Intrepid adventure driver Scott Brady has been featured in another episode of Mobil 1 The Grid, which airs on the Speed Channel. This segment continues his Central American adventure. The focus shifts from the jungle to volcanoes, beaches, and ultimately the literal “end of the road” in Yaviza, Panama. Enjoy!
The video can be viewed here.
- Chuck
I just returned from my first expedition into the Arizona high desert. Scott Brady invited me to join the EarthRoamer expedition he was leading and I readily accepted. Our group rendezvoused and purchased groceries in Northern Phoenix and then we were off.
After a short drive, we headed off the highway and began to drive to our first stop - the old mining town of Crown King. Crown King is located about 28 miles off I-17 and is considered a “living ghost town”. The old mining town has become the center of a small local community.
The drive to Crown King was a diverse mixture of ecosystems. As we gained elevation, the vegetation began to shift from away from shrubs and cacti. Conifers gradually began to dominate the scenery. The road was dusty, winding, and a lot of fun to drive.
After a couple of hours, we arrived at Crown King. The local landscape is dominated by the Crown King Saloon, which was where we planned to enjoy lunch. A couple of cool beers and a tasty burger was just what the doctor ordered.
From Crown King it was a 30 minute drive to our campsite, which was located near Horsethief Basin in Prescott National Forest. It was one of the nicer campgrounds I’ve spent the night at recently - each site had a picnic table and a small shelter (which I’m sure was a haven for mice, but the idea was sound). Everyone was quite tired and the night ended early.
The sun was shining the next morning and it was apparent it would be another beautiful day. Our route for the day was the old Senator Highway, which would take us to our campsite just a few miles outside of Prescott.
The first part of the day was spent descending back down into the scrub brush. The rolling hills were very picturesque and this scenery was completely new to me. We encountered several water crossings, which are always a pleasure to drive through.
We found a shady spot to enjoy lunch in and encountered some fellow travelers. They were traveling on quads, but were quite familiar with the EarthRoamers. It was fun to talk to someone who was just as enthusiastic, if not more so, then we were when it came to overland traveling.
The rest of the day was spent covering the mileage to our campsite. Our planned campsite had been closed due to some tree clearing work that was occurring, but we had scouted a very nice dispersed campsite right up the road. There were some beautiful spots and I wished I had a ground tent for a split second. We spent quite a lot of time on the road and the driving was very enjoyable.
We spent Friday morning driving into Prescott to visit the Sharlot Hall Museum. The Sharlot Hall Museum is dedicated to Arizona’s territorial history. It consists of several authentic territorial buildings as well as a multitude of artifacts from Arizona’s history. It’s an inexpensive way to learn more about Prescott’s past.
Due to some delays, we didn’t get to take the overland route to our next destination, Rarric Canyon. It turn out the the on-road route is extremely cool and takes you through several interesting towns. My favorite was Jerome - an old mining town perched on the side of a hill.
Our campsite was outside of Sedona in a beautiful desert location, near the Mogillon Rim. We spent the remainder of the afternoon hiking down to a small canyon near our campsite. The wildlife was abundant - we had an encounter with a rattlesnake, a grasshopper as big as my thumb, a Wolf spider, and the bats were visible in the dusky sky.
Dinner was a jovial affair as we were in our most beautiful campsite yet. We built a small campfire and spent much of the night around it, telling all sorts of stories. In the morning, we went our separate ways.
It was my first opportunity to explore the Arizona high desert and I enjoyed it. I look forward to spending a lot more time out and about.
As always, here are some photos to enjoy:
