Two weeks ago we came down the Rim sunburned and smelling like campfire, and apparently that wasn’t enough, because the News board filled right back up with reasons to go north. This weekend the White Mountains are throwing everything at once: a mud run in Show Low, a free movie under the pines in Lakeside, an ice cream social at the Taylor pool, and a small-town stage musical for good measure. Meanwhile the valley forecast says 103°.
So: back to the cabin. This is the planning board.
👪 The Crew
- Me — driver, cooler-packer, designated mud-run cheering section
- Charlotte — age 8, currently deciding whether “mud run” is the best or worst idea she’s ever heard
- GiGi & the cousins — invitation going out; the truck did fit five last time
🗺️ The Drive
Same climb we know by heart, with the weekend stretched a little further east this time:
- Leave home (85308) Friday morning — earlier beats the heat and the Friday Rim traffic.
- Swing by GiGi’s if the invite lands — one truck beats a caravan.
- AZ-87 up the Beeline — saguaros thin out, pines take over.
- Payson — the lunch stop (see below; we all know how this ends).
- AZ-260 up the Rim to the cabin — about 2.5 hours of driving door to door.
- Saturday we range east: cabin → Show Low → Pinetop-Lakeside, about 40–50 minutes each way on 260.
The full weekend loop — 194 miles end to end if we run the whole thing.
🧭 Open the route in Google Maps
Road note: ADOT is repaving SR-260 between Linden and Show Low this summer — but the lane restrictions are overnight on weekdays only, so our Saturday run east should be clear. Friday evening could hit flaggers; check ADOT before we roll.
🍔 Payson: The Lunch Vote
The shortlist, presented with full knowledge of how the back seat votes:
- Arby’s — two-for-two last trip. It’s canon now. The default.
- Macky’s Grill — proper burgers and a local feel, if democracy breaks out.
- Gerardo’s Firewood Cafe — wood-fired pizza; the pizza plan’s last, best hope.
- Backup: the Sonic on the main drag never asks questions.
🎪 The Main Events
The whole reason this weekend exists. Times below are from the organizers — worth a confirm on the links before we drive to any of them.
Friday, July 17
- Book & Rummage Sale — Pinetop-Lakeside Public Library, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Books, DVDs, homeschool surplus. Only happens if we leave at dawn; more likely a miss. (details)
- Scoops by the Pool — Snowflake-Taylor Community Pool, 6–8 p.m., $3 a person for swimming and an ice cream sundae bar. Strong first-night contender. (details)
Saturday, July 18
- All-American Mud Run — Show Low City Park Senior Field, 10 a.m., check-in at 9:30. Family-friendly, gloriously filthy. Register online or at the rec office before Saturday. (details)
- Movies in the Park: Hoppers — Jack Barker Memorial Park, Lakeside, at sunset (~7:30). Free, food trucks, free concessions, bring blankets. Weather permitting — and that’s doing a lot of work this weekend, see below. (details)
🧭 Side Quests
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat — Silver Creek Performing Arts at the Snowflake High auditorium, Friday & Saturday at 7 p.m. (tickets) — also our best rain backup if a storm cancels the outdoor movie.
- Willow Springs Lake / Sardine Point — right on 260; the paddleboard earned a permanent spot on the truck. Sunday morning option if the sky cooperates.
- The Market in Heber — for the things we forget we forgot. Tradition at this point.
🌤️ Weather Outlook
The sell and the catch, on one card:
Twenty-three degrees cooler. Also: monsoon.
Mid-70s days and 50s nights against 103° at home — and honestly, the monsoon column might be the best part. 67–85% storm chances every day means real weather: thunder rolling around the Rim, rain hammering the cabin roof, that smell the pines make when a storm moves through. You can’t buy that in Glendale in July. The mountain pattern is usually a loud, dramatic afternoon hour and a clean evening, so the movie in the park should still have a shot — and if a storm crashes the mud run, that’s just more mud run. Pack rain jackets and plan to be out in it.
✅ Still to Lock In
- Invite GiGi and the cousins — the truck fits five, the cabin fits everybody
- Register for the mud run — online or at the Show Low rec office, before Saturday
- Pick Friday night — ice cream social in Taylor vs. Joseph in Snowflake (can’t do both; 7 p.m. collision)
- Mud logistics — old shoes, a change of clothes, trash bags for the ride back
- Recheck the forecast Thursday — if Saturday night storms out, Joseph gets the slot
- Give pizza a fair vote in Payson — (it will lose)
- Cabin supplies — cooler, board games, glow sticks earned their permanent roster spot
If the thunder gets loud Saturday night, stay calm: it’s not a tumor.