Baker, CA to Parker, AZ
I left Baker at sunset, when the temperature on the Bun Boy “World’s Largest Thermometer” had dropped to a balmy 102 degrees:
I had hoped to arrive in Blythe, but an unannounced road closure on 95 at Vidal Junction forced me east onto 62. I’m in Parker, AZ (north of Quartzsite) now. Due to the high temperatures, I will be moving only at night at least until I get to Scottsdale. From Scottsdale to Springer and on to Albuquerque, NM there seems to be a forecast of rain, so I’m not sure what I’ll do once I get to Scottsdale.
Due to the heat, I lost my Internet connection until things had a chance to cool down this morning.
I know a bunch of folks were wanting to meet up with me, either in Blythe or Scottsdale. I’ll do my best to get in touch with you to see where and when we can meet up. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it was due to things outside my control.
August 15th, 2006 14:00
Regarding the rain forcast: This is monsoon season in the southwest… You’ll probably notice some large clouds to the NE and E while you are in Parker today.
Here’s what happens with those clouds:
In the deserts, the clouds build during the day, and then roll in with a very quick and powerful storm in late afternoon to early evening lasting 15-30 minutes — but not every day (we had one hit Phoenix yesterday).
In the mountains, the storms hit a bit earlier. I used to spend summers as a kid about an hour SE of Springerville — and I remember that the storms would hit there almost on clockwork around 1-2pm, and last 30-45 minutes. The further west you are, the later they hit (the move from the SE to the NW – usually…)
I’d say you’d have a very good chance of making it to Springerville before the rain hit if you left by ~8am (you might have a few passing showers in the morning). The first 2 hours of that drive will be in the desert… Temperatures rise quickly between 7 and 10am (from the low 80s to mid 90s), so leaving even earlier should help ease the heat.
Good luck!!!
August 15th, 2006 15:43
Terri –
Regarding the rain forecast — its monsoon season in the southwest. Here’s what to expect:
In the deserts, you’ll notice the clouds building to the NE and E all day. In the eveneings we’ll get a quick strong storm coming through — lasting 15-30 minutes in any one area before it blows through. But it doesn’t happen every day (the Phoenix area had one yesterday).
In the mountains, the storms hit earlier in the day and can last a bit longer (up to an hour). I used to spend summers as a kid near Springerville, and the storms would hit like clockwork around 1:30 or 2:00, sometimes a bit later. The further west you are, the later in the afternoon they happen.
For the drive from Scottsdale to Springerville, I’d recommend leaving the Scottsdale by 7am. Temps in the desert will be mid-80s about then, and will rise up to about 90 by 9am — and you have ~2 hours of desert before you start to climb in altitude enough to escape the heat (Springerville will probably have a high temp around 90, with lows around 50).
Good luck!