After completing several modifications to my van, I was anxious to get away for a few days and test everything out, kind of a shakedown trip if you will. The best way to find out what works and what doesn’t is to jump in and try it for a while – that’s one thing I learned on the AT. I decided to take a week and explore the area northeast of Mesa, a diverse land rich in history, surrounded by beautiful mountains, and steeped with culture of the mysterious Apache Indians. I resolved to take my time and enjoy everything in slowmotion. So many times when I travel I try to see too much, and when I move on, I always regret that I didn’t linger longer. This strategy seemed to compliment my current configuration of campervan and motorcycle. I figured I could park the van in a central place and tour short, side trips on the bike.I left Mesa early Monday and drove north into the Tonto National Forest. It was an easy drive to Globe, AZ, where I turned northwest onto rt 188, climbed over a couple of passes where the Apache Trail once followed, and arrived early at Roosevelt Lake. I purchased a couple of camping passes at the visitors center and drove down to the campground to see what my fee bought. The answer was amazingly good. For $3/night I have my pick of well over a hundred sites, each with a picnic table, shelter, a water source, and a level parking spot. There are flush toilets and showers, too. I wish we could have found accomidations like this on the AT. I chose a site that was secluded but still had a view of the lake and parked for the night. Van camping is so easy. All I have to do is park. There is no tent to set up, no water to filter, no air mattress to blow up, and I don’t have to worry about how heavy the food is I’m carrying. I don’t mean to keep comparing everything to my hike on the AT but I think there is a lesson here – if you can survive and be happy with all your possessions in a backpack, it stands to reason that you can be happy with just about any travel vehicle.I unloaded my motorcycle and set off to see Roosevelt Dam. The weather was perfect for a ride along the lake and I dipped the bike into several campground areas, picnic areas, and marinas along the way. There is one free camping area along the north shore of the lake but it seemed to exposed and barren to justify saving three dollars. Maybe if I was just stopping for the night it would be okay.I’m not one to go into detail about statistics of places I visit. If you are one of those people that remembers how many cubic tons of concrete were used, what the span is, when it was built, how many people died building it, and how many thousands of acres of water it holds, you will have to go online and look it up. You won’t get it here. Lets just say it’s a massive structure and let it go at that.Tomorrow I will hike up to the cliff dwellings. The neat thing about that is I get in free with my Golden Access Pass.
Glad to hear from you. Hope your van works out well for you. I bet sleeping in it in the woods will seem very cozy.
IRI