Moving from sunny Lake Havasu to freezing Cottonwood

Apparently, all roads in Arizona lead to Phoenix, because I found myself heading that way again, only this time I went out of my way a little and drove AZ60 instead of going back down I-10 for the 4th time.

I could have altered my itinerary and driven through Congress, or done the smart move and taken I-17 north to Cottonwood.  It would have put me within 4 miles of my campground .... but, no.  Even with a post-it on my calendar saying to check for the weather in the mountains, I decided to take the scenic route up AZ87 and AZ260, through Payson, to Cottonwood, with a major winter storm on its way. Unfortunately, because of the weather, meaning snow and freezing cold, I was not able to stop at the scenic points I intended along the way so the worry over the weather could have been avoided with the interstate.

It was nice to have the highway pretty much to myself, but it is also disconcerting to be the only vehicle heading north and climbing altitude the whole time.   I kept my speed under 45mph the whole way because I have a healthy fear of ice on the road.  Consequently, the trip took much longer than it should have, but as my son is fond of saying, "I'm retired and I have no place I have to be."


So now I'm sitting in Cottonwood, in thirty degree weather, watching the snow fall and wondering WHAT WAS I THINKING?