Blowing across the border into NM

We have moved from the mountains to the border town of Columbus New Mexico. The Pancho Villa State Park is just a few miles from the border crossing with Mexico. The storms crossing the area have whipped up the sand just across the border and will get worse tonight.

We arrived at the park on March 9th, the same day of the 1916 raid by Francisco Pancho Villa, only to find that the community held a reenactment the weekend before the actual date.

The park located on the historic site of Camp Furlong and our camp site sits next to the Judge Advocates office and jail. Much of the park is a surrounded with beautiful cactus and tall yucca plants that look similar to the Joshau Trees we visited in CA. There is a hill flanked with a botanical garden with great views of the small town and near by border crossing. This evening as I climbed Coote's hill I could see a huge dust storm just south of the border.

70 degrees with snow

From our campsite in Roper State Park we have a good view of the snow capped mountains to the west. Roper lake is a small lake but provides a feeling of home. Last night by the camp fire I received a few mosquito bites and this morning we woke to the sound of Red Winged Black Birds. Shortly after that a large flock of Yellow Headed Blackbirds came into the camp. Wondering if they are getting ready to fly north?

Roosevelt Lake and Tonto National Monument

In our departure from Phoenix we ventured just a short drive over the mountains to the east to Roosevelt Lake in the heart of Tonto National Forest. We stumbled along the lake until we found Windy Hill campground, run by the National Forest Service. The campgrounds run by the National Forest usually do not have hookups but the sites are very large and located in beautiful natural settings. This is one of the largest campgrounds on the lake with over 340 sites and sits across the road from the Tonto National Monument.

First of all Roosevelt Lake is a beautiful setting, the campground is rarely full at this time of year and the weather was warm and sunny. I can't think of a more peaceful setting yet this trip. On our second day we went to the monument to climb the steep hillside. We toured the lower of the cliff dwellings, inhabited the Salado people almost 700 years ago. As we walked into the dwelling, Gary noticed a number of bees around the cave entrance. The ranger on duty was considering closing the dwellings as we left. It seems that the bees are africanized and very aggressive to people near their hives surrounding the cave. It was nice to actually walk through the dwellings as many of these cliff dwellings have been closed off to traffic. We were ready to climb to the upper dwellings but this is only permitted with a guide and appointment. The views from the dwelling of the lake and campground below were amazing.

Today we headed for Roper Lake State Park and for the first time, took Blue out of his carrier to ride on my lap. He was very happy to be out of confinement and after a few struggles to move around the rig, he settled down and napped the remaining 1/2 hour drive. That is very good for a first timer, he continues impress us.

Rainy days and Mondays

We all need a down day now and then, today with the rain is ours. We did our shopping and I spent a good part of the day reading. We did get in a long hike (around 4 miles) last night and it was a perfect evening for it. The treasure Loop Trail took us up to the northern base of the Superstition Mountains near some rock formations called the Praying Hands. At this point our thoughts turned to Marilyn N. with a prayer for her recovery. That covers much of the main hiking available in Dutchman State Park. Tomorrow, Monday, we move on.

Lost Dutchman State Park, lost forever

We decided to spend a few nights in Lost Dutchman State Park which is one of the many State Parks in AZ slated to close this June due to State budget cuts. It sits adjacent to Tonto National Forest at the base of the Superstition Mountain range. The story goes that during the gold rush, over 3 million in gold was taken from the area, and a German immigrant discovered the mother load. He was unable to return to the claim and at his death they found a few pieces of gold and some crude maps. Several people have tried to find the mine, and many have perished in the attempt.

With a beautiful 70+ degree day we decided to hike the Flatiron trail up high into the Superstition range today. The hike took 4.5 hours and proved to be a good challenging hike. We did not summit the Flatiron but came as close as we wanted to go because the last 1000 feet was more of a climb on all fours. The basin we reached was just above a waterfall and the views were spectacular.