Southern California – Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Arizona

Taking off a Friday for a long weekend in the Los Angeles area. This is our last stop in Arizona before hitting the Golden State of California.

Joshua Tree, California

As if the Arizona desert wasn’t enough, we are venturing into Joshua Tree National Park today for some more desert and cactus.

Joshua Tree, California

You know you want to hug this stuff, and even if you don’t it might just want you enough to find its way to attaching to your socks or even your leg. This is a cholla cactus, also known as the jumping cactus or the seriously cute-sounding teddy bear cholla.

Joshua Tree, California

Rocks, because a visit to Joshua Tree without seeing rounded, soft-looking boulders wouldn’t be the same. There are locations within Joshua Tree that are absolutely famous for their rock formations.

Joshua Tree, California

A few examples of Joshua Trees from where this National Park got its name. Our visit here today was for the primary purpose of traveling some back roads we normally don’t get to see when in a regular passenger car. What you can’t see here is that Caroline has been driving the Expedition while I am afforded the luxury of having her pull over while I jump out and snap a photo here and there.

Joshua Tree, California

From here forward, I took over the driving as the road got a bit sketchier and narrow, and Caroline didn’t feel like testing her off-road skills any further. Once back on the 10 Freeway, we headed into Los Angeles for the night.

Prescott, Jerome, Sedona – Day Trip

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Prescott, Arizona

We’ve not stayed here yet, though they appear to be thanking us for doing so. Every time we pass this place on our way into Prescott, we remind ourselves that we’ve thought we should come up for the weekend and make this our home during our stay. Maybe the visual reminder here on my blog will help us book it one day.

Prescott, Arizona

We are on a day trip, so we can get out and step away from our obsession with sitting in front of computers for hours and days on end. This is the main square in Prescott and often features festivals and concerts. Along the tree and grass-lined perimeter are a number of beautiful old shops and historic buildings. We are just passing through, though.

Jerome, Arizona

Up the hill on the back unpaved dirt road to Jerome. Everyone should take this route at least once, as the views are stunning.

Jerome, Arizona

The only problem with this road is the all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles that use the road as a race track and can surprise you on every corner.

Jerome, Arizona

We are in Jerome and enjoy the decrepit and decaying building far more than the stuff that is still operating. Jerome is one of these cities that are so close that we figure we can visit at any time, although that time rarely seems to arrive.

Jerome, Arizona

Come to think about it, I’d be good if the entire town of Jerome became a ghost town and, ultimately, something a bit like this.

Sedona, Arizona

Out of Jerome, we continued our trek northeast with a stop in Sedona on this lazy Sunday drive.

Sedona, Arizona

We’ll be home soon, and although we didn’t get to go on a hike, take a dip in Oak Creek, or even stop for some exquisite lunch in Jerome or Sedona, we’ve had a great time just getting out to see stuff.

Trinity Site – Day 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

We are just outside of Socorro, and this is the line waiting to enter Trinity Site in New Mexico on the White Sands Missile Range. Visitors are welcomed just two days a year: The first Saturday in April and the first Saturday in October. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 2:00 p.m. We arrived early at 6:30, thinking we might be first in line – wrong! We are about 30 cars back. Who knew so many people would be interested in visiting the home of the first nuclear blast?

Caroline Wise at the Trinity Site in New Mexico

We are at ground zero of the “World’s First Nuclear Device Explosion.”

Trinitite at White Sands Missile Base, New Mexico

This is trinitite, and it was formed on the desert floor after the plutonium-based Trinity nuclear bomb test on July 16, 1945, here turned the desert into glass. This stuff was lying around everywhere during our visit (you are not supposed to take it, but it can be found in souvenir shops in the region). Our visit here on the White Sands Missile Range was intriguing as we drove through an area that is restricted to outsiders at all other times of the year. We were also able to visit the old houses where those conducting the test and observers were positioned back on that historic day.

An old cafe along the road in New Mexico

We are on the way home now and never had the chance to eat here. If it were still open, this looks exactly like the place we’d like to stop in.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at the VRLA in New Mexico

We are near the VLA, also known as the Very Large Array, which is outside Datil, New Mexico.

Very Large Array in New Mexico

While we didn’t have time for a proper visit this trip through the area, we made a note to return. You might recognize the dishes as they played a role in Jody Foster’s movie Contact.

Road side in New Mexico

It’s nice to be out in the mountains exploring New Mexico as spring is coming on.

Alma Trading Company in Glenwood, New Mexico

This place, “Alma Trading Company,” was up for sale as we stopped to use the payphone (just kidding).

Roadside in west New Mexico

We pass so many areas that beg for us to return on subsequent visits and explore the area, though with so much country left to find I’d bet a dollar our next visit might be some time.

Black Hills Scenic Byway Arizona

While we have to skip this 21-mile scenic byway, this time we take a photo to remind ourselves that the road ahead looked interesting enough that someday we’d like to travel this well-maintained gravel road. By the way, this is back in Arizona.

Arizona

I had to pull over for this photo after seeing the moon in my rearview mirror here on Highway 60, also known as the Old West Highway, as we were traveling west to get back home to Phoenix.

Trinity Site – Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Arizona desert

Caroline and I had to take off on a Friday for this trip. We left Phoenix with solid gray skies for the first few hours of our trip east on Highway 60 to New Mexico.

Clifton Mine in Arizona

By 3:00 p.m., we were approaching the Arizona-New Mexico border but had to stop to look into the Morenci open-pit mine along the way. While it’s colorful, we have to remind ourselves that something is missing.

Road to Alpine, Arizona

Our road turns north as we take the Coronado Scenic Byway because we love hairpin turns in the snow. When it’s approaching 100 degrees down in Phoenix, it’s hard to remember that other places still have snow.

Road to Alpine, Arizona

And maybe a lot of snow.

Socorro, New Mexico

We have possibly found our favorite neon sign in America and one of our favorite restaurants, El Camino Family Restaurant in Socorro, New Mexico. Green chili-smothered steak and chili relleno in an old diner atmosphere at 10:00 p.m. is our idea of perfection.

Socorro, New Mexico

If it’s cheap, we’ll stay in it. This room was borderline sketchy, but if we are going to travel at least once a month, we need to save money wherever we can. We almost were without a room and needed to backtrack to Magdalena to grab one of the last two rooms available.

Organ Pipe National Monument

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Gila Bend, Arizona

Driving through Gila Bend on our way to Southern Arizona.

Cactus and speeding cars are the main attraction at Organ Pipe National Monument in Southern Arizona

This is Organ Pipe National Monument, not an easy park to get to as there’s not a lot to see or do along the way. On this particular visit, the main loop trail was closed to traffic due to some fawning activity of the local pronghorn antelope population. Located on the Mexican border south of Tucson, the park’s main road is also the highway to Rocky Point, so beware of flying beer cans, ice chests in the middle of the road, and speeding 12-foot tall four-wheel-drive pickup trucks with teenagers racing south for a weekend of debauchery.

Cactus and speeding cars are the main attraction at Organ Pipe National Monument in Southern Arizona

On our way back home, this was just a day trip.