Roosevelt Lake Arizona with more saguaro

Google blogs have a new updated system for posting pictures and while trying to learn the new system we got a lot of these pictures out of the order we wanted them in.  So if we jump back and forth please excuse us.

Still at Roosevelt Lake and enjoying the sun, desert and water.  Took a ride one day and saw this unbelievable Saguaro.  The only problem we were in shorts and flip-flops but had to zig zag our way through the thick bushes full of sharp poky thorns.  We finally found our way to this guy that was about one to two thousand yards off the road.  When we got there we found that this was not just one saguaro but a group of six growing in a very tight knot.  You get a better idea of the size with Jackie standing next to it.

Back at our camp the evening Arizona sky was on fire again.  Just had to step out our door to enjoy this beauty.  We have the best site in the park with views out three sides of the rig and a short walk over the rocks to the water.

 Took a day trip over the Apache trail, a narrow dirt road through the desert and over the mountains with unique colors in the hills.  Well, we should say lots of shades of brown with some vivid red in it and maybe a little green.

 The Apache trail road we followed to the base of the mountain.

Another shot showing some of the beauty of this area.

A pair of another big guys growing out in the desert and another trek with shorts through the desert to get closer for some shots.  What Dick isn't telling you is that he got really scratched up taking these pictures (or actually going across the desert so Jackie could take the pictures from the jeep)!

 Ouch!!! who is the idiot who would put his hand out to rest against this monster?

Look closely and figure out who that weird guy is standing out in the desert with his arms sticking up in the air.

 Out of order but Robbie had set up this feeder and we got this shot in the shade.  Next time will try to get a good shot in the sun to show off the bright colors..

We got our boat out and headed out for a tour with Robbie and Alice.  Spent part of two days out on the water and had a ball.  Good upper body workout.  And the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

 Out of any order but another view from our site.

And this is what saguaro  look like when they finally dry out and die.  Hard to find these still standing as they fall shortly after they die.  This one must be over 30' tall.

It was hard to leave this beautiful place where we'd had so much fun with friends, but we pulled out today and are spending one night back at Casa Grande.  We will be heading to California in the morning (actually Pilot Knob, just across the California border from Yuma).  Did get some great shots of the sunset and a rainbow over the park but that will have to wait for the next blog.

To be continued...



Off to Roosevelt Lake, AZ

After 3 plus weeks we finally hitched up the Jeep and headed west about 20 miles to Ehrenberg Arizona on the Colorado river to try and clean out all the dust from inside and outside of the MH and the Jeep. The tanks are clean and empty and ready to start over again on another venture.

The evening view out the back of our site looking across the river into California we witnessed another beautiful sunset.

Still another look before heading out the next day. We headed to Roosevelt Lake with a two day stop back in Casa Grande to cut the long distance of travel into two days. One of the fun things about this lifestyle is the friends you continually run across on your travels. Fifteen minutes after arriving at Casa Grande, who pulls up next to us but old friends Charlie and Nila. We had a chance to sit and chat before they headed out in the morning.

We pulled out and headed over the mountains, found a great site next to the lake and settled in for another week or two of dry camping with a view to die for. The saguaro in this part of the Tonto National Forest are several hundred years old and are just huge.

The bridge crosses over in front of the dam and Dick thought the arch reflections in the water were significant for a picture but hard to see.

A little out of sequence but a view from our campsite, which Alice described as the "primo" site.

But better still is a view looking from another directions at friends that we get to share more time with. Robbie and Alice and Alice's sister Mary and her husband Bill who we had the pleasure of meeting last year, as well as Steve and Jeanie (not in the picture).

We took a trip down the road today to visit the Tonto National Monument Cliff Dwellings. This is the lower cave with a short 3/4 mile hike up the side of the hill. Being the first up there in the morning it was great to have the site to ourselves.

While small it was still exciting to visit the homes last occupied over 700 years ago. The ancient Salado people were farmers and had to travel a long distance down the mountain to tend their crops.

They probably didn't care but they sure had a fantastic view from their front rooms.

No lake, just a river when these people lived here. Yes, that's Jackie on the trail back down the hill and in the distance if you look closely you can see one of the many campgrounds in this area.

We had to take this shot to give an idea of the size of the saguaro.

The hillside also is covered with most of the desert plants including this cholla with the light making the needles glow. But don't try to touch it--they don't call it "jumping cholla" for nothing!

This little guy is one of the birds that makes it's home in the saguaro.

See if you can figure out what this (in focus) picture is of?

To be continued...

The picture above is the reflections of the stain glass window on the side of Robbie and Alice's RV.