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2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 22; Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona State Route 64, and the weird terminus of US Route 180

As noted in Part 21 of the 2016 Fall Mountain Trip series I made a western turn from US Route 89 onto Arizona State Route 64 towards Grand Canyon National Park. This article serves the 22nd entry in the 2016 Fall Mountain Trip Series.  Part 21 covers former US Route 89 over the 1911 Cameron Suspension Bridge. 2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 21; former US Route 89 over the Cameron Suspension Bridge AZ 64 is a 108.31 mile State Highway which begins at US 89 in Cameron and travels directly west to Grand Canyon National Park near Desert View.  While AZ 64 technically doesn't exist within Grand Canyon National Park the signage posted by the Park Service on Desert View Road and South Entrance Road imply it is a continuation of the route.  AZ 64 resumes co-signed with US Route 180 the South Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park in Kaibab National Forest.  AZ 64/US 180 multiplex to Valle where the latter splits southeast towards Flagstaff.  AZ 64 continues south ...

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 21; Colorado State Route 347, South Rim Road, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

After leaving Colorado National Monument via Monument Road and Colorado State Route 347 I made turn eastward on US Route 50 in Grand Junction.  My next destination was to the southeast at the end of Colorado State Route 347 at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This article serves as the 21st entry in the 2016 Summer Mountain Trip Series.  Part 20 covers Colorado National Monument and Rim Rock Drive. 2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 20; Colorado National Monument and Rim Rock Drive The south entrance of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (I'll be short handing to "Black Canyon" so it doesn't take to write from hereon in) is accessed by via the 5.2 mile long CO 347.  CO 347 begins east of Montrose and makes a fast ascent northward to the south entrance of Black Canyon near Jones Summit.  The route that ultimately became CO 347 was added to the State Highway System in 1939 but can be seen as a locally maintained road on the 1939 Rand McNally Hig...

Looking Back - 2007 Southwest Trip - Mesa Verde National Park

Another example of a planned but never published item from the old website.  This time it is the third day of my 2007 New Mexico Vacation.  A trip that took me into Colorado and to Mesa Verde National Park.  A trip that had me in awe. I left for the day rather early around 5 am local time and headed northwest to Colorado and Mesa Verde National Park.  I took I-25 north to US 550 which I would take to Durango, Colorado before heading west on US 160 to Mesa Verde. That morning, I must have missed some rain showers and thunderstorms as though it did not rain on me the whole trip; it was easy to tell that I most likely was a couple of minutes behind.  The trip north on US 550 was full of distant flashes of lightning over the open land.  Being from the East Coast, this was really my first exposure to storms like this over relatively flat land.  It, at least for me, was impressive. At Durango, I headed west on US 160 towards Mesa Verde.  The sc...