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Had some coworkers come back from camping at Knoll Lake. Road was quite rough on the way in but as they were leaving a roadgrader was working on the road just west of Woods Canyon Lake.

Why is it you always see a roadgrader on the way out?

The weekend we went from Woods Canyon Lake to Strawberry it was very washboarded the whole way.

In my experience, you will find the road grader parked at its summer "home-base" on the corner of FR300 and FR34 (between Bear Canyon and Woods Canyon Lakes). I've only seen it actually operating one time though. Even on weekdays.

I once did some research on what causes washboards/how they form. Fascinating. And it has nothing to do with rain or runoff. Exactly the opposite.

chumley wrote:I once did some research on what causes washboards/how they form. Fascinating. And it has nothing to do with rain or runoff. Exactly the opposite.

Tell us!

over here...
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5346

Now back to your local FR300 programming

I just read this on the Coconino site:

Beginning September 27th there will be construction on the Rim Road (FR 300) from State Highway 87 all the way to the forest boundary to replace all of the culverts. Contractors expect the process to take approximately 60 days. Expect some traffic delays.

I'm planning on driving that area this weekend. Has anyone been through this construction yet?

Tough_Boots wrote:I'm planning on driving that area this weekend. Has anyone been through this construction yet?

Six of us were here (9/28-10/3) in on FR300/Hwy87 for 20 miles (to as far as FR137) with no evidence of any culverts construction goings on.

@Grasshopper
good news! Thanks!

Yeah, it was all clear up there. But even if they are working on the culverts, don't expect too much of a problem. Especially on weekends. This is a government contract. That means its a M-F 10-2 with a lunch break kind of workday.

We drove FR 300 all the way from 87 to 260 on the 2nd of Oct and couldn't see any signs of anything going on yet. But we saw the signs saying that they were going to be working there... I didn't see anything then....

Culverts have been replaced on the first 5 miles or so of FR300. The "base camp" for construction is at the Baker Butte road right now, but I could see that moving toward Kehl Springs soon since they've finished all the work in that area.

Basically, they are digging up each culvert and removing the old rusty pipe and replacing it with a shiny new one, shoring up the entrance/exits with rock, and then covering it up again.

I was there on Saturday, so there was no work going on and nothing to slow traffic down, but I could see a potential delay of an hour or two if you catch them on a weekday and they've just dug the road open!

On Saturday I noticed a couple spots where "road closed" signed were moved off the road. I would assume if these are in place at all during the week, this could really ruin someone's day.

East-side (A-S) Rim Road has been graded and resurfaced in recent weeks (still ongoing between 115 and the CNF boundary). Mostly just graded with a new gravel top layer, but the section from near Promontory Point to west of the power lines, the roadbed has been excavated, and it has received the addition of a 3"-4" red clay-like base, steamrolled, topped with new gravel, plus some culvert/drainage infrastructure work. In particular, the once bone-jarring coconino slabs near the power lines viewpoint is now Corvette-friendly. I'm not sure I've ever seen the road in as nice condition as it is right now. (Washboards will surely develop in the weeks ahead, but at least the roadbed has been solidified, so the ruts and rocks are gone.)

chumley wrote: the once bone-jarring coconino slabs near the power lines viewpoint is now Corvette-friendly.

The technical off roading term is Prius Rated. So on the scale of 1-10, this is a one.

@Alston_Neal
That's how I rate it. Is the road Priusable or do I need to take the jeep.

@Alston_Neal
I find it sad that the venerable Toyota brand--home of the very capable off-road Land Cruiser, FJ, Taco, and 4Runner--also creates the antithesis of those. But alas, Prius-rated is a universally-understood term. (Likely more for what it says about the driver than the vehicle itself, but that's another subject altogether )
FWIW, I did see a Cadillac DTS cruising the road at about 50mph, seemingly without a care in the world. And I'm certain that JJ could show that road a thing or two about a German luxury ride.

@Alston_Neal
Q: How do you know if someone owns a Prius?
A: They'll tell you.

@LosDosSloFolks
My dearest and sweetest friend has owned a Prius for what truly seems an eternity. She is constantly telling me her mileage and after a few years I finally said YES this is why you bought it and I bought my dinosaur consuming FJ based on how many miles I can be away from a Prius. Thankfully we're still friends and I don't get the mileage report anymore. So wait, what was this forum post about again?

LosDosSloFolks wrote:Q: How do you know if someone owns a Prius?
A: They'll tell you.

Same joke can be told about Jeep and FJ owners.