Thursday and Friday Roll-Up

Heading South on AZ 77 from Holbrook, you will pass landmarks like Five-Mile Wash, Painted Wash and Corduroy Creek. After that, you're back on US 60, heading into Pinon Pine Forrest. The smell is unmistakable.



Equally unforgettable is the Salt River, which must be crossed. This is on the descent into the canyon, the ascent is on the opposite side. This is a two-lane highway, with 35MPH as the posted maximum speed. There are numerous crosses and memorials for those that ignored the advice.



And I succeeded at reaching the first Castle. I also got to meet G and M who are the current residence. They were surprised by my visit, and more surprised to learn that I once played with Tonka Toys atop the same wall which has been turned into a wonderful backyard showpiece. Heavy construction ahead! At the end of the wall was a BBQ...




... a BBQ that is now missed by the current owners. The remains of the BBQ were hauled above the installation site, and deposited. This is one of the larger chunks showing the mortar work and the use of local stone, just like the retaining wall. If only we could talk to the craftsman.

Like small towns, this place has a main street. This is now considered the historic section. You can find this crossroads at the intersection of US 60 and US 70, approximately 1,055 miles West of Bad Brad's BBQ place.

Continuing on US 70, also known as AZ 77, I passed a sign and took a short detour to a University of Arizona project location. I opted not to take the tour, and have put this place on the future vacation to-do list, after adequate research. If you recognize this place, let me know.

It was shortly after this shot that I realized that I had completed a loop, as AZ 77 becomes North Oracle Road (after passing through Oracle, AZ) and descends through the Oro Valley and into Tucson. I was now travelling the same road, in the same direction, without having driven it the other way.

Sometime in the next 48 hours, I will need to spend eight of them headed west. Keep checking, as I do plan to capture some additional images on the final westerly leg of this vacation. Until then, enjoy!

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Travel Day and the BBQ Frontier

It has been a long time since I sampled Texas BBQ. I was passing through Amarillo, and with assistance of the yellow-pages directory in the navigation system, I was able to locate a mini BBQ. The quality of the meat was excellent, and it was served pulled, on a bun, just like Brad's. Less smoke flavor, drier, and the sauce was not sweet and smokey, but a bit under-powered with Santa Cruz Chili Powder. That's Texas BBQ. I almost stopped at another BBQ.

I've gotten a bit better at catching trains. This is out the passenger window, using the best-shot-selector. No more blur, but you gotta time it right. There is significant lag with a digital camera.

I cleaned the windshield, and there were some sun-dogs to catch over the New Mexico desert.

Of course, everyone is asking about the sauce. Here it is, loading down the passenger side of the vehicle. Albuquerque is at the left side of the map, at the nexus. Now you know exactly where the sauce was when the photo was taken.

A quick pause at a rest-stop provided an opportunity to make some nice PS3 wallpaper. Here is a standard aspect shot of the Varga and Snow that I was driving through.

Even through the dirty windshield, a sunset shot was possible today. Enjoy this New Mexico sunset. I punched through Albuquerque, Grants and Gallup, penetrating 50 miles into Arizona before stopping for the night in Holbrook. I was jazzed about getting back to my own time zone, crossing two time zones boundaries and over 900 miles in one day of travel.

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Waypoint Wednesday

There are limits to what can be shot safely.

I have added this to the future acquisitions list.

This is another fine example of shooting sideways.

Auto-Pan I call it. Image correction is in order.

The black lines left and right are marked at mean sea level.

Some landmarks are unmistakable in your life.

Even blurred.

... and they look very different from little closer perspective.


If you hear a crackle on a hot desert night, it might be this.
The La Cholla (choy-'ya). Do not get too close. Period.


There is a reason I like this castle. I used to live in it.
The tangerine trees are still in the front courtyard.
I swear that driveway was steeper. Way steeper.


The GPS did not hurt, but I did not need to punch in the address to find it.
They enclosed the car port, which was always allowed in the original plan.
I remember building this house, from plastic pieces, adding in all the options.
It was the biggest we could make. It was also the last lot that would fit it.


There was one snarl on the way, in Huachuca City. Smoke from a multiple structure fire closed the highway for about half an hour, creating multi-mile long backups northbound. I was headed south, and stopped, and then picked a speed that I did not have to stop anymore.

There is allot of water in that firehose. I think they had two hydrants on this one. The structures were reported to be owned by the (former?) Mayor of the town. Hmmm..... Huachuca City.


I promised a Sunset. It's a little late, but here it is.
Not enough clouds for the traditional Arizona Sunset.
But it was there.



This was this morning's sunrise.
Now, it's off to see where we end up for the next sunset.

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