2,379 mile road trip to Mexico and around

[Old Henry]

AnnaRae took off to visit our daughter in Virginia for a week. I'd been there recently so Pepe and I decided to check off another item on our bucket list and drive to Arizona, Mexico, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah for 6 days. What a glorious trip. Here's the story.

First day we headed south for Arizona on the old two-lane, US 89. Been there and reported on that before so no pictures. Stayed in Page, AZ that first night. Here is the set up of our "cockpit":



Here's what you see starting from the left: On the floor is the jump starter that has a USB socket on it to charge the phone and mp3 player stuck to the speaker grill. (Tried using an add on lighter socket but the current wasn't steady enough.) In the glove box can be seen the mechanical backup temperature gauge. What can't be seen is the backup mechanical oil pressure gauge next to it and the headphone amplifier used to boost the iPhone and mp3 player signal to the radio speaker. Hanging on the door is Pepe's short leash kept on him to keep him from escaping when I get out of the car (been there, done that, no fun). Next is Pepe's perch with him in it on his favorite blanket. Also a loaf of bread which I would eat from when hungry and a Slim Jim meat stick that Pepe would eat on when he was hungry. And, below in the arm rest a cup of water we both drank from when we were thirsty. Didn't eat or drink much other than those. In front of the cup of water is my iPhone from which I played Pandora and old time radio shows. In front of that the receiver for the outdoor thermometer installed behind the front grill to monitor outside temperatures. At the back of the armrest my pig skin driving glove for my left hand. The only one I need so that I can pet Pepe with the bare right one. And behind that the paper map. Yes, real men still read paper.

Then, next day, continued south on 89 and started seeing the sights. The first stop was Wupatki National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm) that had ancient pueblo ruins different from the ones built under cliff overhangs in Mesa Verde. These ruins were built out on the open flats on and around huge rocks. Here's Wukoki ruin that we could get close enough to get a picture of with Old Henry:



We then continued on that scenic road until we came to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm).



Here's the VIDEO of the drive over the mountain to this point showing the crater from the other side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBI8NwBfN9A

Then we continued on down toward Flagstaff headed for our next National Monument - Walnut Canyon National Monument just east of Flagstaff. We were disappointed to find one had to hike to see anything there so no pictures and headed back to Flagstaff. Turned out to be fortuitous, however, because we stumbled onto old Route 66 and took it back to Flagstaff.



Here's the VIDEO of driving the original surface of old Route 66: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw5K-1z5oXg Very nostalgic.

Next stop was Montezuma Castle National Monument continuing south on I-17 (http://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm). Again, we were disappointed to discover that Old Henry couldn't get close enough to the main ruin to get in the picture but it was an easy level stroll to it so here it is:



From there we continued on down to Phoenix then turned west on I-10 toward Buckeye where we turned south on US 85 toward Gila Bend. On that stretch of I-10 my rear end started getting "loose" and fishtailing a bit. I just thought it was the typical "bias ply boogie". But, when we stopped for gas at Buckeye I noticed a rear tire going flat. Sure glad I had my rechargeable pump to pump it up with. That pump is the only tool I used on the whole trip other than a screw driver to remove the hubcap of that wheel at the garages I kept going to to get the tire fixed.



It was pretty much dark by the time we got to Gila Bend but we continued on south toward Ajo (pronounced Ah-ho) where we decided to stay the night. That was a long straight pitch black drive for 52 miles. About 2/3 the way along I noticed the rear end getting "loose" again and was afraid I was going to have to stop on that dark road in the middle of nowhere to pump up the tire again before getting to Ajo. I really really didn't want to do that so I prayed that the tire would make it to Ajo. It just barely did. When we pulled up to the first gas station it was nearly flat. I pumped it up again and by the time I drove across the street to the motel it was almost flat again. In the morning it was completely flat.

I had charged the pump up all night so it was ready to pump up the totally flat tire so I could drive to a garage to get it fixed. (Hate changing tires. That pump was an absolute back saver).

Drove to the nearest gas station that had what appeared to be some kind of tire operation next door. I went over there and asked the Hispanic guy if he could fix it. He explained in broken English that he had no jack to lift up the car to get the tire off to fix it and directed me to the nearby NAPA garage for the repair. At the NAPA garage they did not know enough about inner tubes to take the risk of fixing it but referred me to another garage. That garage did take it on and removed the tire and found the problem.



The leak in the brand new tube I'd just put in was, as was typical, caused by the rough rim. I'd coated the rim with Plasti-Dip rubber coating when I put the new tube in but it, apparently, didn't work so well. The coating where the tire slid on and off of the rim pealed right off. But, as you can see, even under the rubber coating the rust broke through the coating and punctured the tube.

Desperate to get back on the road and unable to do the right permanent fix to the rim what else could I do but turn to my trusty duct tape?



Of course, as became apparent at the next tube failure, I put the tape on the wrong surfaces. But, it got me back on the road and headed for another national monument and Mexico.

From there I drove through Ajo and found it to have a very historic down town.



Here's the VIDEO of the drive around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epI5JY41QTY

After that quaint visit we headed to Mexico. The road went through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm)



The biggest cactus next to us is the organ pipe cactus. The spindly next one is an ocotillo cactus. Here's the VIDEO of the drive in the park where a lot of the tall Saguaro cactus are seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDTch2MblPI Such as this one with unusually growing arms:



Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ends just before the border at the small town of Lukeville on the US side. From there we crossed the border. The only thing the Mexican customs official wanted to see was Pepe's papers. Didn't care a thing about me and my passport. Weird.

Here's the VIDEO of the drive into Mexico to Sonoyta, Sonora: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyFJ4ECIX5U And our one stop for photos:



From the time my mother found out I was driving Old Henry to Mexico she begged me not to, even right up until I crossed the border. She had heard nothing but horror stories of people driving across the border and having their cars confiscated and never seen again. She thought for sure that would happen and wanted me to call her as soon as I "escaped" safely. I had a little difficulty getting her after re-entering the states and she thought the worst had happened.

But, those people were just like us - just living their regular lives without any interest in taking my car, my body, or my dog.

To get back into the country all they had to see was my passport.

We next headed for Tucson, AZ on the old two-lane US 86 to stay the night. By the time we got there it was dark and the rear end was "loose" again. So I pulled off the road at a convenience store to find out where I could fix it. It was pretty funny because there were several "Harley Dudes" and gals stopped there with their bikes and black leathers. I pulled up next to them, got out, and was immediately informed by them that my tire was going flat. I thanked them and pulled out my trusty pump to pump it up. I thought it was a comical contrast between Old Henry with the white wall tires and me in my Argyle sweater, white long sleeve shirt, and Gatsby cap compared to them and their "fashion statement".

The girl at the convenience store said there was a truck stop down the road so I drove there. They weren't about to mess with an inner tube. The guy referred me to a "24/7" tire place a few miles away. I drove there to find a Hispanic guy living amongst his vast piles of tires and working on them under a canopy in his front yard.




I thought I asked him if he could fix my tire with tubes in it and thought he said yes. So, I pulled it in and he went after it.

When he got the tire off, he put the whole tire and wheel in his "dunk tank". He pulled it out and said, "No, leak". He was testing it like he would a tubeless tire. I tried to explain again that it was not tubeless but did, in fact, have an inner tube in it and that he would have to take the tube out to check it and fix it. I think he then explained to me that he couldn't fix a leak in an inner tube. I asked why not. "We have no glue to glue on the patch." Oh boy. I told him to take the tube out and check it and we'd go from there. He did and again, "No leak". I don't know what the deal was. That tire was going flat but he couldn't find a leak in the tube. Fortunately, I had a spare tube and gave it to him to put in. Here was the state of the duct tape I'd put in earlier that day:



As you can see, nothing will stick to the surface that the tire slides on and off the rim. It just tears it all off.

So, he put the new tube in and put the tire back on the car and we carried on down the road for a couple more hours into New Mexico and stayed in Demming for the night.

The next day we stayed on I-10 to Las Cruces, New Mexico. By the time we got there the rear end was "loose" again. I made it to a huge multibay tire store before it went flat. The only person there that knew anything about inner tubes was the general manager. I was just about to just put the spare on and forget that troublesome tire and tube but the spare was bare and mom had called to warn me about heavy snow on the way home. So, I had the tire guy take both the sick tire and spare all apart. I put duct tape on both rims where I should have put it in the first place. Then put the spare rim and tube on the new tire that kept going flat and the sick tube and rim on the spare tire in the trunk and away we went. That was the last trouble I had with the tire, almost.

From there we headed for White Sands National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm) I've been there many times and it's always so weird to realize that it's not freezing cold snow nor salt but white crystalline sand. Here's the VIDEO of the drive to a couple of favorite old tunes about sand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fipnPAOqQg

Just think about what those "Harley Dudes" thought about this getup:



Hey, they had their fashion statement and I had mine.

From there we headed for Santa Fe for the night. Got there at about 10:00 PM:



The Cathedral Basillica of St. Francis of Assis at the heart of old Santa Fe.

In the morning went to church then retraced our route from the previous night when we came into the city on the Old Santa Fe Trail which was also the old Route 66. Here's the VIDEO of the drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eB1fpdtE8s

From there we headed north to Bandelier National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm). Here are another unusual form of ancient pueblos. These, rather than being built under a cliff like Mesa Verde or out on big rocks on the flat like Wupatki, were carved into the face of cliffs made of ancient volcanic ash turned into a soft stone easy to excavate.



You can see where the cave homes were excavated into the cliff and the sockets where logs were inserted to protrude beyond the cliff face where the they "added on" to the caves with structures like those at Mesa Verde, etc.

From there we went over the mountain toward Farmington. We drove through a beautiful frosted forest where all the trees were white with frost.



Then on to Farmington where we stayed for the night.

The next morning was our last day and we took the shortest route home. It took us north of Farmington past Chimney Rock that was beautiful in the sun brightened snow. (Had to delete photo. It exceeded maximum number allowed. Will show in a later post on this thread.)

Then we were into Colorado. North of Cortez we hit the blizzard.



Now, I've driven Old Henry in every kind of weather and snow imaginable with little trepidation of any kind. But the drive I had to survive through this storm was the scariest driving I have ever done. At the worst of it I was white knuckles on the steering wheel and clenched jaws almost holding my breath that we'd survive. The worst part was when the snow was deep everywhere except the two tracks left by a vehicle a few blocks ahead of me with an 18 wheeler pressing on my tail. The terrain was slight rolling hills. On an incline I started losing traction on the rear drive wheels and started fishtailing a bit. I was down to 30 mph in second gear. I was honestly afraid I'd lose traction and spin out in front of the 18 wheeler and he wouldn't be able to stop before squashing us. On top of that, the stock windshield wipers quit wiping off the heavy snow. They were moving OK. They just weren't wiping that were so coated with ice. I had to bend down and look through the bottom part of the windshield where the snow wasn't hitting to see anything. It seemed that the truck behind dropped back a little when he saw me starting to fishtail. Here's VIDEO of the drive up until it got too scary to drive and shoot video at the same time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LNzzNYqlJo

Eventually, we got over a hill, the snow started letting up, and the road eventually cleared and we returned to normal driving speed. It was real nice to finally get to a gas station to fill up and recover from the trauma. (That's where the above picture was taken after the harrowing drive.)

Soon we were back in Utah and decided to hit Arches National Park (http://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htms)



If you don't watch any other VIDEO in this post watch this one. It is a real feel gooder to the music of Mannheim Steamroller's rendition of "The Pines of Rome" - by Pini Del Gianicolo". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdCSIlKAyZs

From there we headed home.

Epilog: The next morning the front right tire was flat and the transmission wouldn't go into 3rd gear. I believe my guardian angel was working overtime for us.

Total distance: 2,379 miles over 6 days, average 400 miles and 8 hours driving per day. Range of temperatures: 76° in Phoenix to 17° on the New Mexico desert. Altitude range: 752 near Gila Bend, AZ to 8,837 on Hwy 126 between Los Alamos and Cuba, New Mexico.

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Just to recap, here are the nine (9) videos in my post in case anyone missed any:

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBI8NwBfN9A

Route 66 into Flagstaff, Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw5K-1z5oXg

Ajo, Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epI5JY41QTY

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDTch2MblPI

Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyFJ4ECIX5U

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fipnPAOqQg

Route 66 into Santa Fe, New Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eB1fpdtE8s

Driving through the blizzard north of Cortez, Colorado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LNzzNYqlJo

Arches National Park, Utah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdCSIlKAyZs

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Previous trips:

Ghost towns of Modena, UT and Pioche, NV in November 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155331

Million Dollar Highway, Durango to Montrose, Colorado in June 2014 https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142975

Transcontinental Railway Grade in May 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139471

City of Rocks, Idaho in April 2014:https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137684

Capitol Reef National Park in March 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133018

Grouse Creek and the AAA garage in February 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130966

Grand Canyon in January 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128820

Moab, UT in December 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127222

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument November 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123694

Across Nevada on US 50, "The Loneliest Road in the Country", October 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120098

Mount Evans (the highest paved road in North America) August 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115013

Canada in June 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109872

Monument Valley in March 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99523

Bryce Canyon in February 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97822

Milford, Utah in December 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93137

Nevada and Idaho in November 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89080

Rocky Mountain National Park in September 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83966

Yellowstone National Park in May 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72864

Death Valley in February 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62705

Pike's Peak in July 2011: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19141

Route 66 in April 2010: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57511

[TonyM]

Wow. great. I read it all but have not watched the video yet. I will check it out. Thanks for posting.

[TonyM]

I could not imagine driving through a snow storm like you did near Cortez in my 1937 Ford. Yikes!

And I love White Sands, NM. The place can be disorientating--there are signs in the park that say "This Way Out."

I worry just driving out of my home town let alone a couple thousand miles.

Glad you made it home before the trans conked out on you. Thanks for posting.

[Ross F-1]

Beautiful pictures as always! Next time you're in my area, please call so we can meet up! BTW you got out of here just in time, it has been snowing for 3 days now.

[Old Henry]

Here are the great shots of Chimney Rock north of Farmington, NM that were too many for original post:

[Lawrie]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Henry.you are missing a great opportunity,you should get onto national geographic or the likes,they could do a great story .
All I got was a write up in the local rag after sat night at the drags in the flathead,
we are off for a drive down to Canberra in the 33 next month,No snow here though.
Lawrie

[51 MERC-CT]

As usual, some pretty outstanding stuff.

[turnpikecrusier]

GREAT pictures and videos

[BILL WZOREK]

Henry:
I know you are a big boy and all & we can spend your $$
But I think it is time to buy some new rims / Fact you don't like changing tires ~ you had multiple flat tires ~ driving on soft tires is NOT SAFE ~ Think about what could have happened while you were driving in front of that truck in the snow.
What if the roughness of the rim made the tire not just go soft but,
BLOW OUT THE TIRE ~ Where would you be now ~ let alone what the truck driver may have to live with the rest of his life if he HIT you.
"Rims are cheap"
There are a lot of us on here that really / really enjoy your road trips & showing us parts of this beautiful country that we might never be able to see any other way.
( I guess I am selfish because if you did not have the soft tires you could have been on the road showing us MORE )

[Fibber Mcgee]

I agree with Lawrie, you need a TV show. Thanks for proving once again that these were once every day cars driven every day.

[Sid the Maineiac]

Henry, once again you have amazed me with your tenacity and good spirit as you venture forth into the relative unknown !! Thank God for people like you who remind us that if previous generations wanted to see parts of the country, this is how they did it !! May God continue to bless you and yours on these journeys ! Thank you for sharing !!

[scrapiron]

What Bill W. said !!!!! JEEEZZ

[Adam/Mill Valley CA]

Thanks for the usual great travelogue! Gotta sandblast and paint those rims!

Adam

[KiWinUS]

WOW ...... Thanks for sharing !!!!

[cmbrucew]

Prof.
That seems like an endurance test as well as a great trip.
Very nice pictures and commentary.
Just think where you can venture to when you retire.
Bruce

[FrankWest]

Amazing Trip! Fantastic Car!

[ricklove]

Great pics and great narrative!!! Thanks for sharing!

[LuckyFordGuy]

Thanks for posting pictures love them I would love to take trip like that with my 50 ford car maybe some day Thanks again Rog

[Barry-ct]

As always, What a great adventure and beautiful pictures! Wish I was there in person.

[RalphG]

Excellent story and pictures. I am going to watch the videos next. As usual I would never attempt such a journey myself but it is interesting to watch how it is done. How about sand blasting and re painting the inside of your rims? Or maybe go tubeless? Mine on the 39 are original paint and have held air sitting in the shed all winter without any problem. On the road might be a different story.