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| no partners | | It's an Arizona Classic
I have traveled up through Payson, Pine, and Strawberry many times over the years on SR87, sometimes heading on to Winslow, but more often to Flagstaff via Happy Jack and Mormon Lake. I have also driven SR260 from Camp Verde through Payson, Kohl's Ranch, Christopher Creek, and on back up on the Rim headed for Heber or Show Low. But in all my years in Arizona, I had never explored up on the Mogollon Rim or driven the full 43 miles of FR300! 
Until this trip.
Guess I never did anything up there because I have always been more of a peak bagger, and am not really into lakes, fishing, etc. Also, I have always known how popular the area is and have stayed away because of heavy usage, not to mention it is logistically more difficult to just run up there any old time for someone living in Tucson.
Having said that, camping up there a distance from edge of the Rim was just great, as the woods are beautiful in that zone, but the thing I enjoyed the most was that drive along the Rim! Everything about it lived up to its long standing reputation.  The vistas and contrasts, with the extra drama of going through portions of scorched forest left over from the Dude Fire of 1990, all combine to make this one memorable drive.
Things started to get a little crazy and congested from Knoll Lake to Woods Canyon Lake and on to the junction with AZ260 (this was a Saturday). I was glad to get away from that on FR512 down to Young (a drive I had not done in many years). Once I made it to Globe, I decided to finish the trip by driving over to Superior to check on the road construction, then on through Florence and Coolidge (with a stop for a cold one at the Gallopin' Goose ), before the home stretch on I-10 to immerse myself in the coming heat wave.  
This certainly turned out to be "my kind of trip."  |
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