Finally clinched Arizona

[pderocco]

A 4-day 3000-mile trip starting near San Diego took me through the eastern and northern parts of AZ, spilling over a little into NM, UT, CO, and NV. The highlights:

AZ-366, which goes up Mount Graham south of Safford AZ, which gets up over 9000 feet and has some nice views to the south. The last 7 miles are graded dirt, and the road continues past a lake to a popular campground. There's also an observatory up there, which I didn't have time to visit.

The Morenci Copper Mine, along US-191, is huge. And so are the dump trucks that carry dirt and ore in continuous caravans along double-wide dirt roads. The routing of US-191 has been changed by the mine, when they decide they want to dig in a new area, but given how much dirt they move in their daily work, realigning a highway looks almost like a weekend project for them.

North of that, US-191 goes over the mountains, exceeding 9000 feet. It's not what I'd call spectacular, but it's pretty, mellow, and relaxing (if you don't mind curvy roads). Reminds me of Sunrise Highway in San Diego county, except that it's a hundred miles long.

I found a piece of the old US-80 east of Tucson that now has Historic US-80 signs on it, Marsh Station Rd. Reported it to Travelmapping.

AZ-261 and AZ-273 go up to a couple of nice lakes. They're well over 9000 feet, but the climbs are gentle.

The supposed Historic US-66 from Lupton past Gallup NM only seems to be signed as such in the main part of Gallup. But I like driving old alignments even if nobody else has gotten around to declaring them historic.

Parts of AZ-264 through the Hopi Reservation are really beautiful.

It was amusing to clinch US-160 in NM, since you could walk that stretch in twenty minutes. Also, US-64 begins in AZ, but only spends four miles there, before heading for Cape Hatteras NC. I've been to the other end of it.

For grins, I drove US-89T, the temporary alignment along Indian Route 20 south of Page. Not a bad road, but it bypasses the most spectacular bit of US-89 just north of the US-89A split (and I've driven all of US-89).

Best of all was the Grand Canyon North Rim. I've been to the south rim four times (and to the bottom once), but it seemed that the views were more varied, going out Cape Royal Rd, which is another 20 miles out to a further south viewpoint. It's substantially higher than the south rim, and unlike the other side, it has lots of aspens which make me want to go back in the fall.

To postpone arrival in Las Vegas until after rush hour had petered out, I spent an hour or so driving through Valley of Fire State Park. I love colored interesting shapes, so that wasn't wasted time. I also saw my first turtle crossing the road. It was just leaving the roadway, and looked like it had started at least five minutes earlier.

The worst part was the very long drive on I-8 and I-10 to get almost to the NM border on the first day, and the very long drive on I-15 from around St George UT on the last day. I didn't get in until 1am.

As always on these trips, the food was wretched, except for the P.F.Changs I stopped at in Henderson NV.

So now, finally, when I visit Arizona, I can go where I please, without feeling the tug of some piece of pavement that I haven't claimed in Travelmapping.

[formulanone]

Congratulations to you for completing a state's system!

[Max Rockatansky]

AZ 366 somehow gets overlooked by the larger community as a scenic highway.  I guess the Safford area doesn't really carry much name brand prestige. 

Pertaining US 191 on the Coronado Trail north of Morenci I've always been annoyed with the low speed limit.  Most of the curves can be taken at a far higher speed than what ADOT chooses to post.

[74/171FAN]

Congrats on the completion.  Oddly enough I got about 25% of Arizona in Travel Mapping on just one trip in September 2021 (I-10 east of AZ 85, I-8 east of Gila Bend, AZ 85 from I-8 to I-10, AZ 89, AZ 64, I-17, I-19, US 60 east of US 93, AZ 177, AZ 101, AZ 202, AZ 303, etc.). 

[JayhawkCO]

Congrats! I'm only about 30% and the vast majority was completed last century. I need to get back down there soon.