I just completed driving this road.  

What a great drive!

I started out in El Paso on 15 Aug, stayed overnight in Scottsdale with some friends, proceeded up I-17 to 69 to Prescott, stayed two days at a B&B, visited all the gun shops; then took 69 to 169 to I-17 and connected to 260 at Camp Verde.  

I drove right by Strawberry and saw the USFS choppering out the dope from the 80,000 plant grow they found this week.  They were staged near the intersection of 260 & 87 northeast of Strawberry.  With that much dope in one grow, it's only the tip of the iceburg.  There's probably a hell of a lot more in there.

I followed 260 all the way to Springerville and then took 180 all the way into Deming, NM and I-10 back to El Paso.  

260 was very picturesque and we plan on going back to Show Low.   The Bison Ranch area was nice as well.  I didn't recognize much of Payson.  It was fifteen years since I was there last when I was on an eradication op.

The 18th was a long day and I was pretty wiped by the time I got home.