After a few days in Phoenix, it was time to head north to Cottonwood with my mom. Our plan was to make a stop at the Badger Springs Wash: a spot I'd had my eye on for a while. We got up early on the 26th and hit I-17. As we left the metro area, we started seeing signs warning of an accident and reduced speeds, but the traffic seemed like it wasn't getting any slower or heavier. We were both thinking the warnings were no longer relevant, but as we drove up a hill just before our exit, we saw the vehicles in front of us hitting their brakes, and as we reached the peak of the hill, we saw traffic at an almost dead stop down below. Luckily, we were able to take the exit without a moment's wait--the traffic was backed up to within a few car-lengths of it. We laughed, high-fived, and pulled off to a little parking area and were soon on the trail.
It would be a nice, warm hike. It was hard not to be grateful given our luck, and as we walked the sandy, narrow trail, we saw lots of lizards and two lifers for me (a few Bell's Vireo and five Gilded Flickers!).
