northern az trip question

[tomslik]

ok guys,i'm taking a trip that'll go from vegas to flagstiff to cortez(colorado),anything i need to see/do?
weird stuff is cool....(not talkin' about crosley;) )

[C9]

Make a point to cross Hoover Dam and go south on Highway 93.
Be advised, no big trucks - like in commercial diesel (Freightliners, Peterbuilts etc.) - are allowed to cross.
Passenger cars, pickups, pickups with campers & motor homes are ok.
Pay attention to which lane you should be in - it's well marked and no problems.
Box trailers - like race car trailers - towed by pickups are ok, but you can't have them so chock full of stuff (like in moving) that the officer can't easily inspect them.  Race cars and the like are ok, but do not have gasoline containers with gas in them.  Not allowed.

(Fwiw - Hwy 93 is on the east side of the Colorado river and Hwy 95 is on the West.  93 is shorter and much more interesting and just as fast as 95 plus you don't have to do the 40-50 miles from 95 to Laughlin and then to Kingman.)

Lasughlin's a good place to stop for the night.  weeknight room prices are way reasonable - about $19. per night if you make reservations and only a few bucks more if you just stop in.
I don't think you can get a room in Vegas for under $90.
More to see there, granted, but Laughlin's easy-going and just as much fun.  Cheap - and very good - eats at both Laughlin and Vegas.

Heading south on 93, 20-30 miles from the dam you'll see a wrecking yard on the west (your right) with a few 50's era cars within.  the cars easily seen from the highway.


About 20 miles before you hit Kingman on Highway 93 there's a turnoff to Chloride, an old ghost town that's still inhabited.  It's small, but interesting.  A short hike up a fairly level dirt road will get you to the world famous Chloride murals.
A pic of them below.

Items of interest in Kingman proper are the Kingman museum and the Route 66 museum.  Both are easy to find.  They're across from locomotive park where there's a Northern class steam loco parked on the grass.  These were used in tandem and perhaps triples to pull the long freight trains up the grades to the east.  I believe the Challengers & Big Boy loco's came in later

Are you a rock hound?  During weekdays there's a place that specializes in Arizona turquoise as well as turquoise from around the world.  And other rocks as well.  You can buy it in rough and raw form, polished and ready to make into jewelry or ready made jewelry.  Some antiques and some modern.  Prices don't seem too bad.  Let me know on this and I'll tell you how to get there.  It's easy and about a half mile off 93.

Next Saturday is a car show on 93 just opposite the Chloride intersection @ Grasshopper Junction.

About 20 miles North of Kingman on Hwy 66 is Hackberry.  Stop in at the little store and have one of Bonnie's Polish Dogs.
Pic of the store below.

Make a point to stop in at Seligman as well.  50's car oriented and lots of souvenir shops.

After that . . . you're on your own....

[C9]

I forgot to add:  when you come down the hill to Kingman - still on 93 - be sure to obey the 35 mph speed limit.  Not many do and a lot of them pay for it.
Lot's of big trucks, gas stations, restaurants and fast food in the area.

Be in the right lane when you can.

About 2 miles down the hill you'll cross under the freeway.
Maybe a half mile after that - still in the right lane - you'll see signs indicating Beale St. - old historic downtown - to the left (straight) and Highway 66 (also known as Andy Devine Blvd.) to the right.
Locomotive Park splits the two and the Kingman Museum is on the right as you make the right turn and the Route 66 museum is on the right about a 1/4 mile after the turn.

Lotta history out here and we're finding a lot of intersting places.
Last couple of days we've been hitting a large wrecking yard that closed in 1993.  It opened up again, several 50's era cars are there and we found 7 slot mags for reasonable.
Plus a rusty, but recoverable 10" South Bend lathe tailstock complete.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

any time entering Kingman , watch the speed near the over passes and like spots.  State & police like to hide  ALL the time at these points.  Easy pickins  I guess.

Are you visiting the meteorite crater?  Just a large hole  

[kb426]

Chinle Az. Canyon De Shelle. NE corner of Az. Don't miss it. South of four corners.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

ah , 4 corners AZ.

tomslik... are you riding that bagger for this trip?

[tomslik]

yeah,ridin' the geez, there'll be 5 bikes total.

C9, thanks for the info, i'll throw it up to the group although, vegas is already a sure thing(got a friend that works for the Mirage...)

kb, what's Chinle Az. Canyon De Shelle?

[kb426]

First off, I misspelled it. Canyon de Chelly  I believe. Highway 191 that runs from 160 to I40 on the east side of Az. The canyon is a small Grand Canyon. There is one place that you can hike down to the floor. It ranges from 600 to 900' deep. It is so breathtaking, that you will wonder why you haven't heard of it before.  The town is an Indian town. I believe there were 2 motels. You can drive around the perimeter of alot of it. Looking over the sides and the walk down were really good if you like rugged country. Some of my favorite roads are: go west of Pueblo to Salida. Go on until you are west of Gunnison and turn off to Crawford. Very twisty. Motorcycle heaven if you like curves. Go to Delta and back to Montrose. Then take 550 to Durango. More wow. From Durango you go to Four corners and head south until you get to Chinle. If you want to go west at Four corners, you can tour all the canyons of southern Utah. Ah, so much to see, so little time. The national parks website has more info and a few pics of Chinle.

[kb426]

One more thing, I love Flagstaff. I spend the night there whenever I'm close. I stay on the west side where the highway goes south to Phoenix. On the north side of the interstate there are lots of motels and eating establishments.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

well , if you run 89 north from Flagstaff, then onto the 160 through Tuba City , on over to Kayenta towards the 4 corners area.  It is nice area , but a bit boring.  I ran at 90+ mph through there when I went to the 4 corners area and back home in the same day.

There are some spots to spot and see.  Dinosaur tracks in rock , lots of Indian jewelry for sale since it is reservation land

North rim of the Grand canyon is worth seeing, way less tourious on the north rim.  A long detour though


If you run the I-40 east through Winslow / Holbrook to the 191 then go north.... that is some beautiful country of AZ.  That is the Canyon de Chelly ( pronounced shea)

[C9]

The north rim of the Grand Canyon is a nice way to see the canyon.

We were at Lake Powell with the sailboat and a ski boat.
When we left we crossed the bridge at Marble Canyon - spectacular, 400' sheer canyon walls dropping to the river.
From there to the Jacobs Lake campground.
It was late July, early August when we were on Lake Powell in high 90's and 100 degree weather during the day.
Nights are comfortable there due to the altitude.
The Jacobs Lake campground was kind of cold and overcast, but we parked the boats in the camprgound and took off for the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
Kind of strange to my family and I, one year to the day we were on the south rim looking north and now we were on the north rim looking south.
As I remember it, the south rim was way hot.

Anyway, the guys were in T-shirts and the girls in tank tops and shorts.
Plus we were all sunburned from the week and a half on the lake.
We froze our tails off and when it started raining, then sleeting we went over to the big lodge to wait it out.  (Having, in our brilliance, left our jackets etc. in the sailboat.)
No such luck cuz the sleet turned to light snow, so we left.

Spent a cold night in the campground, ate breakfast, packed up and left.

All of which is the long way round to saying take some warm clothes if you're gonna hit the north rim or be in the mountains.
Bein bike riders I'm sure you will....

[tomslik]

just fo da record, the trip is; moab,zion n.p.,vegas, flagstaff, cortez, gunnison(hope the cop don't remember me) and home


8 more *' days.......

[1FATGMC]

just fo da record, the trip is; moab,zion n.p.,vegas, flagstaff, cortez, gunnison(hope the cop don't remember me) and home


8 more *' days.......

Well if you are going to Moab and then Zion be sure and stop if you go south on 191 and then take 95 just south of me (Blanding) over to Zion.  Going this way you would go by Natural Bridges, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef and Bryce on the way to Zion.  A long day, but ok and one of the prettiest drives in the area.

Another way is I70 west from Moab and then south on 89 to Zion.  Not near as scenic as the way above or the next option.

Another nice way if you need to make pretty good time is to go south on 191 from Moab.  Stop and see me in Blanding.  Then take 191 south to Bluff and then 163 southwest past Monument Valley to 160 at Kayenta.  Take 160 west for about 30 miles to Shonto Junction then north on 98 to Page.  From Page west to Kanab and then northwest to Zion.  This is a shorter ride than the first one, but still really nice!!

Let me know if you will be by here so I'll be around.

From Flag to Cortez I would take I40 east to Holbrook.  Then just east of Holbrook take 77 north about 33 miles to Indian Route 15.  You go northeast past Greasewood to 191.  Go Straight and you are now on 191 north to Chinle.  Turn right in Chinley and take 64 along the north side of Canyon De Chelly (like what the others suggested).  At the junction of Indian road 12 go north to Lukachukai.  You can then take 13 east over the Chuska Mountains to 666 just south of Shiprock.  Go on north there into Cortez.  I haven't been over that mountain road, but is is suppose to be paved all the way now.  I would check in Lukachukai at the store to be sure.  If it isn't then stay north on 191 (still a pretty ride) to 160.  Then east on 160 past 4 Corners and up into Cortez.

c ya, Sum

P.S.  Going to Moab get off of I70 about  20 miles east of 191 by Cisco and take the River Road (128) from I70 into Moab.  That is really nice also.  You probably already know about that route.  It is shorter and a lot prettier than going to 191 and then south on 191 into Moab.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

so will you ( tomslik) be in flagstaff on a weekend or week day?

It would be worth the ride to show you that I look alot younger than my age

[tomslik]

so will you ( tomslik) be in flagstaff on a weekend or week day?

It would be worth the ride to show you that I look alot younger than my age

it'll be like a wednesday afternoon/overnight thing assuming we don't get sidetracked.

how far is pheonix?