Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles

Another long ride into Phoenix this morning.  I had a 10 a.m. appointment, and actually made it in early…..

No, I wasn’t speeding.  That will not happen again. 

After spending my time in Phoenix (don’t you want to know what I was doing) I began the ride home.  But instead of the usual way I decided to detour through Wickensburg, just to take a look.  From Wickensburg I could take 89 once again, and without a trailer in tow the road is fine, scenic, and enjoyable.

Plus it gave me an opportunity to check out the Joshua Trees some more!  :)  And it allowed me to completely avoid Prescott Valley, the happy little speed trap, and my embarassment over the whole deal. 

Driving into Wickensburg was pleasant.  A two lane highway led right into the town.  The treat along the ride was seeing giant saguaro cactus everywhere.  It was a lonely road, with only a few cars passing me here and there (let them get the tickets….).

Here and there I would stop, but I didn’t find the right moment for photos.  Heavy clouds were moving in to the north, and the blaring sun was to my south.  Photo opportunities today were slim heading into the town.

Along the way I spoke to several friends regarding this morning’s events, and what I might do.  Ah, I’m dropping so many teasers it’s not funny.  You’ll just have to keep reading over the coming weeks.  With each call I gained insight, looked at the situation from every angle, and found that calls dropped a lot heading into Wickensburg along the lonely Route 74.  Looks like there’s one place that needs a few cell sites!

Upon hitting town I realized I was a little too tired to play tourist.  So, I enjoyed passing through, and noted a few places that might be worth a second visit.  I continued on to 89, and toward familiar ground.

As I approached the mountain range that seems to divide the Arizona High Country and the Low Country I saw the joshua tree I photographed the other day.  I decided to take a pass on that one, and continue to the base of the mountains.  There was another joshua tree I passed up last time, and this time it got to be the focus of my attention.

I pulled off right next to the tree and cactus, broke out the camera, and only spent a few minutes at the spot.  Extreme winds were blowing, cutting right through my jacket, shirt, and Smart Wool top.  Yes, the higher you go the cooler you get.  Phoenix was much warmer for the morning.

While shooting I made a few calls back to Prescott.  The word for the day in town was “snow”.  I could tell too, the dark clouds hanging in the distance told me a real storm was occurring.  Just didn’t think it would be snow again.  Fortunately, it wasn’t accumulating.

After the photo session I loaded back into the Nissan and made my way up the curvy road.  It is a fun drive if you’re not hooked up.  So, if you’re ever in the area, give it a whirl.

Instead of following the final curves into town I opted to roll through Skull Valley once more.  With each trip through I seem to like the area more.  Few homes, open spaces, and little going on.  Honestly, that’s not such a bad thing.

Well, that’s the wrap for today.  Little else going on.

I will note, I’m including a copyright notice on all of my photos going forward.  Haven’t heard a word back from Airstream regarding their last newsletter (I dropped a note and asked about it).  So, the stamp goes on the shots from now on.  I forgot to stamp photos yesterday, but it’s becoming a habit.  Like I said before, nice compliment, but credits and a link would not have hurt one bit. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 8:02 pm and is filed under Arizona, Digital Photography, Notes from Gadget, Photo of the Day.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.