Northern Arizona Fall Mountain Drive

September 28, 2003

The day started at 8 AM for most of the people from the Phoenix area. When we met up at the Denny's in Prescott Valley it was a clear blue sky with temps in the mid 70's. Everybody that was going to be there was there by 9:45. We did wait until almost 11:00 for the other 7 cars that didn't make it for some reason or another.

In attendance were Christy, Lexi & I from Prescott Valley in our laser blue Protege 5. Eli came from Chandler, AZ in his black Protege 5. Jon and a girl friend arrived from Scottsdale in his yellow Protege 5. Loren came up from Phoenix in his silver Protege 5.
Daniel joined us from the Phoenix area too in his black Protege 5 he had Brian riding as navigator with him. Joe with a Honda had car troubles but hitched a ride with Jason who brought his Mazda 6 also from the Phoenix area. Andy & Christy brought their flaming red Protege 5 from the Phoenix area. Then the award for the longest distance traveled goes to Morgan who came from Boston Mass. Actually he was on vacation visiting his parents who live in Prescott.
His dark blue Protege was still in Boston so he cruised his Lotus around Prescott with us before parting ways.

Around 11:00 we headed out on Hwy 69 towards Prescott. We took a drive around the town square and the famous Whisky Row. Then we headed north on Hwy 89 and stopped at Watson Lake for some pictures.

After the photo shoot we continued north and turned off onto Hwy 89A and headed towards Jerome.

The Jerome highway is a curvacious mountain road with tight corners and blind curves. Excellent road for motorcycles or sport cars. The only exception was Gramps in his 1980's Buick wouldn't go over 25 MPH at all. On some of the 30 MPH curves he got up to 25.

We had FRS radios in all the cars and I actually heard somebody snoring from one of the cars back. We stopped at the lookout point to let all the SLOW cars go ahead of us since they wouldn't pull over for us to pass. Then we drove the remaining half mile as our cars were designed.

Once in Jerome we started looking for parking. We looked and looked and looked some more. Then Christy saw a little sign that said additional parking with an arrow. So we tried it. I was wishing I had my truck about that time. Lowered sport compacts and off roading don't mix real well. We all scraped something or another. I couldn't even get pictures of the drivers faces because I'm not even that cruel. But at the bottom of the trail was a nice smooth flat parking lot that was empty.

The parking lot was at the bottom of Jerome and the restaurant that we wanted was at the top of Jerome. So we climbed to the top. When we got to the Jerome Palace they were full as usual and didn't have room for the 13 of us. So we hiked down to the lower lever of Jerome and ate at the English Kitchen. The food was good but it wasn't the Jerome Palace.

After lunch we headed back down to the parking lot with the tuff truck competition entrance and exit. Being an off roader I am used to picking "lines" to find the best path. Unfortunately for Daniel with his lowered sport suspension, he couldn't find a line to follow at all and got stuck. We all jumped in to push him up the hill and back onto pavement. Everybody else went where he didn't until they were back on solid ground.

We continued on Hwy 89A and passed through Clarkdale and Cottonwood.

Eli

Daniel

Jon

Loren

Andy & Christie

Jason

As soon as we hit the Sedona area the views were spectacular. Someone on the radio said we need to stop for pictures. I said Ok. He said, " I mean right now, right here." So I pulled into a parking lot that was right there.

Sedona was so full of people that we drove on through and continued on to Oak Creek Canyon. The scenery was beautiful. Tall luscious trees that were just starting to change into their fall colors.

That road was busy as well. So we would slow down to a crawl and allow the slow drivers time to get away. Then we would enjoy our sporty suspension and handling characteristics as Mazda intended.

Along the way Jason in the Mazda 6 called on the radio and said his brakes were making a horrible noise and he needed to stop ASAP. I pulled the group off into a scenic lookout that was packed with some kind of craft show. Parking was a bear but we found a spot for all 7 cars.

We jacked up the 6 and pulled off the tire to check the brakes.

Jon crawled in and found the problem. Jason got a "rock in his shoe." There was only one way for a small rock to get into this recessed space on the inside of the rotor by the caliper and this rock did it.

After that we started calling him Rocky because he didn't much care for nick name of Pebbles. Then the call came on the radio of, lets "rock" and roll and we were back on the road.

We stopped in Flagstaff to get drinks and such and decided to go to Snow Bowl the ski resort. Our Protege parade did get a lot of attention at every town we went through and Flagstaff was no different. People stopped to watch us go buy. It would have made a good ZOOM-ZOOM commercial for Mazda.

Anyway we headed up the mountain towards the lodge. I had never been there so it was a new road. Little traffic and 7 sport cars on a twisty mountain road made for a fun drive. Lexi was in her car seat loudly saying "WEE!" the whole way up. (Lexi is our 2 1/2 year old daughter.) The road turns to dirt and we continued Rally style.

What a blast. We watched the sunset from the mountain top and headed back down the mountain.

We went down in the same style as we went up and again Lexi was going Wee! at every curve.

At the bottom of the mountain we parted ways and half went back to Phoenix while the other half of us went to dinner at Cilantros Mexican restaurant in Flagstaff. After dinner we gassed up and the yellow, silver and laser blue Protege's zoomed down I-17.

At the exit for Hwy 169 I gave a good bye on the radio as Rosco P. Coltrain would. (Dukes of Hazzard)

"This is rednecks_r_us and I'm gone!
(then did the Rosco giggle)