Wandering of the Mind

It is almost Fall in the beautiful Southwest. There are two spectacular seasons in Arizona, in my humble opinion. Spring and Fall. But you have to be strategic, depending on the year, you may only have a couple weeks of opportunity. Our air conditioner continues to run during the day, but the nights are cooling off. I can even get into my car to run an errand in the middle of the day without suffering heat stroke. My hands don't scorch on the steering wheel, so that's an indication that a preferred season, Fall, is on the way.

Arizona....desert, cactus, dirt. All those things are true. But Arizona has elevation changes and with that comes variety. I plan to head to the mountains very soon to spend some time among the Aspens. Hopefully my timing will be just right to see the glistening, golden leaves quaking in the breeze. I'll stack heavy blankets on the bed and snuggle in for the crisp, cool night. Ahhh, I long for my next camping adventure.

For after Fall camping, my enthusiasm for excursions fades with the leaves. Winter brings desert camping. There are certain environments which nourish and soothe one's soul. For me, it is in the forest. The desert does have its beauty. But it's not the same. I'm sure we'll venture out...perhaps down to Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson or to one of the desert lakes. But my true desire as Winter proceeds, will be for the first breath of Spring, when the forest wakes from its slumber.

So for now, I anticipate Fall. With all it's glory and wonder that even Arizona can offer.

Labor Day Fun!

Labor Day Camping was lots of Fun!! We boondocked in Arizona with lots of our friends from church. Many thanks to my friend Leah for the pictures!!! My camera sat on the kitchen counter at home...oops. The picture above is Chris and Caleb outside a cave entrance. Many went spelunking in a nearby cave.
This is the spelunking group hiking in to the cave.
We had good, clean, competitive fun playing Rummikub!
Our boondocking campsite in the woods....ahhh...smell the pines! Where were we? Near Pivot Rock north of Payson.

Short and sweet :-)

Dead Horse Ranch State Park- Cottonwood, Arizona

It has been a full two weeks since we've been on the road, but it feels like a lifetime. For all my blog buddies, I'm going to show you Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. As I've mentioned, this would be a perfect place to visit in the Winter or Spring when you're in the South!! The picture above is a very appealing, but a tad short, back in RV site. There are many sites with water and electric for $19 a night. There are three different loops for water and electric sites. The lower loop has more mature trees and the upper two loops are more open. Cottonwood makes a perfect base to explore the nearby mining town of Jerome, the Verde Canyon Railway in Clarkdale, and the red rock famous Sedona.
The pond is a fishing hot spot and is stocked with trout and catfish. A nice trail circles the pond. There is an extensive trail system at the state park for equestrians, hiking and mountain biking.
Cabins are a new addition to the park and are set in a loop by themselves, nicely shaded by the native trees. Dead Horse State Park sits right next to the Verde River Greenway for a respite from the high desert.
The monsoons roll through the area until about mid-September. Monsoon storms can cause flash flooding in one area and not leave a drop of rain on the other side of town.

Our next camping excursion is Labor Day weekend. A group from church will circle our wagons for a weekend of food and fellowship! We will be boondocking...so stay tuned to see where we end up. The rule for Arizona is you go North in the summer, so we will climb the rim, either North or East, to be in the Ponderosa Pines.