At least it is not as bad as going to Yuma.
IMO this is dependent on which route you take to Yuma. The stretch of I-8 between Casa Grande and Yuma is the most utterly BORING drive. I-8 between Gila Bend and Yuma is worse. On the plus side, the road is fairly straight and in tolerable condition. On the down side, it's literally a drive through featureless open desert for 100+ miles. On this route, it's easy to lose focus. DPS apparently knows this as I've seen lots of cops hanging out just waiting for drivers on this highway. It actually seemed worse on the Commiefornia side as there'd regularly be groups of cops hanging out and waiting for speeders on an overpass near Felicity (Winterhaven).
An alternative route to Yuma is to drive south on US95 between Quartzsite and Yuma. During the day this route is somewhat less boring a drive. During snowbird season, however, you can expect carloads of snowbirds (also motorhomes) driving back and forth between Yuma and Quartzsite (out of boredom?). Traffic on this road gets REALLY BAD during the annual Quartzsite Gem show. Too damn many snowbird vehicles driving under the speed limit bunched up. Driving to/from YPG for work in the winter was never a fun experience. At night, however, the road has significantly more potential for problems due to the nocturnal critters from the KOFA animal refuge that occasionally wander out onto the road looking for food. Another potential impediment on this road during the winter was the occasional trophy hunter who'd park halfway on/off the road, exit their car, and hop one of the barbed wire fences onto YPG to look for knick knacks. The husband of a former YPG co-worker of mine once told me that his agency (Yuma County Sheriff's office) and YPD got calls several times a year to deal with unexploded ordinance sitting on some snowbirds coffee table.
A third route I found to get to/from Yuma was to take I-10 to the SR85 turn-off. Take SR85 south to Gila Bend. Transition onto the I-8 at Gila Bend. This route isn't quite as boring though there are way too many transitions and speed limit restrictions. From what I recall, the speed limit also leaves a LOT to be desired.
In the five years I lived in Yuma, I likely traveled each of these routes dozens of times out of utter boredom. For long haul drivers, I'm thinking I-8 is, by far, the most well traveled route. US95 is likely doable but it's only a 2-lane highway. And the SR85 route would just plain suck to drive.
Topic: Phoenix to Flagstaff (Read 3167 times)
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