Ah to the Southwest of Arizona!

It was a bit of a drive but we headed to Tucson to stay at the opposite of the dry camping we were doing at Lake Roosevelt. We have full hook-ups in a neighborhood of park model homes. I’m not hating the pool, hot tub, laundry room, tiny lending library or DVD rental and yes we have WIFI! We can’t stream but we do have internet which is great!

We got settled in and today and relaxed from the drive. Tomorrow we are out and about. Looks like sunny weather (80-90) but I can take it!

Dry Camping, Sunshine and Starry Nights

Our stay here has been hot weather, lots of sunscreen, and clear blue skies! We’ve been rowing our pontoons all around the edges of  Lake Roosevelt in the shallows and weedbeds in search of bass but I only caught one (and released it).  JP had one on and we saw some jumping and rolling (teasing us)! This isn’t the kind of bass fishing we’ve done in the past so it’s a whole new learning curve. While fishing  JP saw a havalina come to the water’s edge for a drink and later we saw an owl – so we can add these to our wildlife list.

These past days have been quiet and easy. We mostly fish and scout the area and then grab our lawn chairs and head to the shore to brave the mosquitoes for some night fishing. We caught a couple of catfish and that was fun (though I think they are evil fish). The bats were really annoying ! They flew toward our light (where all the bugs gather) and they were constantly hitting our fishing line in doing so. Yep! One more addition to our wildlife list.

We did take a scenic drive around the Roosevelt Rim. So much open space! We stopped at a little store and saw some REAL cowboys. They were evidently taking a break but they were dressed like working cowboys and weren’t young ‘uns. We headed through Young and back to camp through Payson.

Tonight JP managed to avoid a hitting a pair of deer that ran right in front of us. One was bumped but the truck unharmed. Nice save on JP’s part!

All nights here end at the campfire under oh so many stars!

*Tiny note: JP did rescue a little yellow duckie from the lake. He is now “Cupcake” our Lucky Duck

Today was a settle in and scout day. Its a pretty big campground and fairly full. We drove around our side of the lake to look for places to night fish and good launch sites for the pontoons.

Later we walked down to the lake shore and did some night fishing. No bites but a beautiful night on the water. We finished the day with a campfire and scorpion hunt on the trail around our campground. JP found 2 with the black light flashlight. Though they glow a bright fluorescent green – it was hard to capture with my phone.

Its been 80 ish in the daytime (a little warm without air conditioning) but theres a light breeze and its balmy in the AM and evening. Cools down right at campfire o,clock!

On the Move

We headed to Cholla Campground on Lake Roosevelt today. It will be a change from the casino style RV parking we did this past week. Cholla is a dry campground so we will have to take our own water and use a generator for power. The weather looks like it will be warmer. Hopefully we will get some time on the water with our pontoons boats and get some fishing in.

Its lovely here, though the fact that JP is out scouting with a black light flashlight for scorpions (they glow florescent green with a black light) could be worrisome. He has been a sport through hours of antique stores, historical sights and ruins this past week so I am totally on-board with the new location. Its beautiful and quiet, we have a campfire and there are lots of stars. Not a thing to complain about! The photo is of the view from the back window of Lucky.

Gearing Up To Move On

Today we went back to Globe for supplies and to gear up for Roosevelt Lake. We are planning on staying at Cholla Campground (we accidentally stayed a night there when we ended up at the wrong RV campground earlier in the trip). It doesn’t have all the amenities we have had this week so it will be a change of pace for us. The weather is getting warmer and we are looking forward to getting the pontoons in the water.

We had a good stay here in the casino RV lot. We were mostly gone for the day but having the pool was GREAT! It was a whole different way to RV Camp (casino style) but the location was perfect for exploring the area.

The most unique part of our visit was meeting the people along the way that truly seem to care about the history of their town. The lady who told us about the Pony Express and set us up with the private jail tour, the gentleman who gave us the tour of the jail on a moments notice, the postal worker who runs tours all day once a year (using a vacation day to do so) the people who kept giving me maps of the downtown and pointing out good things to see – all seemed very rooted in the place where they live. I haven’t lived somewhere that celebrates their history like that so I found it unique and utterly charming. It’s good to know that there are places that stand the test of time.

Road Trip 

We took off in a new direction today. We headed north east and drove along the Salt River Canyon. So beautiful and different than the other landscapes we’ve seen. Its a steep and curvy road (which makes for a queasy me) but the view was outstanding.

First stop was  Show Low for lunch and then onto Fool Hollow. Ok pause here:”Fool Hollow”? Does this not sound like an enchanted hideaway for wayward elves?

Again we are here too soon for the fish.  Fool Hollow will have to wait for another season. Evidently all good road trips end with a Sonic “real fruit” pineapple slushie!
Sonic even has Happy Hour – how happy does that make me?

Miami AZ

Another warm sunny day so we spent the morning at the pool then headed to Miami which isn’t far from Globe where we have been sightseeing. Miami is a little town with a past much like Globe. Its famous for the it’s copper mine but has an old downtown much like Globe. It also has a kickin’ Mexican place called Guayo’s El Rey. So far the very best place we have eaten. It seems everything is homemade (including the chips) and best Salsa ever! Great food, great service, great prices AND perfect margaritas. We will be looking for an excuse to stop in again.

There is a saloon, antique stores, odd stores and an old fashioned soda shop all housed in the old buildings that one made up Miami. We’ve been in a bunch of antique stores but these were unique. Lots of old pedal cars, gas pumps, merry-go-round pieces, old games and some oddities. We took our time and called it a day when the shops closed.

Courtroom

Leather Doors

Courtroom Skylight

PO Boxes

Mail Cart

Santa’s PO Box

Marshal’s Office

Vintage Lighting

Vintage Lighting

Downtown Globe

We woke up to nothing but sunshine! We went to the pool at the hotel and there were only a handful of people there. We really haven’t been poolside in forever. The weather and water were perfect. I’m thinking we will fit that in after breakfast every day we have left here.

We headed back to Globe today to look at more of old town. Most of the downtown is made up of old, often original buildings. Of course they house gift shops and galleries or eateries but you can still see the 1900’s in their construction, walkways, ceilings, windowsills, doorways and floors. Copper ceilings, railings and trim show up in many of the buildings – and why not? Copper mining is the heart of this area. The most ornate was the old Bank with its entire building front and side made of what looks like marble. It didn’t match the motif of the times but was ornate and unique.

There is an annual tour of the Post Office (built 1927). It is so cool to see what remains of another time. The tour was led by a postal employee that donates his time once a year to show the public around the basement and upstairs of the old post office that is no longer used. All of the overhead lights are all still intact and very cool. The courtroom had the judges desk and chair. The jury area still stands though the chairs are absent. There are skylights in the ceiling and leather covered doors. All of this stands still in time, in good repair, just silently waiting for the annual tour or the occasional school field trip. If those walls could talk! There is one room where the fella giving the tour has a collection of postal items from the past – a little museum of sorts. All very interesting.

Besh Ba Gowah

Off for an AM drive to San Carlos Lake and the town of San Carlos. Both are on the Apache reservation. The lake was muddy looking and low though at other times of year we hear there is good fishing. You have to have day licenses and permits to hike, fish or park once you are on the reservation. We had a little drive through of the town and headed back to Besh Ba Gowah in Globe.

Besh Ba Gowah is partially reconstructed Salado village. The museum there has the largest collection of  recovered items found on site in the Southwest. You can walk through the 700 year old site. There is an area that hasn’t been excavated (I’m not sure why it hasn’t) but that was intriguing considering what has already been unearthed.

We went to find the old railroad station in Globe but all we were able to see of it was what we could see through the window. It has been restored to its former self and is, on occasion open to the public. We did meet a sweet gal named Molly who was excited that she was there at the right moment to see the the pick up by the Pony Express? We had seen several traveling cowboys on horseback on the road and wondered what they were up to. They certainly looked like authentic cowboys in their chaps, boots, and hats. They looked beat and dusty. Molly told us once a year the Pony Express follows that original route and actually does the mail pick up along the way. Who would have guessed?

Molly kindly asked if we would like to see the old jail. She texted Rick who said “sure, I’ll just slip my shoes on and meet them there”. So we walked a couple of blocks and he gave us a private tour. It’s hard to believe that the same jail was used (in the same conditions) from 1910 to 1980. There is a catwalk from the courthouse to the jail. You can still see some of the writing scraped in the walls from the 1930’s and places where an inmate had kept track of the days spent there. The doors to the cells open by a mechanical lever in an outside hall. Nothing at all like what we see on TV now.

All Settled in At Apache Gold

Breakfast at the Casino and then into town for Groceries and a little look around. We took a walk downtown and found the Old Elks Lodge is now an antique store. It is in the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Books as the tallest 3 story brick building. Evidently they ordered too many bricks and rather than waste them they expanded the 3rd floor to have 24 foot ceilings. Took in a movie and called it a day.