bushes. Theirs was the campfire we had seen. It wasn't hard to find somewhere to park. We had plenty of room. We had found home for the night.

Our camp off of FR 525

Running free outside our camp

           

While we were setting up, a Ranger truck pulled up next to Brent outside. I heard the Ranger ask Brent, "What's up?" My stomach sank. In California, when a Ranger pulls up to the campsite, it is never good news. My ears went into eavesdrop mode. Inside, I continued to unpack and get a late dinner together but had a sinking feeling we would not be allowed to stay here for the night. Brent's tone of voice revealed he felt the same way I did at the Ranger's presence-- unsure. It didn't take long, though, for me to hear that his tone had changed and there was pleasant chat coming from outside the windows.

           

The Ranger, Mike, was super nice! He praised our choice for place to camp and told us we could stay up to 14 days totally free. He gave us a heads up that with the holiday weekend came the beginning of riding season. He told us we'd have company and that it wouldn't exactly be quiet here on FR 525 with so many people likely to come out with their ATVs to ride for the day. He looked over Brent's truck and told him that he had a great truck for exploring the dirt roads in the area. He told Brent to avoid the highway going into Sedona. He said we'd have amazing views if we took the dirt roads into Sedona from where we were. He also recommended a few casual restaurants in Sedona to go to and wished us well on our Big Adventure (Brent had filled him in on what we were up to and Mike the Ranger was terribly envious).

           

When the sun rose the next morning, we let the dogs out to play in the open area and threw tennis balls for them to fetch. Evelyn played in the dirt. A few locals arrived with their trucks and trailers toting ATVs. Brent made jovial small talk with them before they set off and when they returned, wishing more than ever that he had brought his own dirt bike with us. We ate and enjoyed the morning and grew giddy over rumbling thunder approaching. The skies were darkening and a moisture was in the air, a wonderful reprieve and a symbolic rejuvenation for us all. We were awestruck by lightening flashing through the clouds of the approaching storm and breathed in the unmistakable smell of oncoming rain. We could see the storm and then the light beyond it-- this was not lasting or threatening weather-- so we prepared ourselves for our dirt road expedition.

           

We had seen and heard hobby airplanes flying overhead about a half mile in from our campsite, so we followed the dirt roads in toward where we'd seen them, finding a fenced area cleared out with a flat and well-groomed red clay runway and a couple dozen enthusiasts inside. A few large RVs and a few cars and trucks were parked near the runway. We found a place to park, ourselves, and we could see some of the planes now, all grounded from the light rain while their pilots made small talk in clusters around them.

 

Brent carried Evelyn in toward the planes (she didn't feel like putting shoes on) and they were warmly welcomed. Evelyn was admiring the largest of the planes, a yellow and red one with a little pilot figure seated in the cockpit. The plane was a good ten feet tall when stood on its nose and was impressively sporty-looking to say the least. The owner explained that they had been waiting for the runway to dry from the brief rain, but asked if Evelyn would like to see it fly. After a resounding "Yea!!" in response, the owner navigated the plane in reverse from its resting position and taxied it out to the runway.

 

It took off! We marveled as it climbed high into the sky, spiraled back down toward earth, recovered itself into a swift flight above the runway and back into the sky. It soared, barrel-rolled, and rocketed upside down, leaving jet streams behind in an impressive show for Evelyn.

 

The owner of a second plane offered to take off next for us and his blue plane did just as many tricks, leaving us all smiling like kids. A man sitting next to us explained that this plane belonged to his brother and that he had built it from scratch. It had a chainsaw motor in it. Besides this, everything on the plane was made by hand-- even the screws holding it together!

Watching hobby planes fly off FR525

Meeting the planes and doggie host, Gemini, up close.

Everyone was so welcoming!

We watched scaled down planes play in the sky above us for quite some time, enjoying the company of a friendly old dog, Gemini, who clearly knew the company and the routine here well. Dark clouds continued to move over the sky and all the while we enjoyed the flickering of lightening, the rumbling of thunder, and the occasional large raindrop touching down around us. A competition was about to begin, which we were told included fun events like releasing balloons and competing to see which plane could pop the most. We were invited to stay; a man nearby called out that we were all welcome to hot coffee and that burgers and hot dogs were on the grill for everyone. We were tempted to stay, but there were still lots of dirt roads awaiting us with Sedona at the end of the trail. We thanked everyone and climbed back in the car where the dogs sat patiently waiting.

 

Back out on the dirt roads, we marveled at local vegetation and the stickiness of the red clay. We could see impressive red hills in the distance and headed in their direction. Each time we crested a hill, the red hills before us were even more striking and we just smiled all the while. At one crest, we stopped to take pictures and Evelyn asked about the fruits growing on the cacti nearby. Brent picked a prickly pear and took a bite. Why not make this a multi-sensory experience? Any guesses at how it tasted? Sweet, he says! I wouldn't go as far as to sink my teeth into this experience in a literal sense, so I took his word on its flavor!

Brent getting a taste of the glory

 We weren't alone on the road. We waved at several other travelers in everything from ATVs to pink Jeep tours to Honda Accords.

 

We discovered even better places to stop and camp along the road, but there was no way our RV could have made it the 8-10 miles in to these optimal locations.  Still, others had hauled their rigs in and what views they had! The red hills were simply radiant against the darkened skies. They appeared massive and stood up over the desert greenery in soft pillows that reached for the heavens.

Someone else's camp deep into the dirt roads. Totally cute and what great views!

Brent offering up a little something for Aunt Patty's rock collection.

The view that emerged and grew more impressive with each mile we crept near.

 

At a fork in the dirt road, we kept left, heading for Palatki Ruins, a cliff dwelling spectacle to be explored in the red rock mountains ahead. We neared the base of the mountains and enjoyed what this rainy day provided-- waterfalls cascading over the slick red rock of the massive rounded cliffs towering above us. We parked with a dozen other cars at this discovered destination while the storm finally blanketed over from above. We waited in the truck with the dogs while rain pounded down on the metal roof and we gaped at the elevated red formations before us hoping the rain would stop so we could explore. The rain did let up, but a fellow explorer returning to his car warned us that they were considering closing the trail to the ruins. We hoped for the best and walked the short walk to the visitor's center, where the attendant confirmed they were worried about lightening and didn't want to send anyone up. We were happy all the same-- this had been a wonderful voyage and it's not like we had planned or counted on anything! We took pictures outside at the base of the hills and agreed we were ready for lunch, anyway. Sedona, here we come!

Waiting for the rain to stop.

Evelyn was soaking up some raindrops.

The Palatki Red Rock Hills

Emmy wasn't nearly as impressed as we were with our dirt road adventure.

Waterfalls off the red rock from the rain.

 

The dirt road into Sedona was more of a dirt thoroughfare-- lots of Pink Jeep Tours and off-roaders. We waved and smiled at everyone.

 

The dirt finally turned to asphalt and the personality of Sedona presented itself. Houses were built to blend into the landscape, their colors the colors of the hills and dirt around them, and roofs were barely visible below the tree lines of the neighborhoods-- beauty preserved and respected. The town, its commerce and its retail, was all built with the same respect for the beauty of the landscape in mind. This was a bustling city surrounded by majestic red, yellow, and orange rockscape, a hilly orange paradise frosted in green forestry.

 

Mike the Ranger's recommendation for lunch was a great one. We ate at Gerardo's, a casual but luxurious Italian restaurant with a patio and bar where dogs were more than welcome. We enjoyed the best pizza we've ever had (yes, really) and even splurged on dessert-- cinnamon donut holes for Evelyn and lemon tiramisu for me (delightful!).

 

We took a scenic loop through Red Rock country after dinner and again stopped to marvel at the poetry of nature. Honestly, The Grand Canyon didn't compare to the beauty of what we had seen throughout our day of adventure this day. Simply amazing...

Red Rock Country

 

We returned via highway to our home in the dirt lot off of a fire road. Brent started a campfire with some free lumber he had cajoled from an employee at Cottonwood's Home Depot. We star-gazed and played with praying mantises that were drawn to the fire and giggled while Evelyn danced to Weird Al songs.

We had our first campfire since being out on the road.

 

The next morning, we had plans to meet up with Brock, a friend attending school at Embry Riddle in Prescott. He suggested we meet in Jerome, which he fondly described as his favorite place. We knew nothing of Jerome. Signs on the way suggested it was a place of history, that much we gathered. It wasn't until we started hugging hillsides on our way to the town that we began to see what Brock was so impressed with. Jerome was once a copper mining town. It is built into the hillside as if someone had thrown the entire community at the hill from a distance and it just kind of stuck there in its own perfection. From a distance, the town appears a painting of a community that someone hung on the side of the mountain.

We visited an old mining rig. At the monument, visitors can stand on a piece of glass and look straight down into the 1900 foot deep elevator shaft that plunges down to the mines below. Can you imagine being a worker there who spent his days nearly 2000 feet below the surface? My fears of heights and enclosed spaces combined, I felt woozy just standing near the glass-covered hole in the ground.

We met Brock for lunch at The Mine Shaft, where I had a jackfruit and veggie fajita burrito-- awesome! We explored the town together after lunch, spending time on a playground, enjoying baked goodies, and discussing the history and quirkiness of the town. The views were amazing! Homes and shops were built on top of each other, clinging to the hillsides however they could. Plenty of local arts and trades were to be found and a character survived on this hillside the likes of which I could have never imagined. It was a real joy to visit Brock, who is tolerating Arizona another two months (63 days!) before he graduates. We've missed him back in California, so visiting him on his temporary turf was pretty special. Evelyn made him play with her on everything there was in the playground.

Lunch at The Mine Shaft

Cookies and Brownies!

Brock and Evelyn at the playground

 

A view of part of the town and playground



I would have loved to hang out here with a glass of wine!

This quirky place was my favorite

We hugged Brock goodbye and went home for another campfire, aiming our sights the next day on Slide Rock Park. The drive there the next day was gorgeous. Every hillside we scaled as we weaved through the forest and mountain highway there was simply stunning. The park was also a sight to be seen with towering red rock covered in pine trees soaring up in a spectacular backdrop. The slides in the canyon were fun, but it was a popular place and crawling with people. Evelyn had fun, though, and I even got in a little hike down an easy trail with the baby and the dogs to snap some pictures of the canyon from above.

In the canyon at Slide Rock Park

This is how you roll (and hike) with a baby and three dogs when you've backed over your stroller at a previous stop!

The backdrop at Slide Rock Park

We wound up spending four nights off of Fire Road 525. It was, so far, the highlight of our trip, and staying off the beaten path saved us close to $200 in camping fees! We woke the final morning there to hot air balloons rising up over the very dirt roads we had explored a few days prior. It was quite a finale.

We gave each other high fives as we buckled up and pointed ourselves once again in the direction of Flagstaff. This time, we had a night reserved at a reputable RV park and we were looking forward to a few luxuries for a change. Though primitive camping had brought with it some priceless memories, we all needed a good shower without worrying about emptying the tanks and were looking forward to NOT going anywhere for a day or two.

We enjoyed those two days in Flagstaff not exploring the town at all. A trip to Michael's and Sprouts felt a welcome routine. This time we visited the Flagstaff Target in much better spirits. We rested two days and were ready for more.

On to the next!

Evelyn enjoying some down time in Flagstaff.