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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
High Desert Beauty
Tonto National Forest 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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Peggy
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Love those cactus pictures