Good morning, everyone! All this talk of condiments is making me hungry, and honestly, it's best to have a proper breakfast before setting out on a drive through the Salt River Canyon. (Those who are inclined toward motion sickness are excused from that recommendation.) The road in my little quiz is US 60, the river is, of course, the Salt River, and the water ends up in Roosevelt Lake (see photo in previous post) before stair-stepping its way down through Apache Lake, Canyon Lake, and Saguaro Lake, all of which are massive reservoirs, ultimately entering the municipal water systems that sustain the gargantuan population center known as the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. (Home sweet home).

When I was a kid growing up, back in the '50's, there weren't any Interstate Highways, so when my family made the long drive from Phoenix back to the mid-west to visit grandparents, we drove the US Highways, and at the beginning of the trip, that meant driving to Globe, and then north through the Salt River Canyon on US 60 (which was, at that time, a major cross country route that went from coast to coast). My father loved driving through the Salt River Canyon for the same reasons my mother hated it: steep grades, hairpin curves, precipitous drops. I'd be bouncing around in the big back seat of the Desoto with my sister (this was long before cars came with seat belts, much less child seats), and I loved every minute of it. Later in life, when I was old enough to drive that road myself, I loved it even more!

The run through Salt River Canyon is actually the continuation of Scenic Side Trip #11, which takes you from Phoenix to Holbrook (on I-40) by way of the Apache Trail (or it will, once its open again!) and the Salt River Canyon. The old mining town of Globe is the mid-point:


Once upon a time, in an earlier life, I had a work assignment that took me traveling all over the state of Arizona, upgrading and auditing financial systems in small town post offices like this one. Sometimes the Postmasters were happy to see me coming, and sometimes they weren't :-(, but either way, I really loved that job. In small towns, the Post Office is a vital institution, with roots that go deep into each community, and it was an inspiration to me, coming from the big city, to experience that side of the organization.

In the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Letter Carriers join the ranks of the new American heroes. My hat is off to them and all the other essential workers who are literally putting their lives on the line to keep us fed, informed, and connected!

Once we all get back on the road, you'll find that Scenic Side Trip #11 is nicely paced. You can take your time, stop as often as you like, and you'll reach I-40 right around the end of the day. Just in time to whip into the northern section of Petrified Forest National Park, and catch the sunset over the painted desert:



Where to next? That's for me to know, and for you guys to "take your best guess!"

Rick