The Scottsdale Test Drive (AZ)

The Scottsdale Test Drive (AZ)

DEPARTURE TIME: 

• Any time there’s about 3 hours of daylight, but it’s less busy during the weekdays

Trip Checklist:

• A full tank of fuel before you depart

DAN'S NOTES:

While long drives are fun, Scottsdale car week is a busy time of year. Sometimes you just need a quick getaway to try out that new ride you got at auction or maybe you just want a fun place to visit that isn’t an all day thing. This is the drive for you.

Head east out of Scottsdale to Hwy 88 / The Apache Trail. Before Google Maps was advanced as it is now, I found out the hard way this highway that looks amazing on paper turned into a gravel road. It’s still fun to make the drive until the pavement ends, but you will have to turn around in a sports car unless you’re really adventurous. This twisty mountain road takes you up to Tortilla Flat where you can find a great bar, museum, gift shop, and general store.

Tortilla Flat is a really cool little tourist spot and they usually have something fun going on. Check out their Facebook page before you head up for the latest news and make sure they’re open in the off season. This is also a great destination for a small or large group drive with ample photo opportunities.

Route Hard Link: https://goo.gl/maps/mUxbYPkUCwigg5V69

Wine In The Desert (AZ)

Wine In The Desert (AZ)

DEPARTURE TIME: 

• Exactly 8:00 AM - In-N-Out open at 10:30 and it’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to get there.

Trip Checklist:

• A full tank of fuel before you depart to make the best time

• A co-driver if you’re wine tasting responsibly

• A downloaded copy of the map for offline navigation

• Download your music offline

• Check the weather in Jerome before you go! It’s rare, but they do get snow there almost every year.

DAN'S NOTES:

This is actually the very first “Dan’s Drive”. A long time ago I wanted to find a reason to drive across several states and see what was along the way, so I chose my destination to be Caduceus Winery in Jerome, AZ since I was a Tool fan.

Starting from Scottsdale, where you should be going for car week, head out towards Prescott so you can get that first In-N-Out of the day. Or, you know, hit up those awesome corners on 89 just before Prescott. From Prescott you’ll head up 89A into the Mingus Mountains. If you have a GoPro, you should start it right around this marker, which is just before the hill climb fun starts. Enjoy the curves, and the best photo-op spot I’ve found is right here at this overview.

SLOW DOWN coming into Jerome. The police are friendly here, but they love their speed traps and they are common at both end of town and coming down the mountain into Clarkdale as well. Take your time in Jerome. If you can, park close to Caduceus winery and be sure to check out the amazing kaleidoscope store there. The plaques on all the buildings are worth the time to read as Jerome has a very interesting history of fires, gambling, brothels, and art.

Most importantly, drink the wine! Caduceus has some of the most unique wines I’ve ever had. While I won’t say it’s the best wine I’ve had since I know the nostalgia behind it plays a large role in it for me, everyone agrees that it’s unique and great for sharing.

Your next stop down the hill should be Arizona Stronghold winery for more wine; specifically the Lozen IMHO. Who knew Arizona had such good wine, right?

Alright, back to driving (sober please). If you want to cut the drive time down and explore the area more, there is a lot to see here still. Tuzigoot National Monument and Montezuma Castle are both very cool stops to see and you can divert back down to Scottsdale via 17 South. If you want to keep having some fun, continue east to 260 then 87 south. These are more sweeper corner highways and you should be prepared to use the passing zones, but it’s a fun highway that’s more scenic then straight down 17, which always felt like such a long grind back into Scottsdale for me.

Route Hard Link: https://goo.gl/maps/5ZGkQSdfc8taZZZcA

The La Sal Loop (UT)

The Las Sal Loop

Departure Time:

Sunrise

Car Checklist:

Good tires, a tire patch kit, good brakes, and fresh fluid

Dan’s Notes:

Check with the locals before going up the mountains! Conditions in Moab are very deceptive, and a bright, sunny day below doesn’t mean there is no snow above! Check out brochure on this popular loop here and check for the most recent updates here.

Moab is the undisputed off-roading capitol of the world, but it’s got some amazing lesser known pavement too. The La Sal loop is an incredibly scenic drive out of Moab and up into the La Sal mountains, just to the east of town. The drive can easily be done in just a few hours, but I’d give it 3 for photos.

Start your drive with a good cup of coffee and a cronut from Moab Garage Co and then head north toward Highway 128, which in itself could be it’s own Dan’s Drive if it wasn’t so busy during the peak driving seasons. After a short drive you’ll take a right onto La Sal Loop Road, which is just past the Ford Bronco Off-Roadeo ranch; a cool stop to see the new Bronco and you can talk to the crew there about it if you’re interested.

The road is mainly straight, and it’s easy to miss my suggested turn-off onto the Dolores Triangle Safari Route. This road turns into a pretty good off-road route if you’ve got an SUV or Truck, but you can turn around where the pavement ends, which just happens to be a great viewpoint and a fun drive up, so I recommend the short detour if you don’t mind the fact it’s not the smoothest pavement.

As you come back down, you’ll head up a very tight and twisty mountain pass into the La Sal mountains, and I highly recommend you turn on your GoPro at the intersection of the Dolores Triangle and La Sal loop. Watch for bicycles on this road! It’s very tight and this is a popular loop for people on motorcycles and bicycles.

Your next photo-op is the La Sal Lookout, which I marked on the map. This is great for a group shot and has a wide view of the canyons and the mixed mountain terrain.

As you come down, be VERY AWARE of the drop to the 30mph speed zone. They take this limit seriously and it’s a popular spot for speed traps and always has been.

Watch for: Bicyclists, animals, hikers, off-road vehicles crossing the road between trails

Route Hard Link: https://goo.gl/maps/A7vB5KDdwMaxcXG99

The Forgotten Byway (CA)

The Forgotten Byway (CA)

Departure Time:

10-3pm (best chance to avoid animals)

Car Checklist:

Good tires, a tire patch kit, good brakes, fresh brake fluid, glass cleaner and a rag (bugs), and an emergency contact device such as a Garmin InReach

Dan’s Notes:

Just beyond Klamath Falls and Shasta lies a forgotten scenic byway known as the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. The byway as a whole is well known, but this particular section is an overgrown, poorly maintained, left over road that time has mostly forgotten until snowmobile season comes around.

The road is definitely a little rough at the start and that will throw a lot of people off. In this case, that’s good, because every time I’ve run this road I’ve had it entirely to myself and the rally participants. It’s a wild ride with closing in vegetation, potholes that need to be dodged, and tight hidden turns. Start yourself slowly, and if you’re in a group I recommend spacing each other apart by at least 2 minutes, or running in groups of 2 with the faster driver leading. This probably all sounds weird, but you’ll get it when you drive.

By all accounts, this road is dangerous and deceptively fast. Remember, this is a road, not a race track. That part is easy to forget mid-way through.

Route Hard Link: https://goo.gl/maps/rvmjwU4yL7tP6cKAA