A Dad/Daughter Road Trip
Hello, Melissa here! I am Boss-Man Bob’s daughter and am typically a bit more behind the scenes editing and updating our website- www.BlueSkiesLand.com. After several years of posting all of the different property information on our website it hit me- I have NEVER actually been out to see any of these properties first hand. My Dad, Lori, Calvin and my brother Mark have all been “in the trenches” and are always out there seeking out new properties, finding the property lines, photographing and mapping them etc.
Being that I live in California, I haven’t been able to just hop in the car when they head out to the land and experience that side of the business. So a couple of weeks ago, we changed that. I flew in to Phoenix and we went on a road trip from Phoenix to Show Low. I wanted to share my experience as a land-hunting newbie and offer up some of my “Must-Stop-Here” spots should you find yourself headed from the Phoenix area out to visit one of our properties in the Show Low, AZ area.
About 8:00AM that Saturday morning we headed out via US-60E toward Globe. Our first destination was Miami, AZ where we are to get, according to my Dad, the BEST BURRITO IN THE WORLD. After a little over an hour drive we arrive at La Cocina De Casillas. (Crossroads are Forest Ave. and Live Oak St.) Dad rushes up to the cashier and throws in our burrito order. We grub it down and get back on the road for our next stop. Driving through the town of Miami I noticed so many awesome antique shops that were calling my name. (I love finding a good treasure). But one thing about my Dad you must know is that if the man has an itinerary, we gotta stick with it. So here is a gratuitous picture from the car window of one of the many interesting shops we drove by. This town was full of history, just look at the main street! I loved it.
Back on the road we head onward via highways 77/60 toward Show Low to our next destination- Salt River Canyon. WOW. This is a Must-Stop-Here destination for sure. On the way there the scenery starts changing, we climb higher in elevation and arrive to the views pictured below. I could’ve spent a week here. It was beautiful and was good timing to stretch our legs.
It’s all business from here. Next we head to Show Low, AZ to locate some of our properties. Each listing on our website has directions to the property and in the picture section of the property you can usually find the property map. What I learned is that you do not want to head out looking for the land without these maps as once you get there it isn’t unusual to find that the only property marker is a stick in the ground with the property number carved in it. It blends with the surroundings very well. That’s the easier part.
(Here is a quick video of one of the properties we went to…)
Next, my Dad showed me that to find the property lines, you look for a stick or steel post about 6 inches tall and then walk toward the other end of the property line counting your steps hoping you counted right and land at the other stick or steel post. To make things easier for the next time we come out or for the customer who buys the property, we have started inserting pink flags into the ground. (Pictured below). Sometimes we got lucky. With the first property we found the markers, inserted the flags all within about 20 minutes. The next location took us about an hour to locate all of the property markers. At least we were in a beautiful location! The weather was mild and we were surrounded by miles and miles of serene scenery.
We visited a couple more of our properties then it was time to drive to Holbrook. This was our final destination of the day and where we would be staying overnight. Holbrook was another fun town to spend some time in and is the home of the historic Wigwam Motel (Pictured below)! I grabbed this description from Holbrook’s city website. It describes it perfectly:
“Holbrook began as a town of railroaders and cattlemen, outlaws and rugged lawmen. Today it is a city steeped in Native American culture, Hispanic roots and pioneers from all walks of life. In this community is the heart of Navajo County, the gateway to the stunning Petrified Forest National Park and the trip that needs to be taken along Historic Route 66. Rich in diversity and welcoming to all, Holbrook is where your adventure begins.”
If you find that you fall in love with this town, give my Dad a call, he has some places in Holbrook where you may find that you will want to rest your head for awhile.
Thanks for reading about my road trip with my Dad. It was a fun glimpse for me as to what it really takes to get our properties from start to finish when I list them on our website.
Now I have some questions for YOU:
-What would you like to see more of from Blue Skies Land?
-Do you have any questions about any of our current properties?
-What are some of your “Must-Stop-Here” spots when you’re road-tripping? I would LOVE to hear about them!
With Gratitude,
Melissa