On into Mesa

As some of you may have wondered, I was planning on doing the three 400 mile days on the way down here arriving on Sunday night...  But the weather here in Phoenix was looking questionable for that Sunday night arrival...

That is what caused me to hold up in Holbrook at about 2 in the afternoon..  And it turned out that that was a wise decision.  They had a rain and wind event that afternoon and evening here..  I didn't need any part of that...

I was up early on Monday looking at the weather report, and they were forecasting more of the same for the end of Monday as well..  But it is only about three and a half hours from Holbrook, so that was the plan.. Get a move on..!

I had a quick breakfast and cleaned up the dishes and mopped the floor on the inside..  Then showered and went out to do the tanks and hoses..  I was on the road by 10 AM..  I had filled the diesel tank the day before so I headed right out to the South..

I go thru Heber and then Payson on the small roads as that saves major miles..  But you have the curvy mountain roads..  Your already at 5,000 feet in altitude at Holbrook, so you really don't notice the climb up over the rim.  But the trees become Ponderosa Pines, and stand as tall as in the Colorado mountains..  Once over the edge at 7,600 feet, its right down the hill on 6 to 8 % grades until you reach Payson at 5,000 again.

From there it is a yo yo of up and down hills and curves..   When you reach the town of Rye, your down to 3,000, but that's a ruse as you have to climb back over 4 again before descending toward the valley..  I makes the motorhome grunt and growl on those long hills.  You wear out from all the curves and downshifting as well.

The sky got growly too as the forecast of rain caused those pesky sprinkles that pass for a rainy day here in the desert.. I arrived before 2 PM local time.  This year nothing was broken during the trip, unlike other years..

I spent the rest of the day unloading....  in and out, over and over..  It was well after dark in the storage lot as I unhooked the Jeep..  Sleep came easy..........

Retired Rod