Motocaching the Grand Canyon State - Day 3

I left Chuck’s around 7:30 the next morning with the sun blazing in my eyes.  It was a pleasant morning with the temperature in the 50’s.  I was heading southeast toward Fredonia and began a long climb at Hurricane.  However, the temperature stayed about the same.  I guess the heat as the morning progressed was offsetting the elevation rise.

The first cache I found that morning was called “Pit Stop - Gotta Go” and featured a couple of toilets attached to poles about 10’ off the ground out in a horse pasture.  The next cache was right in the small town of Fredonia. It was a tiny roadside park but of equal interest to me was the old garage and vehicles behind the park.  Kind of like a step back in time.  From Fredonia I climbed up to Jacob Lake, Marble Canyon and down to Bitter Springs.  This was a beautiful ride and I got one cache up in the pines near Jacob Lake.  I continued south on Highway 89 and then turned east on Highway 160.  I stopped in Tuba City for gas and lunch out behind the convenience store.  There were a couple of stray dogs around and the female was bold enough to come close.  I asked one of the natives how the town came to named Tuba City.  He said it was the result of whites mispronouncing Tuvia which is a Navaho word and was also the name of the convenience store.

From Tuba City eastward was desolate poverty stricken country.  I rode 250 miles with no geocaches to give me a break.  There were Navajos living in this country but I don’t know what they do to survive.  I saw no business just mostly old trailers or shacks in poor repair.  The highway is on the desert floor with red cliffs distanced north and further south on either side.  It was stark but yet scenic country.

Now if you’re keeping track of counties you may notice when my journal is complete that I didn’t mention Navajo County.  I passed through it today but there were no caches – anywhere.  However, when visiting Chuck and Joanne in 2008 we went over to the north rim of the Grand Canyon (in Navajo County) and I logged a couple of caches then.

After many miles I reached the little town of Ganado where I logged a cache at the Hubbell Trading Post.  The Hubbell Trading Post is the oldest continuously operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. After visiting the trading post I turned south on Highway 191 toward Chambers.  Only 40 miles to go and I was ready for this day to end.  The last 40 miles down to Chambers was a nice ride but I actually had trouble finding the town of Chambers!  I thought it was located at the intersection of Highway 191 and Interstate 40 but actually it is to the east of 141 before the intersection.  As it turned out the Days Inn where I had my reservation is not actually in Chambers but on the Interstate about 5 miles west of the intersection.  Chambers is such a small town that I didn’t make a waypoint for the motel thinking “I couldn’t miss it”.  I ended up called the motel and getting directions.

My stay at the Days Inn which was located just off the Interstate was pleasant.  There was a restaurant and service station there so that was all I needed.  They had a free breakfast just like Super 8 and a working lobby computer so I could upload the caches I had logged that day. I logged an even 400 miles this day. [To be continued] M/W