It was getting late when I left Fredonia, Arizona on my way to my camp at Crazy Jug Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, by Crazy Jug Canyon. (Crazy Jug Canyon is an extinct fault line that drains into the Grand Canyon.) Crazy Jug Point is an US Forest Service scenic overlook that doubles as a free legal camp.
Before I left home, the TV news said that the paved Arizona Hwy 67 (Jacob Lake, AZ to the Grand Canyon) was closed due to wild fires. I drove the paved FS 22 from Fredonia about twenty five miles to the North Kaibab National Forest, where the road turned into dirt. Not far into the Forest Service there were barricades blocking the road. There I turned left on the smaller FS 22A where I made my legal camp for the night.
The next morning I was having my coffee break when an Arizona law enforcement officer stopped outside of my camp in his State truck. We talked for an hour, and I was happy that he was interested in helping and informing visitors, and not wanting to bust heads. He told me that the fires changed. This
Northern FS 22 was closed due to a new fire. FS 22A was open to the paved Hwy near Jacob Lake. Then I could drive South on AZ Hwy 67 and catch the South part of FS 22 and get to Crazy Jug Point to camp. That guy was an Arizona back country expert. (I envied that guy making a good living driving the back country of Arizona.) I asked him about that old abandoned ranch house North of Toroweap canyon. He knew about that ranch, but did not know the owner of the old ranch. He also told me that Toroweap (and Schnebly Hill Road) had received no road maintenance in over thirty years, and he would never drive his personal truck on those very bad roads.
So I drove FS 22A to the paved highway and through Jacob Lake. I drove AZ Hwy 67 and caught the South end of FS 22. I drove about fifteen miles North on that very good dirt road and turned on FS 425. Then I drove a one mile uphill on FS 292, only a one lane road there. I turned left on FS 292B to Crazy Jug Point. There was
a large camping loop there with the center boss camp in the trees that was occupied by three campers. I circled the loop and found my camp where the trees blocked the line of site; so we all had privacy.
I walked less then 100 yards to the Crazy Jug Viewpoint. Cuz of the haze of the fires, I did not get the great pics. I still enjoyed my viewing experience.
Back at my camp I was nervous when a paramilitary group of about 20 trucks with about 35 people arrived filling the entire camping loop. About eight guys in the group were packing glock (legal there). I feel that most paramilitary groups are hate groups, but not all of them. They stayed about an hour for them to enjoy the viewpoint and they avoided me and the other campers. With that many people in that camping loop contact was inevitable. When contact was made with the campers, they would politely say excuse me and they moved on. I was very happy when they departed in formation; so I yelled out right after they left.
had a good chat about the experience. They invited me out to the viewpoint and drink their wine and watch the sunset. Later we met up at Crazy Jug Viewpoint for the sunset and wine. The BS got deep then so we had our boots on! Later we went to our private camps.
The next morning during my coffee break the other campers departed from Crazy Jug Point. I took over the boss camping site in the trees. I wanted to stay there an extra night, but my ice was getting low, and I like cold drinks. It was time for me to drive back to town.
