Two years ago, when I adopted a mile of State Route 87 a few miles north of the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway, I imagined dutifully cleaning up well into my twilight years. Then I faced the reality that my teenage son and fellow high schoolers who needed required service hours are graduating and moving on. There goes my chief source of volunteer help.

I decided not to renew my Adopt a Highway permit, which lapses next month, while I search for a new way to organize volunteers and find a location that works for all. Then I went out this past weekend for a final cleanup and to bid farewell to my mile. As I've done following every other cleanup, I'll share some thoughts, this time as farewell messages. 

To people hauling items to the landfill a few miles north of the section I clean: Secure your loads.
When I visited my mile between the men's Final Four games and before the NCAA women's basketball championship game, I fittingly removed a basketball backboard with hoop attached -- fortunately from the side of the road. I cringe at the thought that someone could have run over this thing or, worse, that it could have struck a bicyclist or pedestrian. Over the past two years, other volunteers and I have removed a twin mattress, lumber and other large items that obviously weren't secured properly. You can learn more about securing loads here.

To a few (but too many) southbound drivers and passengers: I won't miss cleaning up your empties.
Early on, I wrote about wondering why the southbound roadside had so many bottles and pieces of bottles that once contained alcoholic beverages. Readers confirmed my suspicion that people are pitching these on the way back from points north -- and added a reason that I found truly depressing. I won't share that reason other than to note that it helps explain why so many crashes across Arizona involve people under the influence of alcohol. I hope these drinking drivers and passengers grow up before they do greater harm than spoiling the roadside with broken glass. I think this problem is exacerbated by the location of my mile between the high country and water recreation sites to the north and the East Valley to the south.

To those who helped clean up my mile: Thank you.
I've had few nicer mornings than those spent with people dedicated to keeping Arizona grand by helping clean my mile. The spirit I've seen in these volunteers and others I've met around the state is truly inspiring. It's why I know I'll be back as a volunteer in the coming months. 

To people who've read my blogs about volunteering: Please join in.
Consider adopting your own mile by visiting azdot.gov/adoptahighway. It's a two-year commitment, and you'll get a recognition sign on your mile after your first cleanup. 

I expect to be back soon sharing my Adopt a Highway experiences once I recruit a new group of volunteers. 

Like many of you, I went into last weekend in a turkey-, stuffing-, pie- and football-induced stupor. Unlike many of you, I also was feeling behind on my obligations as an ADOT Adopt a Highway program volunteer. 

So I decided to get away from ESPN and work off Thanksgiving along my adopted mile of State Route 87, just north of the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway. Here's what I learned picking up litter on a cool Saturday morning: 

Exercise: My fitness app recorded more than 7,000 steps as I worked my way down one mile and back another. Not a bad workout when you add reaching with my grabber tool, scrambling a bit to cover all of the right of way and toting increasingly heavy bags of litter. 

Time Outdoors: How wonderful it was to spend a few hours away from the temptation of 5,000 college football games and all of those leftovers in the fridge. 

Accomplishment: My adopted mile is now free of four large bags full of litter along with some bundled lumber I found along the way. Plus I made up for way too many weeks of putting off a cleanup as summer seemingly lasted until Halloween. 

Safety: Since I was trying this pickup solo, I consulted ADOT's safety requirements for Adopt a Highway volunteers, and they were a great help. In addition to wearing a safety vest and heavy gloves, I worked toward oncoming traffic and stayed a safe distance from the roadway. 

Appreciation: An officer with the Salt River Police Department spotted my vehicle parked safely in the right of way and kindly texted a welfare check (Note to self: Leave a note on the car next time). When I got back to him to apologize for the confusion and explain what I was doing, the officer responded, "No worries. Thank you for the work you do!" Connecting me with a person he saw cleaning litter along SR 87 nearby, the officer also complimented my safety vest. 

Satisfaction: After several months away from my adopted mile, I was happy to only be able to fill four bags with litter. Clearly the cleanups my friends and I have done along the way are making a difference. A little more than a year ago, our first pickup filled more than 20 bags! 

If getting in your steps while doing some good appeals to you, I hope you'll check out our Adopt a Highway volunteer website to learn more. It sure beats riding out an L-tryptophan coma on the sofa. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation remembers veterans for their commitment to our great nation. We also honor those who currently serve. 

The Wild West Detachment Marine Corps League expresses its continuing dedication by cleaning an adopted stretch of State Route 80 near Tombstone. 

Hours of contributed time and personal resources have resulted in this Wild West bunch filling more than 250 bags with tossed trash over the past 21 years. 

Group leaders William Pakinkis and Vicky Rhodes-Pakinkis told us that safety is very important during these cleanup events, “Always work in pairs, have a safety vest on and look out for cars.” Vicky told us that a functional laptop computer was one of the oddest things found during a previous cleanup. A humble reminder to any driver or wagon train master to secure loads before you head ‘em up and move ‘em out. 

We’re grateful to the Pakinkises and to volunteer Lilly Hritz, for wrangling the photos for us. You can check them out on the ADOT Flickr page here.

Thank you to all veterans and veteran organizations who set examples of what it means to help keep Arizona grand!

If you would like to contribute to the beauty of the southwest, adopting  a two-mile section of state highway is one way to help reduce litter in your community. We welcome civic-minded groups and individuals interested in gathering together to pick up litter a few times per year. Please click here for more information.

Listen to the podcast! (or use the embed below)

Thousands of Arizonans participate each year in ADOT's Adopt a Highway volunteer program. Their stories and their impact are truly inspiring, from a small army that has a one-day litter along all 45 miles of State Route 286 in southern Arizona to the hundreds of groups that adopt highway segments as memorials to loved ones.  

This week's episode of On the Road With ADOT features Mary Currie, ADOT's Adopt a Highway coordinator and truly one of the nicest and most helpful people you'll ever meet. She and our host, Doug Nintzel, discuss what goes into adopting a mile or more of state highway and what volunteers are responsible for. More importantly, Mary explains how fulfilling it is to be part of making state highways more appealing for all. 

I make a cameo in this episode because I have adopted a mile of State Route 87 just north of the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway in Mesa. I will tell you here, and I say so in the podcast, that my family, friends and I enjoy our litter pickups and feel a real connection with our adopted highway. 

If hearing from Mary makes you want to learn more, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway.

You can subscribe to episodes of On the Road with ADOT through Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You also can find episodes at azdot.gov/Podcast and featured in ADOT Blog posts.

ADOT volunteers uncovered some interesting and what some might call scary trash during Saturday’s National CleanUp Day event in Loop 202 right of way in Tempe. 

Pre-Halloween chuckles resounded when a well-worn mask depicting a character from the 1996 horror film “Scream” reared its ugly head. That helped keep everyone motivated and on their toes. 

Twenty-two highway heroes joined the cleanup, including nine ADOT employees, two representatives from the Maricopa Association of Governments public relations firm Off Madison Avenue and one person who interrupted a morning walk to grab a bag and join in. 

Michaela Mora, that last-minute volunteer, said, “I am always walking here in the morning and see a bunch of trash, so I thought it would be pretty awesome to help out.”

Edgar Serna also gave up his Saturday morning to join us. He said, “I want to be part of something greater than myself to help the community.” Serna walked away with an interesting find and a project in mind for two intact solar panels uncovered near the Salt River bottom. 

Return volunteer Brynlee Rogers, who was crowned Arizona winner of a national junior ambassador program, shared her thoughts on community service. “It really is my passion to make sure that roadways across the United States are clear of litter and debris, and I love being able to help my community.” Rogers said.

This was ADOT’s second hosted cleanup in 2024 for volunteers in the Phoenix metro area. The idea came after the first well-attended Earth Day event held in April. Most adoptable segments in the Valley are located on state highways where it is safer for volunteers to work along the side of the roadway. Those segments are mostly on the outermost edges of Maricopa County and on some parts of US 60 in the East Valley.

We are thankful to Rogers and all of our volunteers whose passion for reducing litter brought them out on National CleanUp Day to have some fun. 

Saturday’s final litter haul included 23 filled bags weighing about 500 pounds. Check out our photos in ADOT’s Flickr album.

If you’d like to be a part of the litter solution, please visit azdot.gov/AdoptaHighway for help finding an  adoptable segment near you. Arizona, keep it grand.

Volunteer group leader Arturo Delgado wasted no time heading out for a first cleanup on his newly adopted mile, located on State Route 87 from milepost 222 to 224. The segment is near the western trailhead to Mount Ord (external link) and was Delgado’s choice for the adoption. He told me that it was because the area is near a heavily used trailhead and brake check area that can attract litter. 

“Three hours was barely enough to clean half a mile of my section before we filled five bags and picked up bulk trash. This area is going to require a lot more work than I thought, but I am so excited to see the change,” Delgado said. 

Prior to Delgado’s SR 87 adoption, he stepped up to volunteer for the ADOT-hosted National Volunteer Week and Earth Day cleanup event near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Apr. 22. During the event, I  had the chance to ask what motivated him to volunteer in this way. 

Delgado said, “I enjoy sightseeing and offroad alot in Arizona. Every time I see trash and pass by dump sites with couches or a bunch of debris on roadways, near trees and scenic spots, I feel like it ruins the environment and the experience. I want to do whatever I can to make sure that I can get a beautiful view and other people can enjoy being outdoors.”

ADOT applauds Delgado’s efforts to reduce the effects of littering along this stretch of SR 87. Thank you to our volunteers who donate time and resources to help keep Arizona Grand.

If you want to help lessen the effects of trash and increase beautiful views for yourself and others along state highways, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway. 

ADOT is celebrating 23 new and renewed Adopt a Highway volunteer groups since February 2024 in this quarterly shoutout. 

Earth Day took the stage in April, starting with Lyzzett Guderian’s new group, Every day is Earth Day. Special thanks to the Resolution Copper Mine and Darrell Acothley for adopting miles on one-day permits to conduct April 22 Earth Day cleanups. 

Thank you to our memorial group-adopters for your commitment to civic awareness in remembrance of loved ones. Gathering together at adopted segments several times a year to pick up litter with honored family and friends makes a positive difference travelers notice.

High-fives are still popular and distributed virtually to new fraternity and sorority groups, veteran, business, miner and hiker volunteers. We are proud of the commitment you’ve made to elevate your community by bagging litter.

It is a humbling fact that our volunteers clean up after others to improve the scenery along state highways. With many civic opportunities available, we’re grateful to those who choose to reduce a seemingly endless supply of litter.

If you happen to spot volunteers during your travels, please show them your appreciation by driving with caution through the area where litter is being picked up and bagged. Volunteer recognition signs mark 800-plus adopted highway segments along state managed roadways throughout Arizona. 

Please visit Adopt a Highway to learn about volunteer opportunities in your area. There is no charge for volunteering and high-fives are free.