Camp Verde, Lake Powell, Page, AZMar 30, 2011
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We were so close to the Eyths at Camp Verde, we could...
The road from Payson north. It is pretty, but it is SNOW!
Beautiful red cliffs leading into Page, AZ
| We had such a nice camping spot and experience at Roosevelt Lake we really hated to leave. But as we always say, the motorhome has wheels and we use them. The trip was over hill and dale and a big mountain that had recent snow on it. Ed kept saying, "isn't this beautiful," and I kept saying, "no." (It was beautiful to look at and even more so as we didn't have to stay in it.) After passing through Payson and the snow in the mountains just north of there, we hit the 6% grade for 9 miles down into the valley where Camp Verde is located. Ever since our brakes went out last year in the Big Horn Mtns., we don't care much for downhills with a grade. But we made it down safely and found our camp site at Camp Verde RV Resort. They offered us a side-by-side with Eyths, which we took, but didn't realize how close we were going to be. We could practically walk out right into each others rigs. The weather was good so we decided to take a side trip to Jerome, AZ, which is a combination abandoned mining town, ghost town, hippie town, artzy-fartzy town. You can see the town from the valley miles away up on the mountainside. We had a fun afternoon exploring the town and got our exercise in too as it is built on 3 different levels - all pretty severe climbs. We had lunch at the Haunted Hamburger and our waitress was from Rochester, MI. She noticed Tim's MSU sweatshirt and asked if we were true Spartan fans or just wannabes. (This was before they lost in the NCAA tournament.) The burgers were great and we shared a wonderful piece of chocolate cake that was big enough for the 4 of us! We could have spent more time in that area exploring, but we had reservations in Page, so headed north again. Another beautiful drive through the Painted Desert and then alongside the red rocks and cliffs that are stunning. The scenery here is so beautiful, you can hardly stand it. After getting all set up, we put the boats in Lake Powell and motored around the coves and rocks that make it so special. There are so many huge houseboats still in dry dock around town that we can't imagine what the lake must be like in the summer months. We beached the boats in a little cove and had a picnic lunch and just enjoyed all the sunshine and blue skies. The only down moment of the day was when Ed was shoving the boat off the sand beach and his sandals got stuck in the quicksand-like sand and he got knocked off his feet and into the water with his camera, wallet and cell phone in his shorts pocket. Yup another cell phone bit the dust. I forgot to mention the boats had to be inspected before they would allow them in Lake Powell because of zebra mussels and other aquatic pests. And when we put the boats in Lake Powell from the huge boat ramps, we looked like little dots from the top of the ramp. One of the best day trips we have taken so far is we took the boats to Lees Ferry, about 40 miles from Page, and put them in the Colorado River. Lees Ferry is where the rafters put in to raft down into the Grand Canyon. We saw a group of rafters getting ready to put in where we did and they had a ton of stuff to get on their rafts. The trips are 3 to 18 days downriver and it looked like they were headed for one of the longer trips. We headed upstream, towards the Glen Canyon Dam, which was 13 miles upstream. It was beautiful. The canyons are steep rock walls, for the most part, that look like they have chiseled out and a beautiful red color. We stopped for lunch at a sandy area and the guys tried their luck trout fishing. Tim caught one and lost one that he said had to have been the biggest trout he had ever had on with a casting rod. Oh well, we ate chicken that night instead of fish. We also took a drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where there was still snow in the woods and the campgrounds are not open yet, and around the Vermilion Cliffs in Utah, which are so spectacular they take your breath away. We are heading into Utah tomorrow and look forward to seeing all the National Parks. Can't imagine seeing anything else that will take our breath away, but we have been told, just wait. Hope spring is arriving back home as we slowly make our way back. It has been warm and sunny here, and we are getting quite used to that kind of weather. We live in such a beautiful country. We love seeing it all. Take care. |
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