Rest Stops Along the Back Roads and Country Byways of Arizona
Rest stops along the interstates
are nice and are welcomed sights when a pit stop is called for. Many have vending machines and most have
real sit-down toilets. But the rest stops
I really like are the small roadside tables and benches you find off the
interstates along the back roads and country byways. Here you can really get lost in the country side while taking a
well deserved break and stretch.
The rest stop on Hwy 82 just west of
Patagonia after the Historical Site Marker is one of those. You’ll find the picnic table off a small
access road down in a little dimple that isn’t really visible from the highway. You can hear the birds singing and the bugs
buzzing, while cars and bikes go by oblivious to you and nature. Great place to take a coffee break away from
the road race.
Probably the best known rest stop in this
corner of Arizona is the Roadside Table north of Sonoita on Hwy 83. Some may remember when it was called Casa
Perez due to some graffiti that is long gone.
Relaxing at the covered picnic table you are right on the road…you see
and hear every car and bike that goes by; and lots of neat stuff goes by as it
is one of the best twisty-turny roads in the neighborhood. Years ago my Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica
and I were taking a break here when the Tucson/Phoenix Ferrari Club stopped in
to chat. They looked at mine, I looked
at theirs, was a nice visit.
Commemorative rest stops offer a neat
place to chill out and learn some history.
The Geronimo Surrenders Memorial just past Apache, AZ on Hwy 80 has a
nice cover over two picnic tables, and a rather large monument recoding the
surrender of Geronimo in Skeleton Canyon a few miles east. The Tom Mix Monument on Hwy 79 south of
Florence memorializes the location where Tom Mix, a famous American motion
picture cowboy, was killed. With a
half-dozen or more covered tables and lots of parking, the Tom Mix Monument
attracts various bike groups out enjoying a putt on a sunny morning or
afternoon, enjoying the open road.
Sometimes it gets pretty loud here...
That’s just a small taste of the many
cozy rest stops on the back roads and county byways of Arizona. How about Gates Pass just outside Tucson,
Dankworth’s Pond south of Safford, The Rex Allen Statue in Willcox, Kitt Peak
west of Tucson, and the Pan Tak rest stop west of Robles Junction/Three Points
(the cover shot); and don’t forget Windy Point on the way up to Summerhaven,
Jakes Corner at the junction of Hwys 188 and 87, the Bisbee Divide on top of
the Mule Pass Tunnel, the Morenci Mine overlook on Hwy 191 (Old 666), Painted
Rock Historical Park west of Gila Bend, and…
Wanda and I enjoy finding these little rest stop jewels while we’re out and about on the back roads of Arizona. How about you? Know some others? Got a picture? Send ‘em to us, we would love to add some new ones to the list. Deryle and Wanda, taking a break along the way.