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Our Blog: USRoute89.com
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| by James Cowlin
 We started the US Route 89 blog two years ago this month. Our original purpose was to write about the Border to Border Spring 2010 Road Trip. We had fun posting from the road and chronicling our journey. We actually managed to write twenty-six posts in thirty-two days.
After the trip we did our best to post regularly but life intervened and we got distracted and let it slide. Early last year we took a fresh look and decided that we would turn the blog into an online magazine. We hired a designer to freshen up the look and got busy writing more articles.
Then we hit that wall that seems all to common for bloggers. We weren't getting any comments, our traffic was low and the blog felt like a chore with little reward. A vicious cycle set in--no response, so no new posts, so no response...
Then something strange happened. I noticed a big spike in traffic to the blog on March 18th and 19th of this year. At first I couldn't figure out why. I looked through the keywords that people searched for and discovered that they were looking for information on driving conditions. March 18 to 20 were when the big winter storm hit the West and I had written an article on how to find current driving conditions along US 89 which the friendly search engines found and sent people to.
You could say that a light bulb lit up over my pointy head. If I wrote more articles that helped people enjoy traveling on US Route 89, the search engines would send them my way. Other websites would also want to link to the blog and people would start commenting and asking questions. Then they might buy our Road Trip Map Book or even join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society. A plan was born.
I have committed to write at least one new article a week. Some will be long and informative; others will be short and personal and who knows what will come to my attention that I will write about.
Here are three recent posts that will give you a hint of what to expect in the future.
5 National Monuments On US Route 89 Highlight Prehistoric Indian Culture--A long article that details a road trip to visit the National Monuments which preserve the dwellings of the people who lived here long ago.
The Craft Beer Brewers of US Route 89--Would you believe that there are twenty-six microbreweries and brew pubs along highway 89. Download the complete list from this blog post.
Wildflowers--For the last year I have been spending time in my own back yard (actually, a woods) photographing wildflowers. I share those images on this post.
It would make my day if a few of our newsletter readers went to the US Route 89 blog and commented on an article of interest.
If you use a blog aggregator like Google Reader, you can subscribe by clicking on the RSS button on the blog. Or you can check the front page occasionally. The three most recent posts are listed as Featured Blog Posts in the middle of the page.
One last thing-if you would like me to write about a particular topic, send me an email and I'll put it on my list.
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Where's 89 in Arizona?
| | by James Cowlin
When you look at a map of Arizona, US 89 is hard to find. In fact, it only exists from Flagstaff to Page. So what happened to our border to border highway?
A little background--when the federal highway system came into existence in the late 1920s, US Route 89 connected Utah and Arizona from near Salt Lake City to Nogales. It was the most important road in Arizona because it was the best road between all of the major cities from Flagstaff to Prescott to Phoenix to Tucson to Nogales and all the smaller towns along the way. It was Arizona's Main Street.
Construction of the new Interstate Highway system began in the late 1950s and by the end of the 1970s, the distance from Nogales to Flagstaff was covered by three Interstates-19, 10 & 17. US Route 89 lost its prominence and in 1992, the inevitable happened and it was decommissioned as a federal highway. In my opinion, it was a sad day in Arizona history. Even sadder is that only part of the route retained the number as Arizona 89.
In any case, most of the pavement that was US 89 is still on the ground. So if you want to follow the original highway and experience Arizona's Main Street, here's how to do it.
Starting in Flagstaff, turn right on West Route 66 just south of downtown from Milton Street. Yes, historically US 89 and US 66 occupied the same stretch of road from Flagstaff to Ash Fork, 50 miles to the west. In four miles, you will merge onto Interstate 40. If you are adventurous, you can still find remnants of the old road to explore. Be sure to follow the signs for old 66 through Williams.
From Ash Fork head south on AZ 89 through the Chino Valley to Prescott. In this 52 mile stretch, you will gradually descend from the Colorado Plateau to the central mountains that separates the plateau from the southern deserts. From Ash Fork to Phoenix, the highway follows the same route as the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix railroad that came into service in the 1890s.
Continuing from Prescott on AZ 89, the next sixteen miles is called the White Spar and was the first federally funded highway in Arizona. It was constructed to bring timber from the national forest to Prescott. At Wilhoit you enter the Peeples Valley. Driving across the valley is a step back in time to an era when the west was all about ranching. In Yarnell at the south end of the valley, take the time to wander through the shops and have a bite to eat.
Going down Yarnell Hill, you drop 2500 feet in four miles and enter the Sonoran Desert on your way to Wickenburg. AZ 89 ends six miles north of Wickenburg as it intersects with US 93. As you enter the town at the roundabout, take Tegner Street rather than the US 93 bypass to visit the historic downtown. On Frontier Street, stop at the Chamber of Commerce in the old train station for a walking tour guide to historic buildings. Also, check out the art in the Desert Caballeros Western Museum down the street.
Tegner and Center is the intersection with US 60 which you will follow all the way through Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Apache Junction. To stay on historic US 89 which was cosigned with US 60 take the following route: as you leave Wickenburg, Center becomes Grand Avenue past Surprise, Peoria and Glendale into Phoenix. At 7th Avenue, turn onto Van Buren through Phoenix to Mill Avenue in Tempe and around the curve at ASU onto Apache Boulevard. Apache becomes Main Street in Mesa and the Apache Trail in Apache Junction. Take the Old West Highway past the Superstition Mountains to the intersection with AZ 79.
Turn south on AZ 79 for sixteen miles to Florence. To see the historic downtown, take Butte to Main and follow Main back to AZ 79. The forty mile stretch of AZ 79 to the intersection with AZ 77 is called the Pinal Pioneer Parkway. It became Arizona's first scenic byway when a 1000 foot wide right of way was set aside so that travelers could enjoy the Sonoran Desert scenery.
AZ 77 is Oracle Road through the towns of Catalina and Oro Valley into Tucson. To stay on the historic route, turn left at Drachman Street and go four blocks to Stone Avenue. Turn right and stay on Stone until it merges into 6th Avenue which becomes the Old Nogales Highway in South Tucson. Stay on the Nogales Highway until in merges with Continental Road near Sahuarita and intersects with I-19 at Green Valley.
From Green Valley to Nogales, the original road is overlaid by the Interstate. Be sure to get off I-19 at Tubac and follow the old road to Tumacacori National Historic Park to visit an old Spanish mission. Reenter 1-19 toward Nogales and exit at Grand Avenue to the center of town and the Mexican border.
There is a historic alternate route from Flagstaff to Prescott. It is easy to follow because it is designated as AZ 89A and posted with signs for the 92 mile trip. Take 1-17 south from Flagstaff to the 89A exit at the Fort Tuthill Fairgrounds. Head south into Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona and across the Verde Valley to Cottonwood, Clarkdale and Jerome. From Jerome, AZ 89A climbs over Mingus Mountain and down toward Prescott where in rejoins AZ 89.
You'll find more detailed road descriptions, maps and notes on special attractions in the Road Trip Guides on the US Route 89 Appreciation Society website. |
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