![]() The desert gets hot, and the miles between Gila Bend and Mexicali stretched long on our minds. We woke up early our third day on the road, and beat it pretty fast. The last fire embers were extinguished with that loose sand, and it cradled our bodies as we slept. Tent stakes didn’t set well in the sand here, but anchors were easy to make out of downed ironwood, or piled stones. We talked about Mexico and ambled one by one off to sleeping bags waiting in the cooling desert night. We smiled big goofy grins underneath saguaro cactus, stars, and aircraft’s exterior lights. Moonlight and camp fire painted everyone beautifully. The grub and the camp-spot and the proximate prison and hearty, drowsy laughter all seemed to fit right together in one dusty and uncelebrated Parnassus, leveled out and hidden just off the highway: a spot for coyote tracks and quartz crystals. There was no water here, and less cell service, but it was the perfect spot for crashing on the way to somewhere else.įire roasted hot dogs filled our bellies as we settled in, sipping warmish beer. We took BLM road 8000, north of Gila Bend, into washy, sand roads and found easy dispersed camping within 20 minutes of the highway. We found a spit of the Sonora Desert National Monument with easy access from AZ 85. ![]() We tripped right around Phoenix and its lights and backyard swimming pools and opted for free camping on BLM land. Like Kerouac’s beat buddies, we settled down in the sand that night. We recovered from biking and hiking with killer salads from the oddly atmospheric Paleo Brio in Sedona, filled our HydroFlasks, then headed deeper into the desert. To truly appreciate the depth of what Sedona has to offer would require a week at least, but we were bound to the road, and our grumbling tummies and full tanks of gas bid us travel on. Our whole crew got in a great road stop adventure in West Sedona, in just two hours. It was navigable without a map, but having one is always a plus. This trail also allowed access to more technical trails, such as Canyon of Fools and Grinder. Its stunning views attracted crowds, but what the bridge lacked in privacy, it more than made up for in scenery.įrom the same parking to access Devil’s Bridge, the Chuckwaggon/Mescal loop offered a great introduction to Sedona mountain biking. Armed with trail maps, we found a perfect multi-sport stop for our motley crew! The Devil’s Bridge was an attractive hike for those inclined to travel by foot. ![]() Sedona’s vortexes pulled us into desert wonderscapes of easily accessed adventure. After a swim and exploration of the area’s reptilian life, we were back on the road. There, we found private bum-beach bathing under a culvert. The next morning we took 89A from Flag, down toward Oak Creek Canyon.
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