Cowboys and Cactus
Written: Oct 29 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful scenery
Cons: Heat.
The Bottom Line: Arizona has some spectacular scenery along with the best of them all...The Grand Canyon.
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| hollynz's Full Review: Arizona |
Arizona has always conjured up thoughts of cowboys riding into the sunset, big cactus and hot searing sun. I saw the cactus, and boy, did I feel the sun but I didn’t catch a glimpse of any cowboys.
I can’t really say I have been to Arizona but I have driven through Arizona. We drove from Cortez in Colorado to San Diego and here are some of my impressions.
Monument Valley
Even though Monument Valley is not in Arizona, it still can’t go by without a mention. This is in the northeastern corner of Arizona and is actually called Navajo Nation. This has to be one of the most beautiful desert sights in the world. We drove for hours through desert with nothing but the odd oilrig toiling away and then, you see in the distance, the shapes of Monument Valley. As you draw nearer it becomes more and more spellbinding. A long straight road disappearing into the distance and huge, red, rock formations standing tall and majestic. There are pullouts where you can stop for photos’…and stop you will. We must have used a whole roll of film on this section of the drive. Call in to the Monument Valley Tribal Park, there is a good Visitors Centre, a shop and rest rooms. You can’t pass up the chance to buy a cold can of lemonade in this heat and check out the dinosaur footprint. You can take a jeep tour or a self-drive tour on the 14-mile dirt road that loops amongst the buttes. We bounced over it very easily in the small rental car but be warned, it is even hotter down there, it must be all that dirt. There is an entrance fee into the Tribal Park but I can’t recall if it’s $10 or $20.
Monument Valley –Grand Canyon
This drive is long and hot, the desert landscape doesn’t change too dramatically until you turn off at Cameron and head to the Grand Canyon You first become aware of a change in temperature as you start gaining altitude. There are numerous roadside stalls selling Indian handcrafts, jewellry and artworks. . If you want something from a shop make sure to stop in Kayenta or Cameron as that is it until you get to the inflated prices at the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon – Phoenix
We took the scenic route through Sedona for this leg of the journey. From the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff we took highway 64 to Williams as the scenic route (180) was closed due to a wildfire. From Flagstaff we took highway 89 to Sedona and we were glad we did. This road was a sight for sore eyes after all that desert. The highway is tree lined, shady and runs along a stream most of the way. Stop off at the Oak Creek Canyon lookout and check out the road winding down the side of the hill before you drive it! Closer to Sedona the rocks start to become a feature once more and make a spectacular sight. From Sedona to Phoenix we joined Interstate17 and cruised down the freeway for a couple of hours. As you get closer to Phoenix you start to see cactus covered hills lining the highway, they make a lovely sight.
Phoenix - Yuma
This drive was brilliant, initially. We left Interstate 10 and took highway 85 to join Interstate 8 as we were travelling to San Diego. For the first leg of the journey we were driving through desert covered in those big, pronged cactus. This was the highlight of the drive, once through Gila Bend the stark desert landscape reappeared. I was surprised to see houses here and there along the way, it beats me why or how people live in this heat. We were coming to the end of our road trip through Arizona and I only had one disappointment, we hadn’t seen one cowboy.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
hollynz
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 in Hotels & Travel |
 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Christine
Location: New Zealand
Reviews written: 144
Trusted by: 191 members
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~ In memory of Barbara ~
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