Distracting the Overland Journal Team

On leaving Scottsdale, we got on the I17 headed north to Prescott, and immediately started gaining altitude. Jim is always slow when going uphill, but on a particularly steep section of the interstate, I felt a sudden loss of power and Jim began to have trouble maintaining his normal speed. Of the 230hp, 280hp, and 330hp options available when Jim was purchased, Brinks skimped and opted for the lowest horsepower model. This combined with the 14 tonnes of weight we are usually lugging around, means that we are often down to 30mph or less when climbing steep grades. Nevertheless, I could tell that something wasn’t right, and before long an MR (engine fault) light appeared on the dash, warning of reduced engine power.

We trudged onwards and upwards, until we reached our exit from the interstate, and I found a place on the 69 where we could safely pull over and find out what the problem was. Thinking that the diagnostic computer I’d bought with us would offer the quickest diagnosis, I opened the boot and got out the case with the laptop, multiplexer and assorted cables. On my way back round to the cab, I had a quick glance under the chassis, and immediately spotted the cause of the problem. The air intake hose which I had replaced in Oaxaca, had split and become detached, all but blocking the intake to the air filter housing. It was a miracle that the truck had continued to run at all, and we were lucky that the engine didn’t stall when the hose became detached. I removed the offending hose again, and on starting the truck, full power was restored, and the MR fault light didn’t reappear. We continued towards Prescott, once again sucking air from directly behind the driver’s side wheel arch.

Arriving in Prescott, we stopped to do some shopping and immediately noticed the fall in temperature. The climb in altitude had finally succeeded where the drive north had failed, and the temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler than what we had left behind in Phoenix. We had decided to make a stop at Prescott, not for the town, but to visit the Overland Journal headquarters locate there. Overland Journal is an awesome publication, issued four times per year and filled with great writing directed at adventurers, overlanders and expedition travellers. Despite us not warning them that we’d be visiting, the team made us feel welcome and at home, and we spent the evening in a Prescott brew pub with some of their staff. We spent a night camped in their car park, and spent more time than we should have distracting them from their work and abusing their hospitality. I am unashamedly jealous of the team at Overland Journal; there can’t be many people on this planet who make a living from undertaking exciting overland trips and writing about their adventures. 

Before leaving Prescott, we visited Watson Lake, north of the centre. The town’s water comes from two lakes, and we spent some time exploring the strange Martian landscape found in one of the flooded canyons.

With a full water tank and some back issues of Overland Journal to read, we left the Overland Journal headquarters, and got on the 89a headed west. We drove the scenic mountain road through Jerome and Cottonwood, and stopped for the afternoon at the Red Rock Crossing Park a short distance from Sedona. The park is not the biggest of those in the beautiful area around Sedona, but with Slide Rock State Park shut due to a recent fire in the area, and many of the others closed to dogs, we had limited choice. Red Rock Crossing may be small, but it has some great trails and we spent the afternoon swimming in the cool river, and hiking in the beautiful back country. The walk that we took up to the Cathedral rock formation culminated in a steep half mile scramble to a beautiful view point over the rugged red rock surroundings.

We spent the night parked in Sedona, before meeting up with a generous local who had kindly offered to host us at his place in Flagstaff. We were given a tour of the surrounding area, including a drive up the rocky Schnebly Hill road, before driving over to Flagstaff where we spent a peaceful few days enjoying the company, using the hot tub, visiting the local area, and enjoying the amenable climate. By the time we reached Flagstaff, we had climbed to over 7,000 feet, and we relished the pleasant daytime temperatures and cool evenings.