November 2, 2009
RIO VERDE SIGHTSEEING
Yesterday, we went on another Sunday afternoon "adventure." While waiting for Peggi one day before she got her car, I drove over to Fountain Hills to kill time. The town itself is situated on the western side of the Verde River ("Green" River), and looks pretty much like any of the other developed communities in this area of Arizona. What really struck me was the difference in terrain.
We live on the west side of the McDowell Mountains -- majestic gray mountains with nicely pointed peaks. Yet, as soon as you go east of the McDowells, the mountains are more like what you'd expect to see in New Mexico -- huge monoliths with the tops shaved off. Other parts of the range on the east side of the Verde valley are more mesa-like ... flat, table topped ranges.
I wanted to see the Verde River valley close up, so we drove up Fort McDowell road. This appears to be the main road through the Yavapai Nation tribal lands. When I looked at this route on Google Earth, it looked very interesting, with the road being a straight shot north to Rio Verde. Despite being located in the Sonoran Desert, this area is lush farm land, thanks to the elaborate system of irrigation canals. Bales of hay are neatly stacked in roadside shelters. According to their website (ftmcdowell.org), the Yavapais have planted "...50,000 pecan trees and more than 30,000 citrus trees. Pecans are The tribe’s farm is highly efficient. Two computerized pumping stations pull water from the Verde River, inject it with fertilizer, and pipe it underground through the citrus and pecan orchards. Two micro-sprinklers spray a 16-foot diameter circle around the base of each tree. Half of the irrigation occurs at night to reduce evaporation." Yeah ... and they don't live in tee-pees, either!
However, their main drag -- Ft. McDowell Road -- although very wide and spacious, is more suited for the farm trucks that maintain the forests of orchards. Over four miles of washboard ruts made for a nerve-jarring ride. We actually laughed out loud when we saw a speed limit sign. Thirty miles per hour ... we could barely exceed ten! Fortunately the road was wide enough to zig-zag from side to side looking for smooth spots. We only saw one other car -- and that began the day of "we should have gone just a bit further!"
The couple in the car was looking for Rio Verde. They had passed us, but had now turned backed. We both rolled down our windows and chatted. We had seen a sign saying Rio Verde was 4 miles ahead -- and that was about 2 miles ago. I theorized we were about half way there. The driver said he had gone ahead, but it was nothing but pecan orchards. He was going to go back to Fountain Hills and take the other (paved) road that paralleled this one. Peggi wanted to turn around too, but I insisted we stay the course. Sure enough, we were soon at Rio Verde (and paved roads again)!
Google Earth hinted we would have a glimpse of the Verde River, but the groves of pecans blocked the view. My next target -- Needle Rock, in the Tonto National Forest -- was right at the river's edge, so I figured we'd see it there. The Verde is known as a good waterway for rafting, so even though we were in the dry summer months, I expected to see at least something. The forest road was paved, although windy. But that was good for several photo opportunities. About half way on the three-mile trip to Needle Rock was a campground and picnic area. I remembered seeing on the computer that this was right next to the river, and even had one spot where you could drive right down to river's edge. What I didn't count on was four-wheel drive vehicle conditions! Our little Elantra dragged bottom in the sandy ruts, so, at Peg's urging, we turned around and went back to the paved road. Checking Google later that night, we were just right around the corner from that spectacular river view -- hence the theme of the day, "we should have gone just a bit further!"
Pressing on to Needle Rock, the paved road continued to wind in and out of the cactus and mesquite covered hills, and past the valley washes where we saw several 4WD trucks off-roading. It was then I wished we had a Jeep -- it looked like fun! But we continued on in the comfort of our bouncy little car on the pavement. As we neared Needle Rock, the road abruptly transitioned into a dirt trail worthy of a pack animal. We did not have a permit, so we couldn't park and hike the remaining half mile or so. So our quest for the Verde remained unfulfilled because "we should have gone just a bit further!"
True to our adopted suburban lifestyle, we drove out of the Tonto National Forest, and headed west on Rio Verde road. Feeling like we were on the edge of civilization, with the barren desert of the national park on the right, and the manicured greens of golf course homes on the left, this soon transitioned into ranch-style home sites, complete with cattle crossing signs along the road. It seemed unusual that county planners had extended the street numbers out this far, even though 174th Street was just a dirt trail!
We ended our adventure a few miles further on at a Wine and Art Show in Cave Creek.
