On the Road to Arizona... and Off Again

With no agenda and no itinerary, we packed up Blue and headed south on what we’ve dubbed the ‘No Destination Road Trip’. We’ve traveled this road so many times before... through Boulder City and past the Hoover Dam and across the Arizona state line. A pit stop in Kingman is always part of the ritual. We originally thought we’d head directly to Phoenix, but Paul suggested heading through Flagstaff and then taking the scenic route south. We weren’t in any hurry to get nowhere, so why not?

You’ll remember that we’re slow, very slow, travelers. Flagstaff seemed a good overnight stop since we’d driven 253 miles... enough for one day. We’d walked at the Wetlands Park before leaving, so we had our 10k steps all accounted for.  We nestled in to watch the last presidential debate. It was actually civil... wonders never cease. (Yup, we’re a couple of days behind in the blog per usual. Gotta live it, before you can write it.)

Riding along the AZT on the urban trail system in Flagstaff

A cold front had descended on the area and at 7000’ altitude, Flagstaff was pretty nippy. David had sussed out the AZT (Arizona Trail) route which passes right through Flagstaff as part of an extensive urban trail system. We found a parking spot along the trail, unloaded the bikes and biked about 5.5 miles on a packed dirt path to Buffalo Park then returned to Blue. The morning was crisp and clear... a lovely way to start the day and our road trip. 

AZ-89A between Flagstaff and Sedona is absolutely gob-smacking!

Though we’d traveled through this area many times, we’d never taken AZ-89A to Sedona. This 27 mile stretch of gob smacking scenery wends its way circuitously through Oak Creek Canyon. The ride, touted as one of the most beautiful in America, is almost surreal in its startling views which grab you at each hairpin turn with dramatic red rock formations and steep canyon walls. 

In case you’re not familiar with the Arizona desert town of Sedona, it’s regarded as a New Age spot with lots of galleries, spas, shops and restaurants. Though touristy, it is also known internationally for the  ‘inspirational and regenerative effects’ of its positive energy Vortex meditation sites. We were more interested in an outside venue for lunch. 

About a mile or two outside of Sedona, a loud clattering began emanating from under Blue’s hood. We stopped immediately and David assessed the situation. There was nothing obvious.. no broken belts, nothing loose, no empty tin cans banging around. We limped into Sedona and instead of finding a lunch spot, we found a repair shop. The young mechanic assessed the situation.  It was something serious, more than they could probably handle, and we shouldn’t drive. 

Poor, poor Blue!

We have roadside assistance with Geico and I must admit the agent was excellent. Via our phone app, I was able to talk to an agent immediately and explain the situation. Within minutes, she’d located a Ford dealership 18 miles away and arranged for a tow truck. The wait for the tow truck seemed endless, but when it finally arrived, Blue was loaded up, cinched in and the driver graciously allowed us to travel in the truck with him. On the positive side, I may have traveled around the world in a sailboat, been up in hot air balloons, taken trains and planes and buses and ridden on horses and burros,  but I’ve never ridden in a tow truck. Another bucket list item ticked off (not!).

It was late Friday afternoon when we arrived at the dealership. After a very brief assessment under the hood and a quick listen to the clanking engine, they pronounced it serious, but had no idea how serious or what was wrong. This Ford’s Service Department does not work on weekends, we’d have to wait till Monday to learn more. 

The dealership is located in Camp Verde in the middle of nowhere, about five miles from town. We needed wheels and arranged for a rental... no loaners available. Hotel prices are astronomical in Sedona and since we had at least three hotel nights to look forward to, we drove the 100 miles into Phoenix. Not exactly how we planned it, but then we really didn’t have a plan, did we?

Wanna see how this saga pans out? Check in next time for the full scoop. Now, don’t be negative... we’ll figure this out together.