We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend parked on the property of our good friends John and Helen in Yarnell, Arizona. We weren’t actually “moochdocking” since we weren’t hooked up to electricity or water–we were simply “driveway-surfing”. And yes, these are highly technical terms used in the RVing community. 🙂
View of our driveway-surfing spot in Yarnell, AZ
Andy and John were part of the same church group when they were young kids, although John, being several years younger, didn’t really know Andy all that well and was more acquainted with Andy’s younger sister, Liz. However, through the power of Facebook and the Internet, they reconnected years later. John has been following this blog and our Facebook posts as we’ve been on the road, and reached out to us to offer us a place to park for a visit.
After we arrived on Friday evening, John and Helen stopped by to make sure we were settled in. John’s wife, Helen, is from England, and the two of them together are an absolute riot. We talked and laughed so much that my jaws were aching the next morning. Sometimes you meet people that you just “click” with, and this was one of those times.
On Saturday morning we met them at the local bakery/coffee shop, Cornerstone Bakery (featured in Arizona Highways magazine), where they sell some of the most delicious pastries we’ve ever eaten. Andy had a huge Apple Caramel Cinnamon Roll, and I had a pineapple cream cheese pastry that was to die for. The shop is small and cozy, and there was a constant stream of locals stopping in for breakfast. Another couple that John and Helen knew came and sat with us since all the tables were full–it’s the kind of place where you just scoot over and make room for everybody.
Hanging out with friends at Cornerstone Bakery in Yarnell
After getting our sugar and caffeine rush, we went back to the property where we were parked. John and Helen are in the process of building a new home on the site which looks out toward a mountain of huge boulders with a running creek at the bottom. Their property, as well as many of the surrounding lots, were victims of the 2013 wildfire that killed nineteen Hotshot firefighters that were defending the city. (John and Helen bought the property after the fire.) They gave us a tour of their construction site and the surrounding landscape, describing their vision for their dream home. I can’t wait to come back in a year or two and see how it turns out!
In the afternoon, they gave us a driving tour of Yarnell, pointing out the interesting businesses, the quirky artwork and the path that the fire took through the town. Yarnell is primarily a town of retirees and is not particularly well-to-do. There are a lot of antique stores and some artists’ shops, several restaurants, a hardware store, a Dollar General store, along with other various small businesses. After the drive around town, we went back to John and Helen’s house where they are living while they build their new home. Another friend of theirs, Jeanine (sp?) joined us, and Helen fixed a wonderful vegetarian meal for us to enjoy.
On Sunday morning, Andy and I took care of a few things around the rig, took showers, and then after lunch we did some sightseeing on our own. First we visited a local landmark, the Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains. We’re not Catholic, but we did enjoy viewing the stations of the cross in such a beautiful setting.
The Crucifixion, one of the stations of the cross at the Shrine.
Next we drove down the mountain to the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, which is dedicated to the nineteen lost firefighters. It’s located on Highway 89, right on the side of a mountain. There are thirteen parking spaces next to a small display which is actually a trailhead. From there, you must hike if you want to see the rest of the displays and the actual site where the guys made their last stand (description of trails here). It was late in the afternoon, and who are we kidding, neither of us are in the physical condition to do a seven mile mountain hike, so we only climbed up to the first marker and paid our respects there before hiking back down. But I have added this hike to my bucket list, and I’m determined to complete it someday.
The hiking trail at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park
On the way back, we stopped and had a pizza at a new place in Yarnell called Gilligan’s that just opened four weeks ago. It was some of the best pizza we’ve ever had, and we enjoyed the outdoor setting even though it was a little cool. Later we went back over to John and Helen’s house for another visit before calling it a night.
Pizza and beer at Gilligan’s in Yarnell – highly recommended!
So, yesterday morning (Monday) it was time to move on. John and Helen stopped by to say goodbye, we got things stowed away, and pulled out around 9:30 AM. We headed down the mountain back into Wickenburg and made our first stop at Safeway to stock up on fresh produce and to also hit Starbucks in the store.
Next we stopped at the Fast Mart to get gas, top off the propane and fresh water, and dump the tanks. Of course, it was one of those days when something breaks. We do not keep our sewer hose (a.k.a. the “stinky slinky”) stored in the back bumper, which is actually designed as a hollow tube for that purpose. Instead, the previous owner of the RV mounted a length of dryer vent hose under the RV, and the sewer hose just slides into the dryer vent hose for storage. Why, you ask? Well, a lot of RVers do this type of hack so that the moisture from the sewer hose doesn’t rust out the bumper from the inside.
The dryer vent hose is secured under the rig with plastic cable ties, and yesterday was the day that those ties decided to break, so the hose was lying on the ground. Fortunately it happened while we were parked at the dump station and not while driving down the road. Andy had to crawl under the RV and get it re-secured enough to continue the drive, but now it’s another item on the project list to get the dryer vent hose (which is starting to crumble) replaced with PVC pipe. And for right now, the stinky slinky is stored in the bumper.
Reattaching the tube that holds our stinky slinky under the rig
When we got ready to leave Wickenburg and checked our Google Maps navigation, we found out that there was a one-and-a-half hour delay on I-17 north due to a traffic accident, so we decided to stop for lunch along the way. We found a little pullout on New River Road, north of Phoenix, and had our usual salad for lunch while we took a little break. By the time we finished eating, the app said that traffic was starting to clear, so we continued on.
Our route from Yarnell to Bloody Basin Road BLM land
Our destination was some BLM land on Bloody Basin Road just west of I-17. We scouted around a little bit and found a great spot that only required six leveling blocks. We’re surrounded by desert hills that are emerald green right now. Between two of the hills we can see all the way to Sunset Point (which you Arizonans will recognize as a rest area on I-17 at the top of a mesa). We can just faintly hear some highway noise, but otherwise it’s quiet. And we actually have four bars of Verizon LTE service–fast internet in the desert, you can’t beat it!
All set up at Camp Sunset, our new home on Bloody Basin Road.
We got all set up, I cooked a good veggie dinner, and we turned in pretty early. We were all tired from traveling. When we went to bed, there was no one within sight, but when I got up this morning, I noticed there is another rig parked across the road from us. Looks like a small Class B, which is about all that could fit in that small space.
And speaking of small spaces, we are definitely reaping the rewards of having a smaller RV. We were able to easily fit on John and Helen’s property, and we were nimble enough to get into our current site which involved driving over some pretty uneven ground. We love it out here!!
So the plan is to hang out here for a little while. There’s a fourteen day limit, and we may or may not use that entire time. Just depends on the weather, mostly. There are a lot of geocaches to hunt nearby, and a lot of trails to hike. Arcosanti is nearby (even though we’ve been there a couple of times before). The only downside to this spot is that it’s so far away from a decent grocery store. But that is a small price to pay for being able to have such an awe-inspiring yard!!
Our front yard. In the far distance is Sunset Point.
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Safe travels!
