All right! The 2nd week of summer vacation was upon us. What should we do? Sit on our asses watching TV and playing mindless games? Well shit, that sounded great to me, but Vickie absolutely insisted that we should do this on our feet. So I figured while we were on our feet, we should pack a bag and go on a trip. Vegas hell will always be here no matter how many times I change my boxers!
For this excursion, we decided to visit another hell. Phoenix! The Phoenix area is about 2 million times the size of the Vegas area. If you start at the northwestern end and head to the extreme southeastern end...well let's just say the Reading to Philly drives were a faster trip! At least I can say that for the population, they built a much better freeway system to get backed up in than the Vegas planners did.
On Monday morning, I went to grab the rental car because, well, why abuse my own car when I can just beat the shit out of one that's not mine? We locked and loaded the car, gassed and fed up with crap Arby's and away we went!
Getting past Henderson, we see a lot of new signs for Interstate 11. For those who are NOT road geeks like me (meaning the whole planet outside of Rand McNally headquarters), Interstate 11 is one of many Federal highway projects that will not be completed before my death, most likely, if the nation's infrastructure does not get higher-than-Trump's-golf priorities. The idea is good, making a fast nonstop freeway system between Las Vegas and Phoenix. After all, getting from high to low desert and back is pretty important, at least to boll weevils. As it stands, you can get from Vegas to past Henderson on a freeway, then snail trail your way on U.S. 93 through Boulder City (motto: "We don't slot, we just sweat a lot!"), then go down a long downhill toward Lake Mead, hoping a cop doesn't catch you NOT grinding your brakes to the bare metal! From there, 93 eventually returns to expressway status, bypassing Hoover Dam into Arizona.
I must pause here to stress how good that last part is. When I first moved to Las Vegas 16 years ago, U.S. 93 hairpinned down to Hoover Dam, crossed it, then hairpinned up again on the Arizona side. It was a major pain, though with no major truck traffic due to post-9/11 security measures.
Back to current 93, it continues through hilly lands for 17 miles before entering a long valley in western Arizona. Extending down to Kingman, this valley is a lesson in planning. If you didn't gas up in Vegas, you WILL pay through the nose or other lower orifice for gas. On Monday it was $4.39, obviously trying to compete with California for obnoxious pricing! At mile marker 67, 93 junctions with the end of AZ 68, a fast route to Bullhead City, AZ and Laughlin, NV (motto: "Smaller than Vegas but without the entertainment taxes!"). 93 then rises to a small summit, then plunges down toward outer Kingman and Interstate 40. Interstate 11 would take out the onside turns for the expensive gas and instead put in exit ramps to get the gas. Also, the amenities between AZ 68 and I-40 would either be razed or stay alongside an access road. I have a feeling that will be a HUGE feat!
U.S. 93 joins I-40 for just over 20 miles, intersecting classic highway 66 along the way, but more on that experience later! 93 finally leaves I-40 at exit 71, then proceeds on a long, fairly boring trek toward Wickenburg. Sounds pretty witchy, right? Well, this would be the 2nd leg of I-11 from what I have read. A lot of the trek is 4-lane divided highway as it is, but there are still 2-lane stretches that need upgrading. Plus, Wickenberg would need a complete bypass.
Along the way, we stopped for a restroom break in Wikieup, paid for that break with buying merchandise, and fed some beautiful koi in a pond out back. Lesson here: if you drive past the little stuff, you might miss the cool things in life!
In Wickenburg, 93 ends at a traffic circle where we pick up U.S. 60, which is a mostly intact highway in the west, save for its old California portion almost completely disappearing under I-10. It also continues all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, making 60 a fairly classic road in itself, just missing the appeal of 66 somehow. It is interesting to note that all of the services on 60 in Wickenburg are on the westbound side and the traffic is heavy, so good luck finding a quick restroom stop!
Out of Wickenburg, 60 continues southeast on Grand Avenue toward downtown Phoenix. I have memories of this portion. When my grandma lived in Sun City West, I came down that way all the time to see her until she moved to California in early 2007. The 303 overpass was my sign that the journey was over back then. Well not this time, for our destination was Mesa, on the EAST side of the metro area! We got on to 303 south, and I was quite amazed at the change since 11 years ago. What was once a rural 2-lane road with stop signs and lights was now a full freeway with the standard food, gas, and shopping concessions on both sides, all the way down to I-10. Unfortunately, I see the future here: growth, freeway expansion, more growth, more freeway expansion. It is a never-ending cycle.
Finally we hit I-10 near Buckeye and headed east toward Phoenix. At 5:00, traffic was light heading toward the city, but once we passed downtown, all hell broke loose. Traffic was tight (as in still) from the end of I-17 to the 60 freeway off ramp. Once on 60, traffic was lighter and we were able to get to Mesa and our Ramada Inn pretty easily.
Next up, a visit with an old friend!
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