Besides. Highway 89A from Prescott through Jerome, and up to Sedona is a scenic highway, and we wouldn't want to miss something like that! And Sherman has lots of experience with mountain roads, and we're not towing anything so we figured it would be no problem.
And we were right.
Before we left Prescott, we wanted to see the center of town so we parked up in a church parking lot and asked in the church office if we would be okay to leave Sherman there for an hour or so. They said that was fine, so we walked from there into downtown Prescott where there is no easy motorhome parking.
Just a man and his horse.
The Prescott courthouse is surrounded by a beautiful park.
Main street downtown is just like the old west.
We loved the exterior of this little cafe!
Too much traffic. Check out the elk on top of the building!
Prescott was nice, but too much traffic for us. Personal opinion only, but we liked Payson better. Seemed a little more laid back, but then it's a smaller town too. Still, there's lots to do in the area and we'll probably be back some day.
From there, we headed to the Prescott sewage treatment plant where they have a free RV dump station. Nobody in line, so we were in and out of there quickly and headed over to the 89A towards Jerome.
That's where we're headed...up into those mountains.
The road through this range is another part of Prescott National Forest.
Stopped for a lunch break. There are quite a few roadside pull offs.
And lots of twists and turns.
Where we came from.
At the top.
From Prescott, the altitude gain is from 5,300 ft to 7,100 ft. Sherman had no problem at all. Just gotta take it slow and easy and Sherman has done many roads similar to this in Mexico. The only difference is that there was quite a bit more traffic on this road, and a lot more guardrails.
Heading back down. You just have to use your transmission properly to save heating up your brakes.
Lots of hairpin turns.
Another viewpoint.
The view from the viewpoint.
Around this corner is the entrance to the town of Jerome.
When we started on this highway, there was a warning sign at the beginning saying "No trucks over 50 ft" and I would say that's entirely true. And, we had read elsewhere that people didn't recommend this highway for RVs. But Sherman is only 28 ft, and we don't tow a vehicle. No problem at all for Sherman.
And I would think it should be no problem at all for anything under 40 ft in total length. But if you're between 40' and 50', it's still doable, you'll just have to take your time around some of those corners, and anybody coming the other way may have to get out of your way.
Yesterday's drive, 35 miles (56 kms).
Obviously different people have different comfort levels driving mountain roads, but for us it was no problem. The town of Jerome, being built on a hillside, is another challenge because besides narrow streets with more steep curves you also have to deal with tourist traffic. Again, it's doable, but you just have to be patient.
Today's Amazon deal is a product that we use ourselves. A wireless digital indoor outdoor thermometer. I keep the sending unit in our refrigerator to constantly give us a reading on our fridge temperature. And when I want to see how cold it gets outside, I set the sending unit on our outdoor step for the night...
For us, this product has worked perfectly and we have no trouble recommending it!
Sherman is a rebel lol.
ReplyDeleteHe sure is! ;-)
DeleteLiving life on the edge, eh? Sherman is one tough RV (but you already knew that). :c)
ReplyDeleteThis isn't quite on the edge as some of the roads that we did in the Copper Canyon area in Mexico. This road was pretty tame compared to some of those. Sherman is a strong and brave motorhome, that is for sure!
DeleteI don't think I'd do it.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you Judith! We are lucky that Sherman is a nice size and that Kevin know how to drive on mountain roads.
DeleteRoadside turns are so important with a trek like that. Even going on 101 Oregon Coast, I had wished for more roadside turnouts to rest, lots of turns on that road too!
ReplyDeleteWe like the roadside pull ins so that we can stop and take pictures or to let the faster traffic behind us go by. We look forward to driving that road some day!
DeleteThat is a wonderful drive, and only 28 feet with no tow not a problem. Glad you got there and are enjoying the scenery, have fun.
ReplyDeleteYep, Sherman is a great size for drives like this. Love the scenery around here.
DeleteBeautiful views! Way to go, Sherman!
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful drive. We highly recommend the drive. And to those who don't want to do it in their motorhome need to at lest do it in their toad or their towing vehicle.
Delete