Ahhhh…Sunburn & Heat Stroke ~ 22

We finally arrived in the Phoenix area the second weekend in March. The sun beat through the oversized, fish bowl, front windows of our RV until air conditioning was mandatory.  We both shed our warm clothing with glee and searched the camper for our shorts, t-shirts and sandals. Neal could barely contain his giddiness at the prospect of a sunburn.

When we arrived at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction our giddiness multiplied by leaps and bounds. This spectacular view would be ours for the next five days.

The Superstition Mountains are not only a wonder to look at but legend and mystery surround these stunning mountains.

The campground has 134 sites, 68 with electric and water hookups. The remaining sites are for both RV’s and tents but have no services. I’d advise a reservation as well in advance as you can possibly manage. I must have come upon a cancelation at the perfect moment because site 102 was the only site available when I started scouring the reservation site.

There doesn’t seem to be a bad site in the park. At first glance our site appeared to slope downhill but we leveled our camper with no problem.

In March the state park was in full bloom.

Ocotillos stood tall, leafy and colorful but spiteful with thick prickly thorns.

In addition to the stunning scenery, there were hiking and mountain biking trails right out our front door.  We sampled all of the hiking trails during our stay but our favorite hike was the Siphon Draw Trail.

The park provides several hiking trails with varying lengths and skill levels.

Siphon Draw was an easy hike until the very end.

The trail increased significantly in elevation but only for a very short distance.

At the end of Siphon Draw, experienced hikers continue onto Flatiron (which appears to be more of a literal climb than a hike) to a plateau on top of the mountain. We know our limits. We know where we don’t belong. We were smart enough to turn around and head back to where we came from.

Brittlebush and Chuparosa  lined the Siphon Draw Trail.

My mountain bike is very well traveled. It has been coast to coast, border to border but unfortunately it doesn’t get used as much as it should. During our stay at Lost Dutchman, it was great to use it for something other than getting ice at the store. The four mile mountain bike trail proved to be fairly challenging for me (Not the length but the width…truly). The trail was quite narrow in some places and traversed up and down dry washes with various cacti clawing at me with every twist and turn. I did the trail one, sometimes two times a day. By the end of our visit,  I managed to stay upright and triumphantly avoid most of the cactus pricks, pokes and stabs.

After practicing every day on the biking trail, I became more comfortable and could finally look up and enjoy the scenery.

We had a campfire every night…a traditional part of our camping trips. S’mores and a sip of Bourbon make for the perfect grownup campfire indulgence.

The cloud cover on our last evening at the park provided an outstanding sunset that reflected onto the mountain for this unforgettable sight.

Oh Wait Neal…Look at this Pretty Little State Park ~ 21

Our stay in Texas for the month of February was chock full of new stuff…new places, new people and new adventures but most of it was discovered while wearing our well worn winter clothing.  Texas in February was not warm. Neal was insistent that March be full of sun burn and heat stroke. The Weather Channel app on my I-Phone flashed rows of sunny icons and warm temperatures day after day for the Phoenix area. We looked no farther and pointed the camper westward.

“But wait Neal, look at this state park just inside the border of Arizona. We’ve never been to Safford.”

With a grimace, he retrieved his fleece from the closet…he knew it was no use. We took a right turn off of Route 10 onto Route 191 and headed north to Roper Lake State Park. Hot Sunny Phoenix will still be there in a few days.

Roper Lake State Park ~ Safford, Arizona

The sites were very large and roomy with 50 amps and water. Each site had a small pavilion for shade and a fire pit.

We woke each morning to Mt Graham out our front window. Today clouds hovered over the snow capped monster.

Beautiful Roper Lake lay out our back window.

There are 5 miles of hiking…

…and mountain biking trails in the park.

Mt. Graham stands tall and frozen on this clear day.

After hiking, biking or paddling on the lake, a dip in the spring fed hot tub is just the ticket.