Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - Page, AZ to Payson, AZ

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Deb here. We both slept great in Jim and Katie’s driveway. At a bit before 8am we went inside for coffee and to chat. We met Katie and I had a great conversation with her while John chatted with Jim. At about 9:30 we said our goodbyes and headed on out. Thanks to Jim and Katie for their hospitality! 

We started out back in Page at our favorite fast food establishment for WiFi and posted yesterday’s blog. Then it was on down Rte 89, backtracking some of the route we’d been on when headed to Page. We stopped at the parking area for Horseshoe Bend, paid the $10/car fee charged by the City of Page, and walked the 1.5 mile roundtrip to the overlook. Horseshoe Bend is an iconic AZ spot and very beautiful, but the amount of people there was overwhelming. The City of Page has quite a cash cow on their hands, and good for them.

Back in the van, we backtracked down the steep road that scales the front of the cliffs below Page and once we hit the valley floor the road continued on with more cliffs on either side. Eventually we reached the turn off for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (Rt. 64), but we continued on 89 south toward Flagstaff. We hit a couple construction slow downs with 20 minute waits.

Our plan had been to pass through Flagstaff, but my kind spouse was determined to stop at a Starbucks so that I could get a cup of tea (I have multiple Starbucks gift certificates, a story for another day), and once we stopped there we were trapped by a train from crossing the road and getting back on the highway. This led to a trip through downtown Flagstaff, which is always fun anyway. We hit smoky skies in Flagstaff, which we learned was caused by a couple of wildfires south of the city west of Rt 89A.

The traffic picked up in Flagstaff, and it stuck with us as we then headed down Rt. 89A, going toward Sedona. Neither of us had been on that stretch of Rt. 89A before, and it is an absolutely gorgeous piece of highway. It twists and turns through Oak Canyon, with many places to camp and picnic along the way. I’ve seen many beautiful photos of this canyon during AZ foliage season, and I bet it will be an even more spectacular drive in another month.

On through Sedona, with lots of gawking at the bright red mesas, and then down another new to us route, south on 179 toward Camp Verde, a brief bit on the interstate, and then Rt. 260. We were both so surprised by Rt. 260, which is a remote stretch of road winding through the pine forests. Eventually we reached Rt. 87 and followed it through the charming towns of Strawberry and Pine before reaching Payson at 5 p.m. This whole part of the state on the Mogollon Rim is really lovely, and worth a re-visit to spend some time.

Since we’d skipped lunch we were ready for dinner, and stopped at Macky’s Grill in Payson and sat outdoors. Good dinner salads and cornbread, along with some fun conversation with 3 sisters from Texas who are on a 2 week road trip. From there we drove through town, found the Zane Grey cabin, and then drove out of town a mile to find the Houston Mesa National Forest Service Campground. This campground has 100+ campsites and there’s only a handful of campers here tonight. $14.50 with the senior access pass, flush toilets, and running water. A little reading, blog writing, and off to bed.

85 nights in the van