Today they opened 89A from Sedona to Flagstaff to residents and business owners about 3 hours ago. But utilities, etc, are patchy at best and Fire Service, utility (electric, gas, etc) vehicles, ADOT and construction vehicles crowd the road.
The Forest Service plan is to allow the fire to continue to burn through non-residential areas until it reaches an area they have cleared with fire breaks. This is the smart play for the forest fire folks because it would use up the dry brush and tinder and eliminate the risk of future fires in this area for decades. Also, it puts no lives or property at risk.
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There are 10 days til RAAM starts and probably 12-13 before solo racers get past Jerome into Cottonwood.
IF the road is opened to RAAM racers and traffic by that time it will be even more crowded and dangerous than in the past. You'll be breathing ash. Direct Follow may not be allowed. Leap Frogging will require you to compete for pullouts with the vehicles I described above.
The Boethlings will probably want the route to go through Jerome, as in the past. Once you're down from Jerome, though, there is really only one `decent' bypass. This should / would likely be it:
The other roads would be through Cornville to I-17 or from Sedona on 179 to I-17.
The Cornville road is not much more than a strip of oiled dirt with no shoulder, heavily travelled by trucks, haywagons and horsewagons.
179, once you get past the Village of Oak Creek is very dicey. Narrow, two lanes, fast moving vehicles (trucks, commuters), one foot shoulders, twisty and densely traveled.
The Boethlings will probably want the route to go through Jerome, as in the past. Once you're down from Jerome, though, there is really only one `decent' bypass. This should / would likely be it:
Cottonwood - 260 - I17 - Flag. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4869893
The other roads would be through Cornville to I-17 or from Sedona on 179 to I-17.
The Cornville road is not much more than a strip of oiled dirt with no shoulder, heavily travelled by trucks, haywagons and horsewagons.
179, once you get past the Village of Oak Creek is very dicey. Narrow, two lanes, fast moving vehicles (trucks, commuters), one foot shoulders, twisty and densely traveled.
