Spruce Mountain Road experience

From Senator Highway, Arizona

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Well for some reason I decided today was a day to go up Spruce
Mountain Rd. Spruce Mountain, FR52A, is accessible from
Senator Highway.

I am retracing places I had gone to before with someone else.

This is a washboard road up the mountain. Going up a steep grade on washboard road is dicey at best. I wondered if people live there all year around. It would make me pray before and after each trip with snow/ice on it.

The time before there was this incredible house for sale. It was one of those if I win the Powerball kinda places. It did not seem to be for sale today.

I made a right fork turn that went down hill, and I decided no I want to go up the hill/mountain. So I backed into a loose rock downhill driveway. Error, the wheels just kept spinning, no traction.

What ever maneuver I tried I was going further down the driveway of no return. It looked like there maybe several ways around the house, nope.

It looked as though I could maybe drive through the forest. So I walked down the hill to peruse the possible escape route. Oh wow a power line sort of road. No that went into a ravine. There was a road down below that with a trench tooooo deep on the side I needed it not to be on.

Back up to the powerline sorta road. Went the opposite way again the impossible ditch was there also. Someone had gone across it. My lil truck never would have made it. Where is my Humvee when I need it?

I returned to the truck. One more maneuver and worse yet. About this time I hit the wiper lever and my newly installed wiper blades came off!

Ok I started to pray about this time. Ok I think I have a sleeping bag in the back.
Nope.

Kept looking at possibly I could back over to what looked like a flat area to reenter the road. Trying to get in that direction forward only got me further down the dadgum hill!!

First attempt would have torn the mirrors off. I was backing between 2 Alligator Juniper trees. 2nd try and I made it between the trees and onto the flat area. 1 adjusting effort and I was headed downhill again looking for a turn around that was considerably easier. Yeah!

I got the heck out of there with a brief momentary hesitation at a great view near the incredible house of Prescott, Thumb Butte, and Granite Mountain: but I did not stop as I said” let me outa here!!!

Whew!

From Spruce Mountain, Prescott National Forest, Arizona, USA