The Granite Dells Central Arizona

It was a Tuesday, January second of the new year, 2024. I trekked out mid-morning to explore Peach Springs and The Granite Dells. The first one was Peach Springs, which I thought was the landscape that inspired the animated Disney movie Cars. It is located on the old Route 66.

I drove west out of Flagstaff for about an hour on HWY 40 and exited into the small town of Seligman, where I picked up the old Route 66. Upon entering the town, It reeks of its 66 glory days. I was in a virtual time capsule of days gone by where, in the 50s, cars ventured bumper-to-bumper on The Mother Road from Chicago to experience a taste of the Western Frontier on their way to Los Angeles. I entranced myself and could imagine sitting in the back of our Oldsmobile station wagon, fighting with my sister on a long road trip to Cali to visit family. Haziely, I drove past Delgadillos Snow Cap Burger joint and then past The Road Kill Cafe and was soon en route to Peach Springs.

My camera pack with all my gear always resides in the passenger seat when I travel, so it's ready at a moment's notice. Driving further down the route, I was excited about what lay ahead. I had envisioned a beautiful pine forest sprinkled among stacks of a red rock landscape, complete with an undulating, windy road cutting through the most scenic areas. Visions of Lighting McQueen and Sally Carrera chummily racing each other, revving their engines as they pierced through carved sandstone tunnels and past a cascading waterfall.

Finally approaching the town, my smile turned to disappointment and wonderment at what I was seeing. It was just another defunct Route 66 relic high-desert town that hadn't changed since the highway was rerouted in the early 80's. Where was all the inspiring landscape? Well... I was very wrong. Apparently, Peach Springs was the inspiration for the "defunct town" of Radiator Springs and not the landscape. Gulp...

Okay, I have nothing against these towns. They are historic mom-and-pop establishments that paved the way on this historic route. They should be visited to view what once was and supported to preserve them. As a landscape photographer, it was not what I was after. So, I took zero photos of this portion of my trip as I am not very into photographing man-made structures. It's purely Mother Nature that I am after.

Moving on, I hit Kingman, did an about-face, took Hwy 40 to Ashfork, and proceeded south to The Granite Dells. I spent the late afternoon scrambling among the unique granite landscape, where my soul was recharged with excitement. The Granite Dells is a 380-acre park centered around Watson Lake and located just north of Prescott. It has miles of rugged hiking trails, and rock climbers love the granite cliffs for top-roping and lead climbing. It is also the home of Tri-City Prep Rowing Crew, a local high school team, which is the only one in Northern Arizona.

I spent the late afternoon scrambling up, down, and between the varied granite boulders, seeking the highest vantage points and then down to the water's edge. My desires for the day have been rejuvenated and justified. There were many ducks, geese, blue herons, and two islands comprised of a gulp of Double-crested Cormorants. Yes, I also just learned that a group of Cormorants is called a GULP! They are deep-diving birds that swim 25 feet deep, and other species can swim 150 feet deep in search of fish to mac.