Back in Arizona...Distant Drums RV Resort

April 22     Bluewater Lake - Camp Verde     285 miles     6 hours 30 minutes

When we got up this morning, it was 29 degrees...chilly!!

Nice scenery with the snow capped mountain and train

We took our time driving to Camp Verde, Arizona. On the drive over, our air conditioning crapped out on us. We stopped at Walmart in Flagstaff and Joe bought something to try and give it a boost but no luck. Looks like we need to find someone to fix it here in Camp Verde.

We checked in at Distant Drums RV Resort, rated 10/10/10 in Good Sam so very nice. Its location is very convenient to a lot of sights to see in the area. The weekly rate here is $239.00.

Our site for the week

Nice pool and hot tub area

We went to the pool this afternoon and got a tip from a couple, that the casino down the road had a prime rib buffet tonight for $16.99. Of course, we had to go. Was the worst prime rib ever, what a waste of money. Then we played some blackjack and lost....oh well.

April 23

We went sightseeing today. First stop, Montezuma Castle. Southern Sinagua farmers built this five-story, 20-room dwelling sometime between 1100 and 1300. It occupies a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley.

This lizard was huge

The legacy of the Sinagua culture surrounds you during a visit to Montezuma Well. From cliff dwellings perched along the rim to large pueblo ruins and an ancient pit house, the variety of these archeological sites is a testament to the ingenuity of these people. In a region where water is scarce, at Montezuma Well is rises from deep underground and flows constantly. Known and used by people throughout time, Montezuma Well is a sacred landscape today. It's a holy place of emergence in some tribal histories.

Last stop was V Bar V Heritage Site. This is the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley, as well as being one of the best preserved. There was a nice walk out to where the actual site is located. There was a park ranger on site to inform visitors of what the believed interpretation is of the wall coverings.

April 24

More sightseeing today. First stop, Tuzigoot National Monument. Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo built by a culture known as the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000. The Sinagua were agriculturalists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles. The people left the area around 1400. The site is currently comprised of 382 acres.

"America's Most Vertical City" and "Largest Ghost Town in America" located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet) between Prescott and Flagstaff is the historic copper mining town of Jerome. Once know as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community.

Jerome

Jerome's personality has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. Once a thriving mining camp between the late 1880's and early 1950's, Jerome is now a bustling tourist magnet and artistic community with a population of about 450.

April 25

Today we drove to Watson Lake and saw the Granite Dells, a geological feature north of Prescott. The Dells consist of exposed bedrock and large boulders of granite that have eroded into an unusual lumpy, rippled appearance. Very cool to look at.

Couple of turtles

We ended up hiking about 4 miles on the Peavine Trail. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to complete, very enjoyable hike. Lots of turtles sunning themselves along with some other wildlife.

Crane

Very scenic

After the hike we found a place to park and have lunch. I packed a cooler and we were hungry. When I started to unpack everything for my egg sandwiches, I realized I forgot the bread. So mad at myself, Joe was not happy. I ended up making lettuce wraps with the egg salad. Joe wanted no part of this, he just ate some fruit.

Our last stop in Prescott was Whiskey Row. By the early 1870's a full block of saloons, gambling halls and hotels made this the wildest part of town. On July 14, 1900, a disastrous fire swept through the row and destroyed four and a half blocks of the business district. The row rebuilt quickly and still serves as a focal point of Prescott. Nowadays, Whiskey Row is known for its art galleries, candy shops, and of course its famous saloons.




April 26

Today we went to Sedona. Start with scenery that makes your heart leap. Sedona nestles among a geological wonderland. Multi-hued stone formations jut upwards from the high desert floor creating a vivid, mesmerizing setting that changes hourly with the light. When USA Weekend compiled their Most Beautiful Places in America list, Sedona claimed the top spot.

We drove through town and got on Dry Creek Road and found the trail head for Fay Canyon. A beautiful hike though a canyon with wonderful views. Was about 2.2 miles and took us about an hour.

Next stop was Slide Rock State Park.

It takes its name from the natural water slide formed by the slippery bed of Oak Creek. The water was very cold but was really fun sliding on those rocks. Perfect place to spend the day with family and friends. There is a $10.00 entry fee but worth it.

Joe trying to slide down

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Beto's Corner. So good, we really pigged out.

April 27

We've been busy doing something everyday so today we decided to stay home and do some chores. We washed and waxed the Kia, then cleaned the inside of the RV. Joe wanted to polish the outside of the RV but ran out of gas. We went to the pool and hot tub in the afternoon.

April 28

We went to Sedona again and did another hike. This time it was the Courthouse Butte Loop Trail. It loops around Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. We went kind of early so was nice because there was hardly anyone on the trail. It was longer than I thought, over 4 miles. It took us almost 2 hours to complete. Very scenic, so I stop a lot to take pictures. It was pretty chilly, when we started it was about 60 degrees. There's so much hiking in this area, wish we had a few more days.

Morning sun hitting the rocks

Courthouse Butte

Bell Rock

This is our last day here in Camp Verde. We've really enjoyed this past week. This RV park is real nice, especially the pool and hot tub that we use every afternoon. Hope to come back soon.

Bottomless Lake, Albq, Bluewater Lake

April 16     Brantley Lake - Bottomless Lake State Park     88 miles     2 hours 30 mins

Today is Easter so when we arrived at this park there were a lot of locals picnicking for the day. We got lucky and got a decent site with electric and water. We'll be here for two nights. The lake area was full all day with people enjoying the water because it was a beautiful, hot, sunny day. People stayed till late, it gets dark around 8pm and still had people in the water.

Campground on the left

The park is located along the Pecos River. The unique lakes at this park are sinkholes, ranging from 17 to 90 feet deep. The greenish-blue color created by aquatic plants is what gives the lakes the illusion of great depth.



April 17

Bottomless Lake State Park is located a few miles out of Roswell. Today we drove to Roswell and went to the International UFO Museum.

There was an incident in July 1947. It was reported in the newspapers and radio stations around the world. The next morning the article given to the media from Gen. Roger Ramey stated the "saucer" was really a weather balloon. This was the start of the best known and most documented UFO cover-up. The events of July 1947 were exposed and the quickly silenced for 30 years. It wasn't until Stanton Friedman started investigating the Roswell Incident in 1979 that the public was introduced to what happened in the Roswell area that July in 1947.

We had mixed feelings about this place. We're not UFO buffs. The exhibits are mostly newspaper clippings, photos, and signed affidavits of people who "witnessed the crash".

We're not truly convinced that aliens exist but it gives you something to think about.....

Lunch was at La Escondida Cafe. I found this place on Yelp and it turned out to be very, very good. Joe had chimichanga and I had enchiladas. The servings were huge and we also had chips and salsa and sopapillas for dessert...we ate everything.

In the late afternoon we took a walk around the campground and the lake. The water was real nice and it was hot so we changed and jumped in. It's like swimming in ice water but you adjust to it and it feels real good.

The water was pretty clear.....for a lake

April 18     Bottomless Lake - Albuquerque     226 miles     6 hours 15 minutes

Our initial plan was to drive to Santa Rosa Lake today and go swimming at the Blue Hole. It's going to be windy out there for the next 3 days so we decided to skip the Blue Hole and drive straight to Albuquerque. We've been to the Blue Hole before so its okay to skip it this trip.

We're staying at Enchanted Trails RV Park for 2 nights. They offer a Passport America rate so for 2 nights its $36.13. We have to catch up on our laundry, its been almost 4 weeks. Kind of tired of washing my underwear by hand. They have a pool but when we got here, it wasn't filled...bummer.

On our way over here, we stopped at Costco to fill gas, have lunch, and shop for food. That's why we took over 6 hours to get to Albuquerque.

April 19

San Felipe De Neri, oldest church in Albuquerque 

We drove to Purcell Tire in Albuquerque to rotate and align the tires on the RV. We dropped it off at 8am and was told that it would take about 2 hours. We took a drive out to Balloon Park, then drove to Old Town Albuquerque to find something that Miki wanted us to pick up. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel which we always enjoy.

Miki's special order

We went back to Purcell Tire around 12pm but it wasn't ready. They told us 2 more hours. We were not happy. We took a walk to Costco and had ice cream to kill some time then went back and waited some more. The RV was finally ready at 245pm. I was really pissed but they took off about $60 for the inconvenience.

Camping World is right next to our campground so we took a walk over there to check out some motor homes. We got some valuable information about buying and registering in New Mexico.

April 20     Albuquerque - Bluewater Lake State Park     92 miles     2 hours

This is our last New Mexico State Park. This serene lake, located 25 miles west of Grants, is set in a pinon-juniper landscape with views towards the Zuni Mountains. The drive to the park is about 7 miles south of I-40, and requires going up and down the mountain. The elevation is over 7,000 feet here and the air is thin. It's also very chilly.

The lake wasn't that attractive, water very dirty looking. We have an electric site for 2 nites. No water at the site but water stations located around the park.

Our walk around the lake

We took a long walk along the lake and through the campground. Also walked to the edge of the canyon. Looking into the canyon was pretty impressive and very scenic. This park has wild horses that make an appearance in the early evening. Plenty of horses walking through the campground just cruising, pretty awesome.

Looking for food around the campsites

April 21

It's very windy and cold today. When we woke up at 7am it was 37 degrees. We took a walk around the campground then went up to the Bluewater Lake Dam overlook. I think the high today was about 70 degrees.

Dam Overlook

RV's camping right along the shore

To recap our New Mexico adventure....we bought a New Mexico State Park Pass for $225.00 and went to 7 parks. We spent 25 nights at the parks....in the end we just about broke even. With the pass we spent $13.00 per night. If we didn't have the pass we would have paid $13.68 per night.

The good thing is, our pass is good until March 2018. If we decide to come back to New Mexico before it expires, we will camp for very cheap.

Aloha New Mexico, off to Arizona tomorrow.