Last week we headed north to the Coconino National Forest with our Turtle (the F350 Dually and slide-in camper). The area is only about four miles as the crow flies from the area where we camped and hiked two weeks ago. Our plan was to explore a different area on the Mogollon Rim, where I spotted (on my array of maps) a vast network of dirt roads that lead into the eastern portion of the West Clear Creek Wilderness.
This wilderness is only about 2 miles wide, but it stretches 40 miles west to east from Camp Verde to the the top of the Mogollon Rim. This is a very special, diverse area in Arizona on the high desert plateau. Elk, bear, coyote, mountain lion, bison, deer, skunk, and squirrels are found in this part of the Coconino National Forest. And we saw hundreds of birds high up in this open forest of pine, spruce, and mountain oak trees. Every afternoon flocks of mountain blue birds visited us at our campsite. It was lovely.
Last fall we hiked up creek by the swimming hole at the western tip of the West Clear Creek Wilderness in the Bullpen Day Use Area. This is considered one of the best swimming holes in Arizona, and Dan and I believe it is one of the best swimming holes we have ever seen in our life!
But this past week we were on opposite side, the eastern portion, of this 40-mile-long wilderness area. We found a great campsite, far off a VERY well maintained dirt road and close to many 4-wheel drive roads where we planned to hike and scout out good campsites far into the hills and canyons above the Wilderness. These campsites may not be possible to get to with the Turtle, but we could reach them with our Rat and Quail (Toyota 4-runner and little Teardrop trailer). Then we would have campsites where we could hike deeper into the wilderness on future desert trips.
Our campsite was at 6900’ elevation and it was an amazing 69 degrees. Mesa is still in the middle of a dry, hot heat wave and was already 90 degrees when we left home 2-1/2 hours earlier!
Here was our homestead for five days:
Every day we hiked up into the wilderness area. The roads are amazingly good, with solid compacted dirt mixed with the natural rock. We found several absolutely wonderful isolated campsites that in the future will offer us a variety of sun or shade possibilities and a base camp for lots of hiking opportunities.
We arrived on a Wednesday and only saw a few other rigs and vehicles, but by Friday afternoon the “weekenders” began to arrive in droves. We discovered that this area is a playground for many other people who love the solitude and beautiful of the desert mountains. We had thought it was humorous that out in the middle of nowhere the rough dirt roads were peppered with traffic signs, but we now realized that two of the roads were the “main drag.”
We loved seeing the groups of families with their big rigs circled around like covered wagons, for protection and socializing. And best of all we saw lots of children running, laughing, and playing. What a wonderful playground for the entire family! It is rare that we see children when we camp in dispersed places. In fact, it is fairly rare to see women.
The dichotomy of leaving Mesa in the midst of a pandemic where many people are social distancing and wearing face masks and this high plateau playground was amazing, striking, and extremely pleasant.
By Saturday the road in front of our “little home” was a stream of pickup trucks, buzzers (OHVs), and dirt bikes. It was such fun to see so many, each in their own way, out enjoying our beautiful wild areas.
Best of all, Dan and I could hike about 1/4 mile from our campsite and then head out on 4-wheel drive roads, and be all alone hiking with each other and the birds flitting through the trees. And, as is almost always the case, we were the ONLY people hiking or even walking on these ancient dirt trail/roads.
The first lupine sighting of the year, “our flower," dating back to our early courting days:
Most of the trial/roads we hiked lead us far out on high peninsulas above the West Clear Creek Wilderness Area. But one day we found ourselves suddenly and unexpectedly in the bottom of a ravine in the Wilderness. It was serene, peaceful, and lovely.
Every afternoon Dan and I spent several lazy, enjoyable hours working on our hobbies. After a long hot summer in Mesa, it was extremely pleasurable to be able to sit comfortably outside IN THE SUN!
Dan worked on painting and constructing two 1919 Hispano Suisa model cars, his latest hobby.
I finished the cutest little baby sweater for our granddaughter. I had started knitting it during our last desert trip. Now I get to start knitting a little matching Cossack hat with ear flaps.
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 Aren't these fox buttons precious?  |
My next project is to make another identical sweater with fox buttons and sweet Cossack hat for our other little baby granddaughter. I can hardly wait to start knitting. My heart fills with happiness as I knit something special for those I love.
Dan and I have discovered that there is a vast network of back country dirt roads that weave throughout our Public Lands in Arizona (and many other states). They are navigable almost all year around, and they actually travel not just to a mountaintop but to a destination, often between two interstate highways. These road are a means of transportation for many, but they a treasure for us and our desert trips!
We headed down off the Mogollon Rim, excited to be going home to Nuestra Casa, our Mesa home. But we plan to be exploring new back country roads again in a week!
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Dan is working on at least 4 model cars at this time: his two Hispano Suisas, a 1931 Model A delivery truck, and a Model A that will be identical to the Model A that he fixed up when he was fifteen. This Model A is the car that he took his driver’s test in, on his sixteenth birthday at 8 a.m., first one in line when the Department of Licensing opened.
He also drove this black 1931 Model A with baby blue wheels to Fort Collins High School and on the weekends cruised up and down the “main drag.” Boy, if I had known Dan way back then, I would have happily been his girlfriend and cruised the “drag” with him....
(Dan here: FINE WITH ME!)
Dan had a special love of cars as a child and he still does!
He has to hurry up and finish more of his model cars so he can fill up the two cabinets that we assembled to display the totally cool and beautiful vintage cars that he has meticulously and lovingly assembled. Each one takes him about four weeks to complete, working about 5 hours a day.
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