The Sin City MINI Club is going to lead an alternate route from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, featuring some nice twisty roads. This route will pass through some fantastic scenery, including parts of the Mojave Desert, and the "Twelve Miles of Terror" near Bagdad AZ. The route will then go through the twisty Highway 96 in the Prescott National Forest west of Prescott, and on to highway 89A over Mingus Mountain through Jerome to Cottonwood. Highway 89A is another famous twisty stretch of road (so famous 89AKurt took his NAM handle from it. Look at his flicker account at http://flickr.com/photos/53074154@N00 for some beautiful pictures of the area.) From there, we will go through Sedona, with its classic southwestern red rock landscapes, and up the lovely Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff and the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the world.

Here's Agro's map for the route: The group will be taking off from the Palace Station at approximately 9:00 am.

 

After the great run Agro has planned, I would like to suggest we go to dinner at Bigfoot BBQ in downtown Flagstaff. Voted "Best in Flagstaff" 3 years running. It is located at in the basement of a building at 120 N. Leroux St. It is on the corner of Leroux and Birch. There are several bank parking lots that can be used after hours at that intersection. Their website is at http://www.bigfootbbq.com/index.html. I can vouch for their pulled pork and ribs, and my wife really liked their Peace Maker Po Boy with fried shrimp and oysters. It's a peanut shells on the floor kind of place, with cutouts of Bigfoot made out of the cardboard from beer 12 packs.

Several of us are planning to go to dinner, Agro, myself and my wife, GBMINI, and Eric B. If you are interested, let me know. I will be there this Saturday and can give them a head's up about how many to expect.


After dinner, we will probably walk to one of several brew pubs in downtown Flagstaff.

 

I learned something today.

 

I took my MINI on that road the second day I had it. Great drive, highly recommended. One year when I took my 1960 Austin Healey Sprite on the British-European Auto Tour there was a Z3 driver that put their car off the road and into the desert while taking those twisties.... be careful!

 

We will, of course, obey all posted speed limits during this run.

 

Please add Sherry, "Aprilwhine" and me, "Jim Ray" to the list for that detour. Looks like fun, and we would like to meet some of the new home folks.

 

Hiya Jim. You're gonna test out the new GP huh? I'm looking forward to having one in town to brag about.

 

Nah, I am a sort of slow kind of guy. Sherry is the spirited driver, who is looking forward to some track time. I generally drive catch up position.

I was sorry to hear about your experience with Desert Mini and the GP buying.

 

Looks very interesting.

 

Me? Um...I think you must be cornfuzing me with someone else. I'm not planning on getting rid of Alice any time soon, and I doubt Weezy D (my wife) will go for a 2nd MINI when we also have a Mini in the garage. The next new car is hers, and she wants "a premium brand", so it'll likely be a Mercedes/BMW/Lexus/Jag/... but not for another couple of years.

 

I've only driven the route in the other direction, but it was much fun.

 

Be mindful of the "Terror"... and keep the tires on the road!

 

89A outside of Prescott Valley (beyond).


Going up Mingus Mountain on 89A.


Going down Mingus above Jerome.


Thanks Steve for posting a link. It will be cool to have a bunch of other (yes, really nice) MINIs for a change.

Pflashinaz: That is a notorious corner, I almost lost it once. Everyone will be going the other way here. This is a bitchin' stretch of road with the dips, good for airtime shots.

Is White Spar (89 south of Prescott) part of the route?

 

Wer're taking 89A all the way from Bagdad to Sedona as far as I remember.
The last time I drove the 12 Miles of Terror was returning from a Sin City MINI Club weekend in Sedona. We got to the west end, decided it was too much fun, so we turned around and did it again in both directions.

 

89A starts in Granite Dells, north of Prescott but south of the airport. It's just AZ89 south of Prescott. The alterante route is through Skull Valley up Irons Springs Road, the back way and old railroad route into town.

This is going down to Skull Valley on Iron Springs:


And this is going up White Spar (AZ89). For those who get carsick, not recommended.:


The choice is at Kirkland Junction; right to AZ 89 or left to Iron Springs.

 

The actual driving directions are here.

 

Well, I just got back from a weekend in Flagstaff. I went on I 40 for about the tenth time this summer, and I am really looking forward to driving the 89A route. The truck traffic on I 40 tonight was terrible.

 

I, for one, plan to keep all four tires on the road at all times.

 

Kurt,
Thanks for the great photos. Now people will see why we think this route is better than I40!

 

Sure! It would be such a waste to spend your vacation time any more than neccesary on the Insomniastate.
This Wed. south of Bagdad at what time do you plan to arrive?

 

Probably between 11:30 and Noon. Do you plan to be at the top or the bottom of the twelve miles of terror?

Steve

 

Drive all the way out there and NOT do 12 miles? Twice?

 

Well, we have to do it an odd number of times so that we finish at the opposite end from where we start. I'm tentatively planning on 3 runs, like last time.

 

I may want to be early. With the spotty thunderstorms, the wash crossings could be messed up with sand and/or missing pavement.

Speaking of thunderstorms, they usually build up late morning, then around the time I stuff the first bite of lunch in my mouth... BOOM! It's great for pictures.

 

Thanks for posting this. I e-mailed to my motorhead friend with "I lost it."

His response:
You a**hole, I blew it up in photoshop and saw what a lousy job you did. It did fool me at first though on low rez.

And I do know "that corner" of which you refer to, (south of Baghdad heading toward 93) because I took it in a 4 wheel drift barely saving it myself in my 66 Nova