Tonto, Roosevelt and Phoenicians

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Yesterday we decided to just stay put in Roper Lake State Park and take it easy. We rested, blogged, read and rested some more. Kerry and Gena went down to the “island” and walked around and waded in the lake. After supper we all went into the hot tub for a little more relaxing.

This morning we packed up and headed to Tonto National Monument. It was a beautiful drive through the high desert and past Roosevelt Lake. At Tonto NM are some well-preserved cliff dwellings from the 1600’s and before. The saguaro cactus, along with most of the other cactus species, are in bloom. Tonto (which the ranger said means “foolish” in Spanish) also overlooks Roosevelt Lake. Quite a stunning site in the middle of the desert.

The road we planned to take from Tonto to Phoenix, turned out to begin with 22 miles of twisty, steep gravel road. It may have been Kerry’s ideal adventure road, but we outvoted him 3 to 1 and backtracked to Globe, AZ. From there it was Hwy 60 and an easy drive into Phoenix, except for the road work that held us up for 30 minutes or so in Claypool. The area around Globe is apparently copper mining area, with processing plants and mining paraphernalia in evidence.

Once in Phoenix we planned to stay at the same campground we used 3 years ago, but ended up at the wrong place. But since this campground is closer to Skip and Mary’s house, we decided to stay. Once set up, we drove to their house for a delicious supper and an evening of pleasant conversation. We’ll spend tomorrow with them before heading west on Thursday.

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Photos

Saguaro Cactus on hillside
Tonto National Forest

High Desert Beauty
Tonto National Forest

Saguaro Cactus flower buds
at Tonto National Monument

Roosevelt Lake
from Tonto NM

Bloom on Saguaro Cactus
at Tonto NM

Flower Bud
on Cholla Cactus

Cliff Dwelling
at Tonto NM

Barrel Cactus
on fertility drugs

Bridge over Roosevelt Lake
Roosevelt Lake NRA

Mine or quarry
near Claypool, AZ

Comments

[Peggy]

Love those cactus pictures

[Silver Back Cuda]

Gotta Get To the South West
Thanks for the excellent information about your trip through the dessert - We have something similar on our "short list" as soon as we REALLY retire and have more time. We drive a class A "gasser." Do you think we need diesel to get us out there - mountains and all?

[OffOurRocker]

Gotta Go to the SW
We travel with cousins and both vehicles run on gasoline. In fact my cousins traded in the jeep they used to pull their trailer due to the higher price of diesel. We've had no trouble pulling trailers through the mountains and gas is easy enough to find. Enjoy the southwest, it's beautiful. Lots to see.