A CHRISTMAS FEELING IN THE APACHE PASS

SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS  (to-day's photos were taken through a dirty motorhome windshield driving through the Apache Pass in the Sierra Blanca mountains in New Mexico...sorry about the splooches & bug splotches)

We were happy campers last night when the heavy wind gusts finally subsided around 7.  However, they were back again in the middle of the night & it was the  same old routine......... get up, get the slides in, & try to get back to sleep!!

THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS EAST OF LAS CRUCES...SAN AUGUSTIN PASS IS THE LOW POINT OVER TOP THE SILVER CAR AT LEFT

Well, we sure knew we weren't in the warm southern air of the Phoenix area anymore when we stepped out into the 40 something Fahrenheit temperatures this morning.  Throw in a wind chill factor & it was darn well cold!!   

 

ENTERING THE SIERRA BLANCA MOUNTAINS EAST OF TULAROSA

We had the wheels back on I-10 by 6:15 New Mexico time heading for Las Cruces.  Traffic was light & the early morning sun sat right on my eyeballs.  Last year we made the mistake of thinking it would be better to go through Las Cruces rather than around it.  We were much smarter this year & stayed on I-10 until it connected with I-25.  Picked up highway 70, climbed up Organ mountain & cleared the San Augustin Pass without any problems.

WINTER SCENES IN THE APACHE PASS (click to enlarge)

As soon as we cleared the long grade down into the Tularosa Valley, strong cross winds hassled us all the way across the White Sands Missile Range.  Picked up the Alamogordo by-pass & swung up into the Sierra Blanca mountains at Tularosa.  The morning sunshine we had enjoyed was lost to a heavy cloud cover in the mountains & the temperatures dropped.  Every car coming the other way had snow on it so we knew for sure we would be into some kind of weather.

 

We like this route because the Apache Pass is a reasonably easy way over the mountains & is not unduly hard on the motorhome for long periods of time.  Two years ago we saw snow in the pass on our way home & today we saw even more.  Roads were wet but bare, so no problem.  The landscape reminded me so much of Christmas with pine trees layered in coats of white.  Just east of Ruidoso it began to lightly snow & I had all kinds of Christmas Carols going through my head.  Same thing happened two years ago.

 

Coming down the eastern side of the mountains we could see patches of blue sky ahead in the direction of Roswell.  Didn't last long though & by the time we reached the renowned space alien city on the edge of the great plains country the skies were totally overcast.  Fueled up in Roswell & off we headed for the looooooong journey across the treeless flat tundra.

     

Our goal was Brownfield, Texas because we like to use a free little fairground park there that has a Wifi hotspot.  Sometimes we are the only one's here but not today.  We got the second last spot so there's about a dozen rigs in here.  Sun is back out but it's really cold so I'll be spending my time inside until we roll out early in the morning.

 

EXITING THE EAST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS ONTO THE OPEN PLAINS

Had a comment about, 'will I continue to blog once we get home' & the answer to that questions is.....yes!!  Last year when we arrived home I didn't blog for a few days but my blabbering fingers couldn't stay away from the keyboard & I was right back at it again & continued posting every day since then.  Started doing this blogging stuff about September of 07 I think.  If you look back in our archives to last spring, summer, & fall, you will find a blog every single day.  And photos each day as well.  I always manage to come up with things to write & photograph so if the interest is there I will keep the blog going again all summer.  And if it isn't there, I will keep it going anyway.  As mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy doing this blog & it gives me a focus & purpose for myself each day.

 

ROSWELL ALIEN ON A WALL NEAR THE MAIN INTERSECTION AND THE MILES & MILES & MILES OF FLAT COUNTRY WE HAVE TO CROSS

Welcome to our latest blog follower, Rick.  The southwest travel part of the blog may be temporarily coming to an end but hang in there Rick, there's more to come:))

COLEMAN PARK IN BROWNFIELD, TEXAS IS FREE FOR OVERNIGHTER'S.....FREE WIFI TOO:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man went to his dentist because he feels something wrong in his mouth. The dentist examines him and says, "that new upper plate I put in for you six months ago is eroding. What have you been eating?"
The man replies, "all I can think of is that about four months ago my wife made some asparagus and put some stuff on it that was delicious...Hollandaise sauce. I loved it so much I now put it on everything --- meat, toast, fish, vegetables, everything."
"Well," says the dentist, "that's probably the problem. Hollandaise sauce is made with lots of lemon juice, which is highly corrosive. It's eaten away your upper plate. I'll make you a new plate, and this time use chrome." "Why chrome?" asks the patient.
To which the dentist replies, "It's simple. Everyone knows that there's no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise!"

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH IS ON THE ROAD & HOMEWARD BOUND

A FINAL MORNING FAREWELL TO SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN

This post is coming to you from 30 miles west of Demming New Mexico on the south side of I-10.  We are in a nice rest stop area for the night with our own space complete with a Casita & picnic table.

REST AREA WEST OF DEMMING, NEW MEXICO

We had figured on staying at Lost Dutchman until Sunday but after sitting around yesterday we were both thinking the same thing.  It's time to go.  The weather has been good in Ontario, didn't see any storms shaping up across the country, Kelly's Deerpark Lodge phone has been getting busier, & I had the usual ants in my pants to get rolling.

LOOKING NORTHWEST TO THE GOLDFIELD MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

A final few pictures & a hearty farewell to Superstition Mountain this morning had us off our #118 site at 7:45 a.m.  Quick stop for dump & water, then hooked on the car & out the gates we went.  Time was 8:25.  Skies were very stormy looking to the north & we had a few raindrops on the windshield but that was it.

LEAVING LOST DUTCHMAN STATE PARK

We decided on the southern Tucson route this morning after getting up.  Had some good suggestion from ROD & WANDERING WILLY about alternate routes in the Globe/Payson areas but I had already checked our Mountain Directory & decided we really didn't need to put the rig through all the stress & strain of mountain grades, curves, & hills.  Plus, the weather was looking a little iffy to the north & we figured we'd be better off sticking with our old familiar & traffic friendly southern route.  After running the route calculations through Mapquest last night I figured the southern route is only about 200 miles longer anyway.  Slower as well, but that's OK.

OUR OVERNIGHT STOP NEAR DEMMING, NEW MEXICO (that red car is on I-10)

Nice quiet drive down highway 79 to Catalina & then it was over to I-10 for our swing down through Tucson.  Traffic wasn't too bad as we rolled straight through the city about 10:30.  Big traffic jam west of Benson due to some road work & that cost us about half an hour.  Just long enough to get up & make a coffee & sandwich plus hit the washroom.  A couple of doggy snuggles & back in the driver's seat.   Gotta love this motorhome concept)

A BIT CROWDED UNTIL THE WIND DIES DOWN

We waved a big hello to JERRY & SUZY as we blew by Benson about noon remembering our Christmas Day at their place last year.  More memories flooded in as the Dragoon mountains came into view.  Could see lots of snow on the Huachuca's down near Sierra Vista & the white tops of the Chiricahua range.  This whole Sulphur Springs Valley area is like a second home for us.  So many great memories of our time spent driving & hiking in the great mountain ranges & ranch sitting at Jeanie & Ray's.  We waved a big hello to all the people we have met & Max, Checkers, & Motormouse were all at the window barking a big doggy hello & goodbye to Gleason & Pearce plus all the other great ranch critters we have come to know so well. 

I'M WORKING ON THE BLOG WHILE KELLY'S ON THE INTERNET....GOTTA LOVE THE CONVENIENCE OF THESE VERIZON AIR CARDS

I love special old memories like that.  My short term memory may not be so great but there's nothing wrong with my long term memory.  Why, I can even remember standing next to Christopher Columbus on the deck of the Santa Maria telling him, "head west young man, head west."

STRUGGLING AGAINST THE WIND TO CLOSE THE MOTORHOME DOOR

We didn't realize the powerful tail wind we had all the way from Tucson until we pulled into a rest area west of Demming about 4:30 this afternoon.  I was somewhat aware that we were being pushed along on I-10 but when we stopped & exited the rig we were nearly blown off our feet.  Got the dogs out for a pit stop ok but when we got back into the rig Kelly couldn't even physically close the motorhome door.  Check out the picture of me & my hair blowing as I struggled with the door against the wind to get it closed.  There was tons & tons of dust in the air after awhile & the winds made the Borrego Springs blow a few weeks ago seem like a gentle Sunday morning breeze.  Didn't even attempt to put the slides out.  Sure would have been a tough drive for any RV'ers heading west today.

WAITING FOR THE BIG WINDS TO LET UP SO WE CAN PUT THE SLIDES OUT

It's now 8 o'clock New Mexico time & the winds have finally subsided.  We'll be on the road again early in the morning & tomorrow we'll slip up & over the San Augustin Pass at 5,719 feet just east of Las Cruces.  This is our biggest mountain grade of the whole trip.  From there it's on to Alamogordo & through the Apache Pass in the Sierra Blanca mountains.  I suspect tomorrow night at this time we will have left our beloved mountains behind & be somewhere out on the great American plains.  I am saddened by that thought because I know I will miss my old friends as I watch them through my rear view mirrors slowly fading away into the hazy memories of my mind..............:((

GROANER'S CORNER:((    Snow White received a camera as a gift. She happily took pictures of the Dwarfs and their surroundings. When she finished her first batch she took the film to be developed. After a week or so she went to get the finished photos. The clerk said the photos were not back from the processor.
Needless to say, she was disappointed and started to cry. The clerk, trying to console her, said,
"Don't worry. Someday your prints will come".

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

OUR DAYS IN THE SOUTHWEST ARE WINDING DOWN

 

Today was a battery recharging day.  Human batteries that is.  Stayed around the rig doing some reading, snoozing, & computer stuff.  I did pull everything out of the car this morning to reorganize it for our long journey home soon.  I'll maybe start on some of the bins Friday morning.  The heat builds up very fast here so I like to get those kinds of jobs done in the earlier & cooler morning air.

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE SHADOW OF SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN (wide angle photo so the mountain is actually much closer)

Our neighbor with the big security light left a couple days ago & the park has been returned to glorious darkness at night again.

TEDDY BEAR CHOLLA (Checkers tangled with one again this morning)

I think one of my favorite things about this Lost Dutchman Park is the sounds of many birds all day long.  Many cactus wrens, hummingbirds, & others.  What a true shame it is that the State is closing the gates here in a few months.  We have noticed that urban sprawl has spread right up to the very fence lines of the park.  We look out our front window & see a housing development right up to the base of Superstition mountain complete with a restaurant.  I wonder if land developers with dollar signs in their eyes have their greedy little sights set on this valuable piece of desert property.  This urban sprawl comes out this way from Phoenix which is well over 50 miles away.  What will this Lost Dutchman State Park look like in another 5 years.  Are the bulldozers ready to roll with their massive blades to flatten this park into oblivion & make way for paved streets, row upon row of houses, malls, pizza joints, & convenience stores.  It seems nothing is sacred when it comes to man's greed!!  Maybe none of the above will happen but I'm just not very optimistic anymore when it comes to man vs nature.  Money rules:((

SUBURBIA STANDS POISED TO CLIMB SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN (there is actually a restaurant where you see the American flag)

When hiking up Superstition Mountain a few days ago I looked out over the valley below & wondered what this ageless old mountain thought about the encroaching human blight.  It has survived for millions of years.  Will it survive in it's present state for another hundred years.  Already, the pristine night sky has been destroyed by light pollution in this area.  Can the wandering deserts of the great American southwest be far behind..........:((

THE PARK IS IN THE FOREGROUND WITH HOUSES RIGHT UP AGAINST IT'S BORDER.....WONDER WHAT THIS PICTURE WILL LOOK LIKE IN A FEW YEARS:((

Not likely we will return to this area again once we leave.  Just waaaaay too populated for us folks & there are many beautiful areas of the southwest we have not seen yet.  This Apache Junction area & trail drive had been on my radar screen for about 3 years so now I can focus my thoughts elsewhere.  Northeastern Arizona comes to mind & if we can ever get away early enough in the Autumn (September) I'd like to spend some time there in the 4 Corners area.  I have been through a part of Monument Valley back in the early 90's but would like to do it again & do it right this time.  Sleeping in the back of an unheated Mazda pick-up truck on cold desert night's was not the best!!!!  And would you believe, I didn't even know where the Grand Canyon was at that time:((

LOST DUTCHMAN STATE PARK IN FOREGROUND & WITH THE CREEPING BLIGHT IN THE BACKGROUND

We have no idea which route we'll choose for heading home soon.  Will it be down through Tucson to pick up I-10 for our journey to Alamogordo & over the mountains at Apache Pass or will it be north through Scottsdale & up to I-40 before swinging eastward.  A tried & true route versus a new & challenging route.  I'm leaning a bit towards the northern route simply because it would allow us to see some new scenery along the way.  The weather of course will be a deciding factor as well.  But as usual, it will probably all boil down to whether we make a right or left turn somewhere in Apache Junction.  And, at this late blog writing we may even be going sooner than later.........

                    

THIS IS OUR SIDE YARD & PICNIC TABLE AREA...TO THE LEFT OF THE MOUNTAIN IN RIGHT SIDE PICTURE IS PHOENIX

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN AT SUNSET

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Bill was short of money and was out looking for a job. Pastor Nelson offered Bill $500 to buy paint and paint the church. Well Bill went out bought some paint and started painting the church. He discovered that he was using more paint than he expected so he added some thinner to the paint.   It still covered but not as well as it did at first.  Bill was still using more paint than he wanted to use.  The paint was too thin to cover well but Bill still kept on painting.  All of a sudden there was a bolt of lighting and a loud voice from the sky proclaimed, "Bill!!"......."Repaint and thin no more."

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

DRIVING THE APACHE TRAIL

 

CANYON LAKE APPEARED OUT OF THE RUGGED DESERT & MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE

Whewwww, it's been a very long day again.  Just finished editing & paring down 200 pictures & I'm just beginning blog number 737 now at 9 P.M.  Gonna be another late night.  Last night's blog took an hour to publish so it was the stroke of midnight when I tucked in the little Motormouse & pulled the covers over my head.

MOUNTAIN REFLECTION IN A WATER PUDDLE ALONGSIDE THE ROAD

Warm enough this morning to finally start a day with short sleeves.  Not a cloud in the sky & we were well on our way to another big & beautiful Arizona day.

Rolled out of the Park at 8:45 A.M. & turned right onto the Apache Trail.  It has been named, 'Best Scenic Drive In Arizona.'  One of the first things I noticed right off the bat was the close proximity of many power lines along the road.  This presented a challenge for me the whole trip trying to take photos without power lines running through them.  Other than that, the scenery started out beautiful & just continued to get better.

FISH CREEK HILL LEADS INTO THE FAR VALLEY & UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS ON THE HORIZON

It was quite a surprise to see a large body of water suddenly appear out of the rugged mountain terrain of cactus & rocks.  CANYON LAKE was much bigger than I had figured & what a treat it was to see a large body of water again.   Canyon Lake shimmered in the morning sun with water smooth as glass.  A couple power boats skimmed over the water & as we crossed an iron bridge at the lakes south end we passed close to the lakes Marina.  Many small boats at anchor.

CANYON LAKE

After Canyon Lake it didn't take us long to reach the historic little stop along the way called TORTILLA FLATS.  Not much of a town here but the Superstition Saloon is well known to folks far & wide.  The walls are lined with one dollar bills from thousands of people who have stopped in over the years.  The bar stools are actually horse saddles & the rustic decor enhances the cozy restaurant setting.  Kelly had a Burrito & I had a couple pancakes before departing.

OUTSIDE THE SUPERSTITION SALOON IN TORTILLA FLATS

The Apache Trail heading east out of Tortilla Flats started off with a short & jostled water crossing before getting out of town.  A few miles later the pavement ended & it was a virtual bouncing & jarring dust storm behind us for the next 22 miles.

THIS SIGN SAYS IT ALL FOR THE JOURNEY AHEAD

FISH CREEK HILL is well known to traveler's for it's long steep grade descending 1500 feet in 3 miles to the distant valley floor below.  The narrow road is mainly hard packed sand with tight curves, especially at it's southern end before reaching the valley floor.  I'm sure side mirrors have been lost, paint jobs altered with varying degrees of desert pin striping.  If you don't want your vehicle to get dirty, shook up, or maybe scratched, I suggest you leave your precious little gem at home & go with somebody else who understands the ways of desert roads. 

COMING DOWN THE FISH CREEK HILL....1RST GEAR PART OF THE WAY!!

The fish creek descent crosses fish creek on a tight hairpin left turn across a bridge at the beginning valley floor.  This is a good spot to stop & pry your white knuckles off the steering wheel.  You have successfully made it down the 1,500 foot descent.  Step out & take some pictures.

A PLACID FISH CREEK

Next stop along the ever winding & ever dusty road for us were the many Saguaro Cactus along the left side of the trail sweeping for miles up to the base of the towering dome peaked mountains.  Probably the most Saguaro's we've seen in one concentration.  On the right side of the road runs the crystal clear waters of Fish Creek.  More photo opportunities but you will once again be frustrated by power lines when trying to frame the Saguaro's against the mountains.

TOOK A BIT OF DOING TO GET THE POWER LINES OUT OF THIS PHOTO

A few miles further another large body of water appeared ahead below us off to the left between hills & mountains.  APACHE LAKE appears dark blue & is again frustrating to photograph because of telephone & power poles with their never ending miles upon miles of wires & cables.

A THICK STAND OF SAGUARO CACTUS

The road is very washboardy along this stretch & the car was taking quite a pounding when we noticed an engine light appear on the dash.  There was no room to pull over & a quick check of the gauges told us there were no major problems & a quick look in the manual told us we were probably OK.  No smell of a hot engine or coolant.  We figured the jarring road had something to do with the light coming on.  We knew we were approaching the ROOSEVELT DAM area & figured we'd stop & check things over there. 

APACHE LAKE

First clue to the dam coming up was the fast flowing river shadowing the road on our left side.  Saw a few boats & Marina signs & then around a corner there was the dam looming out of the rocks ahead of us.  Pulled into the parking lot & shut things down.  Walked out to a couple view points & watched the tons of water funneling out through the bottom of the dam.  Back at the car we checked all the fluids & everything appeared fine.  Continued on but a blue truck coming the other way flagged us down with the driver telling us to pull to the side of the road.  Two large trucks were coming the other way & needed all the room they could get.

ROOSEVELT DAM

Once the trucks had passed, the road climbed up to the top of the dam & swung to the right through a large rock cut.  Laid out before us on our left was a large suspension bridge crossing Roosevelt Lake.  Another parking lot & another stop to admire the beautiful lake & it's large blue colored bridge called......... Roosevelt Bridge of course. 

ROOSEVELT BRIDGE ON LAKE ROOSEVELT

A quick drive across the bridge & back put us on the return route for Apache Junction.  Hung a right turn at Globe Arizona onto highway 60, drove through the scrappy little hard times town of Miami & ran right smack dab into the rear end of a long traffic jam.  Road Construction!!!!  Well, that cost us nearly an hour with the stop & go jam finally freeing itself up after a bunch of miles.  Cars were lined up behind us for as far as the eye could see.  Shook ourselves loose of the jam & had us a good run through the twisting mountain roads east of Superior Arizona.  West of Superior the highway turned into a four lane interstate type highway & we were able to put the hammer down & head into the home stretch for our Lost Dutchman Park.

WE TOOK A SPIN OVER THE BRIDGE & BACK

From start to finish our trip on the Apache Trail had lasted exactly 7 hours.  We were soooooo glad to get home again.  I hauled myself out of the car, into the rig, & flopped my tired body into a chair.  The time was 3 P.M. & I woke up an hour & a half later feeling as if I had left a valve open somewhere & all my energy had drained out on the floor!!  But, all & all......what a great day we had & what a great drive that Apache Trail was.........10-4:))

A CLUSTER OF DESERT POPPY'S ALONG HIGHWAY 60

Now, some catch up...... Welcome to new blog followers, Susan Bidniak & JOHN A.K.A. SNAPSHOT.  Thanks for the interest in our travels folks & I hope we can keep things cooking enough to keep you interested.

FISH CREEK

And Carol, Chris, Bob, & whole bunch of other folks.....hang in there guys I'm still trying to catch up on my email backlog.  And thanks once again to everyone for your your kind & encouraging comments.  I have them all saved:))

And why is Arizona closing some of it's State Parks??  Check out this link... tp://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/01/21/20100121mr-lostpark0122.html

All of today's photos can be found here....APACHE TRAIL DRIVE

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A noted biologist, who had been studying little green frogs in a swamp, was stumped. The frog population, despite efforts at predator control, was declining at an alarming rate. A chemist at a nearby college came up with a solution: The frogs, due to a chemical change in the swamp water, simply couldn't stay coupled long enough to reproduce successfully. The chemist then brewed up a new adhesive to assist the frogs' togetherness, which included one part sodium. It seems the little green frogs needed some monosodium glue to mate.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.