This was a day trip I had been wanting to take since reading two moving books by Jeannette Walls: "Half Broke Horses" and "The Glass Castle." They are true stories, true-life novels she calls them, of her dysfunctional childhood and that of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. Much of their time was spent in the northwestern towns of Ash Fork, Seligman and Peach Springs when the infamous Route 66 was but a dirt road.

Knowing there would be no trace of their time spent there, still I was so captivated by the books that the area became something I had to go and explore.

The drive was spectacular as I bypassed Prescott and headed northwest along Highway 89 to Ash Fork, through the Chino Valley. The terrain is quite different from what I'm used to in the Saguaro land of the west valley. I stopped often for photos.

Upon entering Ash Fork, it was quite evident that I had entered yesteryear and the old Route 66 . Continuing on to Seligman and Peach Springs, the terrain slid from the vast sage-dotted valley to a more dramatic scene, rocky and wilder, with a gorgeous backdrop of the stunning range of the western Grand Canyon.

Continuing to Kingman, I said good-bye to Route 66 and welcomed Highway 93, one of many scenic drives in Arizona, then rolled into Wickenburg.

It was a great 12-hour day, doing what I most enjoy. As always for me, the journey was as rewarding as the destination.