My Trails

A campsite

I was getting tired of all the cold and rainy weather near Payson so I broke camp this morning and headed south. Just a few miles from Phoenix there is a recreation area I had read about in another blog and I decided to check it out.

Buckeye Hills Recreation Area lies a few miles west of Phoenix, in the southwest corner of I10 and Rt.85, amongst sprawling desert landscape similar to what you would find in Quartzsite. Usually, this time of year, it would be too hot to camp here. But this year has not been normal and forecast for this weekend is for highs in the 80’s. While I linger here, a couple hours drive from Phoenix, my hope is that my motorcycle will be fixed soon and I can start my migration north.

This camp is pretty nice. There is a loop road with several sites scattered along it, each with a picnic table, shade canopy, and charcoal stand. Some of the sites will accommodate big rigs, too. There are trashcans, pit toilets, and best of all, it’s free to stay here. I think it was built as a day use picnic area but there are no signs for no camping.

The major drawbacks are overcrowding on the weekends, off road vehicles, and a constant roar of fighter jets headed to Luke AFB. When I came in there were several tent campers and a few trailers. I doubt if many more RV’S will come in this weekend – most full timers have moved north by now.

When and if I ever get my motorcycle back from the Honda service center I will blog about the ordeal. The exact problem and time frame to fix it still seems to be a mystery. I was always afraid of a breakdown on my Sym motorcycle because of finding places to get repairs done. Honda dealers are all over the US and it would be easy to find competent, reliable service people. Wouldn’t you think so?

My type of road.

For the last three weeks I have been camping a few miles north of Phoenix, AZ near the towns of Payson and Cottonwood. The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler at both those locations than it is at the lower altitude around Phoenix, and it has been a good compromise between the weather near Flagstaff – still dealing with freezing temps and occasional snow flurries – and the weather in Phoenix that will be in the high 90’s this week. I didn’t intend to drive back into the inferno of the Valley, but here I am parked at my brother Daryl’s house again.

I have done lots of exploring around Payson and Cottonwood on previous visits but that didn’t stop me from jumping on Honda and riding those same roads again. The Payson area has many scenic forest roads that snake below the Mogillon Rim, offering unlimited adventure and fun. Sometimes when I would find myself on a deserted trail, miles from civilization, I would wonder what would happen if my motorcycle were to quit while I was so far from my motorhome and the thought would conjure up some uneasy feelings.

The day before I left my camp near Payson, Richard and Dianna drove down from their summer, volunteer home at the Blue Ridge Ranger Station and joined me to visit a couple historic sites. On a road north of town we walked through the ruins of an ancient Indian village and then a few miles further stopped to puzzle the existence of a waterwheel built high above the Verde River.

After I moved to Cottonwood, my sister Donna joined me for three days of RV practice and sightseeing. On our first trip up to tour the historic town of Jerome, our motorcycle ride turned out to be both good and bad. We had a great time learning the history of Jerome and visiting the tourist shops, but on the way back Honda decided it didn’t want to start after a quick stop at Walmart. After a lot of tries, I finally got it started and we high-tailed it to home. We were lucky that we weren’t stranded without a way to get back to our RV’s; I’m not sure what we would have done in that case.

I decided to take Honda back to where I bought it to let them fix it. Even though it will be uncomfortable to stay here in this heat for a few days, there is a chance my warranty will cover the repairs to my bike and I can be on my way up north without too much damage to my pocketbook. The service department is backed up for a week but I’m hoping they will get it in ahead of schedule.

On the other hand, it is nice to be back in town where I can see Mom and family here in Tempe and Mesa, but I hope my next post will be several miles closer to the North Pole.