Leaving Arizona and entering Nevada ....

I managed to get to one more National Monument before leaving Arizona.  Taking its name from the Aqua Fria River, the Agua Fria National Monument features one of the significant systems of prehistoric sites in the American Southwest.

It's a long, tough drive in and they recommend not going in the summer months, but can prove to be a great place to hike and explore the past.


The campground I stayed at in Congress had lovely flowers in bloom, now that the snow is gone.

But before the snow melted ..... I took a drive to the Shrine of Saint Joseph of the Mountains in Yarnell.  Unfortunately, it was closed due to the snow and ice (you couldn't get past the gate), but I managed a couple of distance shots .... The Shrine was constructed by a group of lay men and women (not all of whom were Catholic).  The result is Stations of the Cross that are magnificent.  The Shrine miraculously escaped destruction in the Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013, in which 19 firefighters were killed.  There is a memorial to these firefighters near the Shrine.
It is a peaceful experience to climb and meditate on the various Stations of the Cross.


I took a longer route out of Arizona in order to stop at Searchlight, Nevada because I heard their Historic Museum was worth a stop.  Since I've been on the road, keeping track of the days is a little bit of a challenge .... I was traveling on Sunday and the museum was closed when I arrived.  Oops ....

But, the drive was very nice and worth the extra few (about 30) miles.  US 93 is the Joshua Tree Forest  Parkway of Arizona and a state scenic route.  It was sort of like driving through Joshua Tree National Park, except the rocks weren't nearly as big

It also gets the prize for the longest grade I've driven down, except maybe the Blue Ridge Mountains. This one was 6%+ for about 10 miles.  Maybe it just seemed so long because it was straight down; no curves or anything.

I attempted a picture of Frog Rock when leaving Congress, but search as I might, I couldn't find it,    But I did manage a picture of Snoopy as I drove through Wikieup!  Snoopy must have gone Peanuts! He's riding a rocket! Who made him mad? That dog always was too quiet. Oh no! Woodstock is on there too?! That poor, poor bird. He just wanted to fly so badly, didn't he? No one knows why Snoopy is on the rocket, but there are three different Snoopys sitting on a missile as if they're at the horse races.

The highway between Searchlight and Las Vegas is their Veterans Memorial Highway (I think every state has one).  What made this one unique was that a section was devoted to the veterans of a specific war or conflict; but even more unique and special was that there were sections devoted to the veterans of the Cold War, the Persian Gulf, and the War on Terrorism (911).  There was fantastic scenery along this highway, but trying to take a picture while you're driving just doesn't do it justice.


I definitely earned my state sticker for Arizona!