By the time we get to Phoenix (2/25/2010)
25 February 2010We took quite a nice ride to day from Quartzsite to Phoenix (and on to Mesa) by way of US Hwy 60. Rather than staying on I-10, we performed what my parents taught me was “shunpiking“. We took Hwy 60 since we had better expectations of breakfast.
We had breakfast about ten miles past the diverge from I-10, at Vicksburg, at the Kofa Cafe. We’re told that Kofa refers to the Kofa Mine, which in turn refers to King-Of-Arizona. The cafe served up a superior breakfast, and the environment was pure joy. There was a map on the wall with pins so you could mark your hometown. For the first time, I put a pin in Livingston TX. There were about ten pins there already. There was a mural on the wall that taught us that we were in the McMullen Valley.
Sitting in the cafe, looking at the mural, we decided to continue on 60 to Wickenburg, then down to Phoenix that way. We did. We went through Salome. Then on past a few other wide spots in the road (with apologies to the fine people who live there) until we got to Wickenburg. This was a bustling town, but I couldn’t find anyplace to park the trailer and walk around, so we continued. From Surprise on to the junction with AZ-101, we encountered heavy construction traffic, but once we got through that, we were good to go all the way to Mesa.
We’re parked now for four nights, at the Orangewood Shadows RV Resort. This is a rather fancy place, with a mix of mobile homes and RVers on long-term stays. We were lucky to get a spot, here, and probably lucky to get one in the Phoenix area at all. I was getting worried. 
Orangewood is a not-twisty little maze of roads, trailers and motor homes, all different, yet all alike. We are located at the very bottom of the image, in the middle of that bottom row. This place has a bunch of amenities, which are listed on the page linked above. I probably won’t see any of them. At $38/night, this is way over my budget, but we want to be here, so we chose to pay.
Once we arrived and checked in, the park provided an employee to lead us to the site with his golf cart, and then direct me as I backed in. He did a barely adequate job. Roseann would have been a better backer. It had been a stressful day, what with the traffic, and with the need to get lunch in an area where there was very difficult RV parking, and I was glad to get in and take a much needed nap.
3 Responses to “By the time we get to Phoenix (2/25/2010)”
February 26th, 2010 at 6:25 am
If your pin is in Livingston, perhaps it’s time to change the header of your blog so that it doesn’t say Van Nuys? Maybe it should say “I-10″? :-)
February 26th, 2010 at 11:41 am
A little before MY time driving to Phoenix…but my Hubby and his army buddy always told me that it used to be the only way to get there. I-10 is a relatively new road, as I can attest. Those last few miles on back roads, were always killer in the middle of the night.
That’s probably why your food prospects were a little better. :-)
February 26th, 2010 at 11:46 am
I highly recommend Monti’s in Tempe. Great steaks and rosemary bread to die for. The lunch menu is cheaper, if money is an issue.
http://www.montis.com/