JEEPERS CREEPERS RUN TO DUGAS – VERDE RIM (BUT NOT TO VERDE HOT SPRINGS) APRIL 17, 2014

 This run was advertised to be to Dugas and Verde Hot Springs. Three vehicles set out . Herm and Marilyn Feist, Jay and Diana Olson with guests Don and Neva Johnston, and Bill and Jo Strong.  Dugas is about 12 miles by good road east of I-17  north of Cordes Junction. We arrived there by about 10:00. Several homes are in the area, and Sycamore Creek runs through it.

Pictures were taken by my Canon A1100 IS point and shoot 12 mp digital camera.

Sycamore creek was flowing at Dugas  but only a few inches deep where the road crossed it.

 

Here is the  lineup of our vehicles with the  Dugas Ranch house at the right. It still may be inhabitable. Other homes in the area were much more up to date.

 

I wonder if the windmill still works.

 

Closer view of the Dugas Ranch house. The porch roof is about to collapse, but the rest looks OK.

 

The mail box proclaims: Dugas Ranch.

 

 

The road east of Dugas was quite good for about 4 miles. The next 8 miles  became rockier – the rocky areas became closer together and the rocks in the road became taller the farther east we went. At least most of the rocks were rounded. We did not have any flat tires.  There were enough direction signs so we were able to stay on the intended route of FR 68 and 68 G.

 

Much of the road paralleled Sycamore Canyon. The area is suitable only for grazing, and we saw evidence of that.

As the road became more challenging, the Feists decided to return to Mesa, leaving just the Olson’s Toyota FJ and our Grand Cherokee in the group going the last four miles to the Verde Rim.

We reached the Verde Rim at 1:00 and parked  at a scenic turnout for lunch and the great view of the Verde River. Shown here are Neva and Don Johnstone,  Diana and Jay Olson, and Jo Strong. In light of the time and probable road conditions in the last 6 miles to the river, we decided to save a visit to Verde Hot Springs for another time.

 

The greenish area center left is the Verde River, seen straight up from the right end of the large rock in the foreground. Verde Hot Springs and the  Childs Power Plant site is to the right downstream. Parts of the 6 mile road from Verde Rim to the river are shown here, and better in the last shot.

 

And here is a wider view looking northeasterly into the Verde Canyon.

 

Here is a telephoto shot of parts of the road down into the Verde Canyon.

The steep walled canyon shown in the upper part of the picture is Fossil Creek Canyon.