Trip to Scottsdale

[MyronL]

On our way to Scottsdale, Arizona last week we stopped off I-40 at Winslow and the Homolovi State Park. No hookups, $20 very nice campground, paved sites, very nicely run. Was nearly empty so didn’t need those reservations I had made. Checked out the pueblo ruins on site and wondered where the wildlife was, but then remembered, websites will get your hopes up. Nice surprise was meeting a drove of free ranging donkeys.

Outside Scottsdale we stayed at the Eagle View RV Resort, in Fort McDowell. Off season daily rates for full hookups including a dump station at every site, was 30 bucks. Outside every window, nothing but big boy super bus RV’s far as you could see. Felt like Gulliver. Everything was first rate. We had reserved for 7 days but when Nancy’s planned procedure at the Laser Spine Institute fell through there was no problem leaving early and getting a credit to our card.

Decided on the way home to run up to Canyon de Chelly in Chinle Arizona. Chinle doesn’t look any more like the poor and battered third world country we saw back 30 years ago. Back then there was a sad little KFC. Better now, as you would expect, but to me the amazing thing was the approach to the Canyon had not changed at all, I mean not like the way Monument Valley has changed. No fancy modern visitor’s complex to greet you, just the same old corral where you can rent a horse ride or sign up for the deuce and a half ride through that amazing Navaho canyon. Highly recommended. And the other big surprise, no big super-bus RV’s anywhere to be found.

That made me a little nervous. You drive a good ten miles on the nice paved road running along the canyon rim to get to the only campsite. That would be the Spider Rock Campground. A friendly place, run by friendly Howard, but it is primarily a tent place. Wide enough red dirt trails wind past and between the cedars, but don’t do it in the rain. You’ll also use the crudest outhouses you will ever see. We, and tent folks, and three girls in a yurt were the only ones there. Hookups available but we got an Escape, so didn’t need ‘em. $11bucks a night and Ben made a friend of the camp dog, Doogie.

Total trailer tow miles 1,084, no troubles, even with the fridge at Eagle View when at 4 PM it was 97° inside the trailer but 40° in the fridge. OK, ok, so opening the fridge door three times is still not recommended, regardless how fast you do it. The Dometic AC worked great.

[gbaglo]

Another great report Myron.

[Ron in BC]

Great report Myron, you're a trail blazer for us. M. duly takes notes of your comments.

Glad to see you out using the trailer.

Ron

[Rossue]

Hi Myron- On our first trip after bringing our 17 home from Bend we went to Sedona and first night we stayed at Rancho Sedona. Sounds a bit like the Scottsdale place you describe- our neighbors in their gimongous bus were hardly ever seen. When we were leaving we saw them loading up the Benz coupe into a box trailer. To each their own.

Canyon de Chelly (D'Shay) is wonderful. Howard is wonderful. Took him a long time & a lot of red tape to do what he did up there. Probably will upgrade, but for now is low-key.

The trip into the canyon is so cool....most rent the jeep tour with guide(required), however there is one place you can go in by foot:-

Visitors can view the White House Ruins either from the “White House Overlook” on the South Rim Drive, or by taking a 2.5 mile round-trip trail to the ruins (this is the only trail by which visitors may enter the canyon without a permit or an authorized Navajo guide.

[float5]

Love those donkeys.

[Rossue]

Donkey? You mean Grand Canyon? Didn't see any at Canyon de Chelly.

This place is rich in history: http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/cultura..._Monument.html

[MyronL]

Thanks, guys. This trip we stayed up along the rim.

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Nice surprise was meeting a drove of free ranging donkeys.

Sounds like someone does crossword puzzles. My mom did and she knew the terms for groups of lots of different animals. Don't know if she knew donkeys, though.

[padlin]

Good to hear, have Homolovi State Park down for a couple nights on the way east come the end of next February.

[escape artist]

Hi: MyronL... Some one wrote a song about Winslow AZ. Looking at your pic's I didn't see any Donkeys but a couple of Jack A$$'s seemed to be looking for some Poutine!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[MyronL]

February? Oh, you'll love the walk to the ruins. Just be sure you got your hooded sweatshirt.


Yeah well I know that song, but let me tell you Winslow today is one seriously depressed-looking donkey stop.

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: MyronL... Some one wrote a song about Winslow AZ.

Eagles, 1972:

Well, I'm a standing on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona
and such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
We may lose and we may win though
we will never be here again
so open up, I'm climbin' in,
so take it easy...

[MyronL]

And there was a popular TV show called Route 66 back in the (?) early 60's? ...I vaguely remember a convertible, Kookie, and, ...two other guys. Route 66 was named "The Mother Road by John Steinbeck in his 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, and the rest is...history, since I-40 was built and zoomed past it. Never read the book but I saw the movie (on TV of course). We drove home from California in 1952 on it. I pleaded with him on that trip to stop at the Painted Desert and to let us pick up some petrified wood but he only gave it 5 minutes.

[KarenH]

Kookie ("Lend me your comb") was on Sunset Strip; he was played by Edd Byrnes. Oh my, that's going back a ways...

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Kookie ("Lend me your comb") was on Sunset Strip; he was played by Edd Byrnes. Oh my, that's going back a ways...

and Efram Zimbalist was his co-star, a detective agency.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Kookie ("Lend me your comb") was on Sunset Strip; he was played by Edd Byrnes. Oh my, that's going back a ways...

Roger Smith and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Pat

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Kookie ("Lend me your comb") was on Sunset Strip; he was played by Edd Byrnes. Oh my, that's going back a ways...

And... it's really pathetic when some of us know all the words to the lyrics! (Don't ask me to sing)

[Steven M]

Route 66 ran from 1960 to 1964 starred Martin Milner and George Maharis with Glenn Corbett replacing Maharis in 1964. I remembered the series IMDb did the rest.

[float5]

Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb. Oh my, are we old. That was Edd Byrnes and Connie Stevens, now 82 and 77.
77 Sunset Strip.

Zimbalist died in 2014 at 95. He was the most sauve thing going back then.

[Donna D.]

When I was a kid, we lived outside of Grants Pass, OR along the Rogue River. The opening credit film showed our home every week....