My Trails

I took a ride around four of the campgrounds here at Windy Hills Recreation Site and there are only a handful of sites left. This weekend is going to bring a mob of people to this lake. Quite a few campers have boats. They usually pull out early in the morning, drive to the boat ramps, and spend a few hours out there playing in the water. I’m not sure how good the fishing is but more than a few fishermen must be throwing their fish guts in the dumpsters – I’m camped by one that really reeks!

Hold your nose!

I haven’t been doing a whole lot since I arrived here. I sort of hurt my back when I tried to lift my motorcycle last week after I had a flat tire. The only time it feels good is when I lay flat on my back, so I’ve been doing a lot of that. Today it feels much better, thanks. I did make a tripod of sorts for my satellite dish. It is still in the experimental stage and I have some more modifications to make on it. That’s why you see rocks doing most of the work of holding it up.

I also decided to load my motorcycle without dropping it into the slots for the tires. The whole purpose of the slots is to secure the tires so nothing will move, but getting the bike raised up and out of the slots has become too much work. I figure I can use more tie-downs to hold it on. I hope it works – the last thing I want to see is my motorcycle sliding down the shoulder of the road as I glance in my rear-view mirror.

A short drive from Mesa to just east of Superior, rewarded me with 15 degree cooler temperatures. It is 97 in Mesa as I write this and a relatively moderate 82 degrees here at Oak Flats Campground. What a difference a couple thousand feet make. The campground is quite full, comprising many sites of cobbled together tarps and tents and ropes, giving the appearance that some of the occupants have been here for quite some time. I chose a site on a side spur that had a couple of tenters nearby but seperated by some trees. As I was setting up one of my neighbors began chanting and singing in what I assumed was native Indian song but sounded more like someone confined to a mental institution against their will.

I will stay here for a couple days and then go over to Roosevelt Lake. One of the drawbacks to this place is that the cell signal is slim to none, but I can make do for a little while.

With temperatures climbing into the 90s it is time to think about migrating north. Most of the RV crowd out here in the recreation area has left for cooler climate or moved into parks where they can run air conditioners.

Can you see Minnie?

Unfortunately, paperwork that is scheduled to arrive at Daryl’s in the near future is keeping me in the Phoenix area. I suppose I could move into a paid parking place with hookups but that goes against my self-sufficient policy.

I now finally have a functioning refrigerator. Richard and I agonized for weeks over what could be causing it to refuse its cooling process and finally discovered a blockage in the gas delivery system. Once we got the proper flame to the unit, it started cooling the way it’s supposed to. I have been storing some ice cream bars in the freezer that sure hit the spot when it is 95 degrees in the shade.

I’m planning on moving tomorrow. It’s still up for debate where I will go and I plan to update you with that information once one of the voices in my head wins the argument.