Do you have an interesting fact or story about Crown King?
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The only rules for story submissions are that they have something to do with Crown King past or present, do not include personal or political views, no profanity and one can not profit by any posting.
The BLOG postings will be added to regularly so check back often!
TEN THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT CROWN KING - By The Burkes
- Everyone watches out for each other's children. You can count on this: if your child is driving too fast on an ATV, or needs a ride home, we will let you know and deliver that child home safely.
- People are placed in three unique categories: flatlander, slopers or residents. I guess it goes without saying that flatlanders are tourists, slopers are the cabin-owners that come up on the weekends, and residents are the hardy souls which make this mountain paradise their full-time home.
- Your “other car” is an ATV or side-by-side. Period.
- There will be a party every weekend. And if there isn’t, you will create a new event. Residents and Slopers generally avoid the “big weekends” of the Chili Cook-Off, Horseshoe Toss, etc., and keep to themselves. Not a good idea to mix with drunk flatlanders.
- Your grandson will be paid $20 to eat a stinkbug.
- You hear flatlanders say things like, “wow, I can’t believe you drive this road every weekend,” or, “what do you guys do for excitement.” Um, yeah. We make fun of flatlanders.
- You have had a ‘psychotic break with reality’ driving up the road, with someone ahead of you that is not only not pulling over, but is purposefully keeping you from overtaking you on the single lane, dirt lane. Really? Residents and Slopers have their own “patented moves” in which they overtake slower vehicles in manageable, safe spots. We wait for you, and politely tell you the “rules of the road.”
- Ray Henningson is the man that you go to for anything that you might need. Septic, electricity, information, beer, weather, party updates, heavy equipment, Halloween participation, ANYTHING, he is your man.
- The fire department is staffed with mostly volunteers. Mostly people that have a “real job” down in the Valley of the Sun, and choose to give to their community on the weekends as well.
- You cross the “Magic Bridge” and enter an alternate universe.
CROWN KING ROAD ETIQUETTE - Author Unknown
The road from Cleator to Crown King is narrow and rough. The reason for it being narrow is some years ago (90 or so), it was a railroad bed. The explanation for it being rough is that it’s hard to maintain a road that is built on bedrock.
For those of you who need assistance with driving this kind of road, and who need some education in consideration for the other guy, we’ve put together a few tips:
- The person or vehicle that is coming up the road has the ‘right of way’. The person going down the road should ‘Yield, the right of way’.
When you get to one of the two cuts (narrow passes through the rock), remember who has the ‘right of way.’ There is one exception here, if there is a vehicle already in the cut, when you get to it, do not attempt to enter until that vehicle has passed through. There is only room for one vehicle in the cut.
- Every now and then, look in your rear view mirror. If you see a vehicle following close to you, that usually means they want to pass you. So, find a safe pull-out for your vehicle and let the other, pass.
If you need to stop along the road, please park in a spot so other vehicles can safely pass you.
- Think about how fast you are going. It’s easy to sometimes forget that the road is dirt. Dirt normally requires a SLOWER speed, not a FASTER speed.
You may be met by motorcycles, UTVs or ATVs coming at you. You may also see the riders displaying hand signs. This is to indicate to you that there may be additional riders behind this one. The number of fingers tells you how many more vehicles to expect. Usually, the last rider will hold up a closed fist. This is to signify to you that they are the last of the group of riders.
- If you see someone pulled over, take five seconds and stop to ask if they need assistance. You would probably appreciate this if it was you who needed assistance.
If you noticed that it’s a big landscape with lots of space, you’re right. It is not okay to throw cans and other garbage out the window. A good rule of thumb here is “Leave every place you go, a little better than how you found it.” Another catchy phase is “Take only pictures, Leave only foot prints.” (Courtesy of Arizona Highways Magazine.) Remembering that will help you if you momentarily forget any of the above.
We recommend you keep this document in your vehicle, just in case you need to refer to it. Please pull over to the side of the road, before you do.
