Black Canyon City Overlook - 9/11

The Healing Fields - 2015

So it's 9/11.  9/11 is emotional for me, as it is for many people - particularly those of us who watched the horrific happenings unfold before our eyes - on tv, in real life, or via the radio.  I will never forget sitting on the 26th floor of my office watching the towers fall on the conference room big screen, and watching the airplanes go by our windows and wondering...and crying for my America. 

I'm dismayed by the lack of unity in America right now, which makes this 9/11 even more difficult as I see all my old posts about "let's the be America we were on 9/12."  I watch the videos, as I always do - this year Bailey came in to watch a few with me.  She almost always has done this - she understands why it is heartbreaking for me, although I don't think she feels the heartbreak - the kiddo wasn't even born then.  I asked her if her school said anything, and she mentioned that they talked about it during morning prayer and announcements.  I was pleased to hear that. Schools have been pulling back on teaching about 9/11 because the students "found it disturbing." Bailey and I usually go to the Healing Fields on 9/11 - but this year it was virtual due to COVID, so we couldn't go. So I watched the videos - and cried - like I always do...

Brandon in his Isuzu Vehicross with Nicole in front

Anyway - so it had been an emotional morning for me, and I wanted desperately to get out of the house.  It feels like it's been weeks and weeks.  I told Paul I needed to get out of the house and away from work for a bit, and he suggested we go take the 9982 route from Black Canyon City down to Table Mesa Road, then head over to the Black Canyon City overlook.  We were taking his truck (the LC - the Lewis and Clark) and I was going to drive at least the 9982 for practice.  It's a fairly mild trail - a few slightly off camber spots, but nothing I haven't done before.  We had, in fact, just done the 9982 a week or so ago with fellow off-roading buddies of Paul's - Brandon and Nicole of Arizona TREK - to try out Brandon's new-to-him Isuzu Vehicross...which did amazingly well. 

So we set off for Rock Springs, where I insisted we stop and get some pie this time at the Rock Springs Cafe - and we popped a piece of mixed berry pie and a piece of Jack Daniel's pecan pie in the ARB fridge for the stop up top at the overlook. 

And off we went - we aired down the tires and switched seats.  I adjusted the mirrors (cuz I'm short, I guess) and off we went.  The 9982 doesn't really have any good opportunities for pictures unless you head over towards Gillette, but we turned off before that.  There were a few spots where I got a little nervous - one where we were sliding down a slope in soft dirt, and two where I dropped down one side of the truck into a rut or off a rock and it felt tippy.  Every single time - "breathe baby breathe - you're fine" - and I was.  The truck did it's thing.  All I had to do was steer.  Not sure how I'd feel taking Calamity Jane - a manual transmission is just a bit different than driving an automatic, but I feel this would be a good trail for me to practice on.  So maybe in the future...

Old broken windmill on the way
to Orizaba Mine

Anyway - we turned off the 9982 and headed back towards I-17 to cross under the north and south bound lanes.  I was still driving, but was tired, and we were now on a road I'd not been on, so Paul took over driving so I could watch for all the "things."  We drove through Moore's Gulch river bottom for a bit, then over to Moore's Gulch ruins - which was overrun with cows, so we just drove through and didn't stop.  As Paul has been up here before (and broke the LC too!), we were looking for a mine on an offshoot trail - the Orizaba Mine.  It's a little jaunt off the main road (FR46) and as we traveled up the road towards the Orizaba, we stopped to look at this gorgeous windmill.  Paul followed some wires up to the top of the hill where he discovered some solar collectors (he told me all about them, but I remember nothing here...) and I took lots of pictures.  We forged onward, and found a small tunnel, which of course Paul "had" to go in to - he said it went back about 20 feet or so.  He was disappointed.  Haha. 

And then there it was.  The locked gate.  To the Orizaba Mine.  It was clearly marked Orizaba Mine, and also clearly marked no trespassing.  Sigh - always with the closed and locked gates. This gate had electric gate openers, etc., and it looked well used, so like good little off-roaders, we turned around and headed back to FR46. 

Paul at one of the Wildlife Water Catchment systems

FR46 is mostly an uneventful road - it travels along quite a few saddles, around a few mountains, then turns and starts heading back towards the I-17 up where the big flat mesas are.  Its absolutely stunning country - and it was a beautiful evening.  As we bopped along, we discovered cool little things - like a Wildlife Water Catchment system (we found two) with a huge covered water reservoir, and a "watering hole" with a sloped exit point.  It was interesting - and informational signs were posted telling us that our tax dollars had purchased the Catchment systems and to please not mess with the cameras.  The cameras were missing though. Ha...

Ninja cows on the horizon

As we left the area, we went by an old corral with a shed/covering which we could see from a distance.  We passed another watering tank, and then we drove along a ridge for most of the rest of the way.  

We passed lots of cows, and we drove and drove on a relatively easy road right up until the end...which must have been 3 or 4 miles from Black Canyon City, but overlooking the city.  Watching the lights on the freeway, and watching the sun finally set - Paul and I ate the pie we had brought along, and we watched the lights - we watched the bats start flying, and then it was pitch black - and we decided to head back.  It was a quiet night, and nothing strenuous - but it was out of the house and it was off-road with my guy.  What more could an AZBackRoadsGirl ask for?

Black Canyon City Overlook

Cabin on the Agua Fria, North of Table Mesa Road

The Cabin - Photo Credit to Paul F.

So today's little jaunt required Paul's driving abilities - and his FJ.  The VooDoo beast - the one that makes Calamity Jane look like a mall hopper (shhhh - don't tell her I said that). We have seen both on Google Earth and on Facebook a cabin on the other side of the Agua Fria River, north of Table Mesa Road, and we wanted to explore.  So we did!  With a cooler full of snacks, a full tank of gas, and armed with cameras, we decided to head up to Table Mesa Road just North of Phoenix for some off-roading fun!

Obligatory Ninja Cow

The Agua Fria River off of Table Mesa Road is the play ground of many off-road enthusiasts.  There's water, there's sand, there's mud, there's rock crawling.  You name it - it's there.  And on Table Mesa Road itself there are tons and tons of places to go shooting (people - really - clean up your mess - it looks terrible out there), and some fun side trails to explore.  

Years ago - before they built the new Waddell Dam at Lake Pleasant, you could cross the Agua Fria River at Table Mesa Road, and jump to the other side and head to Indian Mesa, and many other fun exploration areas such as Tip Top and Gillett, just to name a few.  But since the new Waddell Dam was put in place, the reach of Lake Pleasant has backed up into the Agua Fria making it unsafe for crossing and it is frequently gated off at the crossing (I haven't seen the gate open in probably 20 years).  So people have gone North to other crossings - other places to get across the river and into the Bradshaw foothills (yep, here we are again - in the Bradshaw foothills!).  

As Paul's VooDoo FJ championed the trails by the Agua Fria, and I navigated (successfully this time!), we headed up to this cabin.  Lots of steep hill climbs and some tight turns, but Paul and the FJ handle them, and I don't even so much as squeak.  Of course, the up side of the mountain is on my side - but whatever.  Let's not talk about that right now...  Paul has been on part of this trail already - he pulled his little camping trailer up part of this.  Then we got to the part he hadn't been on.  A very steep incline, with an equally steep climb on the other side of the little gulley.  Paul walks it because we can't see over the top of the other side, and comes back and puts the truck in Go - and we're off!  

In all fairness - this picture doesn't do this justice.  It was MUCH steeper than this appears, altho there was no hesitation on Paul's part - or on the part of the FJ.  And again - I didn't even squeak.  At least I don't think I did.  Let's pretend I didn't...

As we navigate several back road trails with our Gaia App, we come to the stopping point.  We knew we would likely have to hike in a bit - and we did - we bushwhacked it a tad.  There was a very faint trail, but mostly it was stepping over cactus, watching for snakes and being careful not to get shanked by the multitude of mesquite trees everywhere.  Paul took off first to see if we were in the right place while I waited with the FJ - in the air conditioning.  Haha.  I look over, and Paul is telling me something about a Jeep.  I think he's telling me there's a Jeep trail.  But then he tells me to turn off the truck, bring his phone, and come on.  I'm like "if there's a Jeep trail, why in the heck are we bushwhacking in the desert?"  

The Cabin - Note the Jeep Recovery going on below...

Not sure how jumping on the front of the
Jeep is going to get it out...
Photo Credit to Paul F.

So I make my way over to Paul, and I realize it's not a Jeep trail he's talking about.  There's a Jeep stuck in the river below - with another Jeep and a side by side trying to get him out as he buries his tires deeper and deeper...

Cabin - photo credit to Paul F.

We finish hiking to the cabin.  Paul goes down and checks out the cabin - while I stand there watching the attempted Jeep recovery (I literally cannot stop watching this...).  Paul is reporting on what is in the cabin, and I'm reporting all the things that they are doing at the recovery - which is now burying the Jeep deeper and deeper in the silt/mud.  

Jeep buried past the axles...

Paul finishes his exploration - I'm still standing at the top of the hill with my jaw on the ground watching the recovery - I'm fairly certain that this tow strap they are using is just tied to the purple Jeep bumper - and they have the side by side winch hooked up, but they apparently aren't of much use (they don't need to be - the side by sides don't weigh anything near a truck).  Paul joins me while we watch probably 10 people jumping on one Jeep, then the other, as the recovery Jeep gets stuck a couple of times.  We are so engrossed in this recovery that Paul whacks his hand on a barrel cactus, and literally minutes later I hit the same cactus with my hand (prickles in my pinky - ooowwweee).  We move (we're smart like that).  And we continue to stand watching this for probably 30 minutes.  They make some progress, the recovery jeep gets stuck, so they switch to working on it, then the actual stuck jeep - it's slow going.  I find it terribly amusing that we are standing above these folks and by this cabin and they never even notice us.  But eventually we got bored.  And it's hot.  We're standing directly in the sun, and even though the breeze felt nice - there is NO shade up there. So we hiked back (I say hike, but it wasn't very long, nor was it difficult - except for avoiding the stickers and cactus).  

As we head back out, the bumpy trail is fun - I know what to expect, and I'm comfortable with my driver and with his truck...I even took a video of the steep incline/crawl...

The only squeaks to be had today were coming up the road from the crossing by Gillette (we didn't go to Gillette today - just down to the river to have lunch).  I was on the "down" side of the mountain - and Paul told me to just keep talking - keep talking, just look at him and keep talking.  And next thing you know, I'm not looking into the Jaws of Death anymore (okay, I'm exaggerating - the Jaws of Horrific Mangling).  Hats off to Paul - learning my little fears, and rolling with it like a champ!  

It was a short day - and we didn't go far, but it was fun - fun to find something that we had found months ago on Google Earth, and fun to watch a recovery (which I hope was ultimately successful, but who knows right now), and fun to just bounce around the desert for awhile.

Baby Saguaros off the Agua Fria River