I know you all know about the Grand Canyon and I know several who have actually hiked it and a friend of mine, Joan, has actually hiked it twice. Then there was the blind group who hiked it Rim to Rim. I am in awe. But the big problem with that big canyon is that you’ve got to hike down into it. Well, you can take a mule (big pause) but I hear that this is pretty eerie being 8’ above the trail looking down when the mule makes a minor misstep. The mule knows that it is sure-footed but you don’t. You can also take a raft through the canyon but that’s another adventure. But, you can’t drive down, nor bike down nor motorcycle down. Nope, you’ve got to hike. My favorite sign on the way down into the canyon is one that says: ‘Going Down is Optional, Going Back Up is Mandatory.’ 1 mile straight down, 7 miles by trail.
Well, there’s another canyon in Arizona, fondly know by the locals as the 'Little Grand Canyon' and the neat thing about this canyon is that you can drive down into it and back up the other side. Rim to rim and you don’t have to leave your car, if you don’t want to. But, guaranteed, you’re not going to want to stay in your car when you’ve got those magnificent views engulfing you. You get to weave through the switchbacks, you actually get down to the river level and you start in the cactus deserts of Phoenix and end in the piney woods hills of the Mogollon Rim. And, the climb out is not nearly as physically exhausting as climbing out of the Grand Canyon. It’s a great trip and it’s only an hour from Phoenix.
Then - drum roll here - the turn-around spot for this trip is America’s Pie where we found homemade apple pie and homemade ice cream. It was a two-fer: a great trip and a great ‘meal.’ Actually, it was a three-fer - we had great traveling companions, Shirley and Jerry, two great friends from - of all places - Iowa. I worked with Shirley at Wells Fargo and we both not only retired the same summer but we also both bought RV’s and began traveling. Last year Jerry had cancer and they were not able to get out in their RV but they fought back hard and are out this year, staying in the resort we stayed in last year (one that Shirley found for us 2 years ago).
We drove over to their resort and we all started out on our Little Grand Canyon adventure. The trip goes through some mining territory and you get views off to each side of working mines. You also sashay through a pretty spectacular smaller slot canyon, weaving through it until you get to a little town called the ‘Top of the World.’ There’s even a tunnel along this road.
Then you come to the edge of a fantastic canyon and you have to exit your car to take in the views. It’s craggy, it’s rocky, its colorful, its steep, and it’s hard to imagine that it was all carved by the tiny river at the bottom, the Salt River. My words can’t convey the immensity of this canyon and its beauty. So - I’ve sprinkled some pictures through the blog. But, if you think that my pictures can convey what your own eyes see, you’d be wrong. Here’s my favorite scenic view of the day.
We found several turn-offs along the way down into the canyon and at each of these, we found a different view and a different way to look at the sun playing on the canyon walls. At the bottom there is a bridge you can walk over though the visitor center and the trading post which both used to be there are now derelict. Though there is still an old still-standing building which is a one-cell jail with a bed. I must have been arrested for back-seat driving.
After you cross the canyon, you wend back up the cliffs where the views are equally spectacular.
Not only that, but as you continue on to Show Low, you get to see another side of AZ: the piney woods hills side of Arizona where the ponderosa pines rule.
When you hear of forest fires in Arizona and we’ve all heard a lot over the last two years, this is one of the areas where they occur.
Our goal for the turn-around point in the trip was America’s Pie in Show Low. Couldn’t think of a better place to relax before turning the car around for the trip back through the canyon. But, before we dig into the pie, I had to find out about why the town is called Show Low, not your usual name. And why the main street is named the Deuce of Clubs. Of course, as with all legends, there are several versions both involving the same 2 men, C.E Cooley and Marion Clark.
In one story they began a marathon poker game to determine who was going to stay in the small town. They played and played with out a winner. Finally Clark told Cooley that who ever drew the lowest card would win. ’Show Low’ he said. Cooley turned up the deuce of clubs and won.
In the second story, they were tied for the office of mayor. The solution was to open a fresh deck of cards, shuffle and draw. Whoever could ‘Show Low’ would win.
And there you have it: the story (ies) of how Show Low and the Deuce of Clubs street got their names. We entered Show Low on the Deuce of Clubs street looking for America’s Pie. We were looking for a commercial building and drove past a small unassuming yellow house behind a large leafy tree. We turned back, missed it again and finally Shirley and I went into the City Hall to ask. Right over there, the woman said. Sure enough, we had all missed it. Must have been time for lunch.
The owners are a husband wife team: she is the chef and he seems to do most of the rest. She was a real estate agent but during the recent slowdown returned to her first love: baking. She turned her office into a small shop when she opened it to bake pies, scones, cakes cookies, etc. A few years later she expanded to limited breakfasts and lunches. Were we ever lucky to find this spot after a long drive. The lunch special was $4.95 for homemade lasagna, a mixed greens salad with the sweetest raspberry vinaigrette dressing and homemake garlic toast. Can you beat that? A gourmet lunch.
Here we are in our own room, enjoying the meal. This looks as if I was standing on a chair. Nope, next time I’ll sit rather than stand.
Then, the piece-de-resistance: apple pie ala mode - all homemade. Do I have a picture of this? Nope, it didn’t stay around long enough to pose.
The road home was back through the ponderosa pines, down into the canyon, back up and off towards Mesa.
Couldn’t have asked for a better day.
358.2 18,832’ (luckily we were in a truck for all of this.
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