After leaving Arizona, we made our way north by way of eastern Nevada, going through Caliente, Ely and Wells, NV.
Wheeler Peak Great Basin National Park
On the way there, we drove along the backside of Great Basin National Park. I could see Wheeler Peak in the distance. We drove to the top of it when we visited the park last year. The 13,000’ peak still had snow on it.
In Ely, we stopped for four nights so we could ride the Nevada Northern Railway and visit the Museum. The Railway is a National Historic Landmark and the museum complex includes a rail yard on 56 acres with 63 structures to explore.
We enjoyed a 90 minute ride in an old passenger car pulled by a steam locomotive.
The train depot for the Northern Nevada Railway.The elevation of Ely is 6,437 feet. In winter, this snowplow was used to clear the snow off the tracks.Water tower for Northern Nevada Railway.The conductor punches our tickets.
The ride took us through the hills around Ely to a large copper mine and back. Along the way we learned about local history.
We view the historic town of Ely, Nevada, on our train ride out to the mine.
As we head out of town and uphill, the smoke gets blacker.
Northern Nevada RailwayTailings from the Robinson copper mine.
Copper was used for wiring homes for electricity in the late 1890s. This was once a thriving mine and is still being mined today.
Humorous grave yard on the way to the Robinson copper mine.
On the way back, we were told that sometimes the train gets held up by bandits, but we didn’t see any that day. We did, however, see the graveyard and fake western town nearby.
On our way there and back, this fellow with his little dog on the back rode along the highway parallel to the railroad track.
As we arrived back at the depot, we see the rainbow at our journey’s end as the locomotive lets off steam.
While we were in the Cottonwood area, we visited a few other places nearby. Jerome, 9 miles away, is a ghost town that has come back to life. It is now a tourist trap. Jerome State Historic Park is worth visiting.
The “ghost town” of Jerome is coming alive once more.
We drove the windy road through Jerome to Prescott, Arizona, where I spent one summer of my life as a kitchen helper at Prescott Pines Campground. The campground is a few miles outside of town. In many ways it looked the same, just updated.
The chapel at Prescott Pines Campground where I worked as kitchen staff in 1972.
While we were in Cottonwood, we flew to Texas for a week-long stay with my dad while my sister was on vacation. We visited Round Rock, Texas, a pretty little town and the home of the beautiful historic Woodbine Mansion which is now a wedding venue.
Round Rock, Texas, main street.Woodbine Mansion in Round Rock, Texas
Another day, we visited the Texas Military Museum in Austin. It was large, so we saw just a small portion of it. We plan to visit it again someday.
Texas Military Museum
When we got back to Cottonwood, it was time to head back to California for the birth of our 10th grandchild. We used our Harvest Host membership for the first time and stayed overnight in the parking lot of Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner about 10 miles from Barstow, California.
Inside gift shop at Peggy Sue’s 50s Diner
We stayed at our Thousand Trails Encore park in Oceano until our grandchild was born, helping the family with meals and laundry and other such things. Getting to be around the grandkids is always fun, but we made sure we took time for a side trip to Morro Bay for a lunch near the water.
Morro Bay, CA, marina
With the new baby welcomed, we made one last visit to our storage unit before heading north for our summer travels. The campground where we like to stay is in Oakhurst, CA. There is a beautiful little waterfall and wildflowers just behind the campsites and plenty of shade.
Our waterfall at Oakhurst, CA.Wildflowers at Oakhurst, CA.Our campsite at Oakhurst, CA.
We probably moved too soon to Cottonwood, Arizona, in mid-February. The elevation of Cottonwood is 2,000 feet higher than the Phoenix area. The first couple of nights the pipes froze that supplied our water. After that, we left the water dripping during the night. The days were warm and pleasant, however.
DEAD HORSE RANCH STATE PARK
We took a day trip to Dead Horse Ranch State Park. There is a story about how it got its name. Calvin Ireys bought the ranch in 1950. The first time the family looked at the ranch to purchase, they saw a dead horse lying in a field. After buying the property, they named it Dead Horse Ranch. In 1971, Ireys sold the ranch to the state for a state park. Today the park is 423 acres with 10 miles of hiking trails, 150 campground sites and several picnic areas.
We took a walk on the “Canopy” trail which is just a quarter of a mile long.
Canopy Trail Dead Horse Ranch State ParkCanopy TrailCanopy TrailCanopy trail to bird feeders
We sat on a bench and watched the birds at the bird feeders.
Canopy trail Bird feeder at Canopy Trail
Later we took a short hike down this trail by the Verde River.
Trail to Verde River, Dead Horse Ranch State ParkVerde River
“Verde” means “green” in Spanish, and it is green! The cottonwood trees that surround the river on both sides were dormant. In spring or summer, they would be a brilliant lush green.
Verde River
We saw some horseback riders.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Later we drove around the park and found the “West Lagoon”. I got out to take some photos and walked on the pathway that goes completely around the lagoon. (about .7 miles)
Lagoon at Dead Horse Ranch State Park
The lagoon was home to much wildlife.
We got some exercise and enjoyed the scenery and wildlife. It would be nice to see the Cottonwood trees (which the town is named after) in spring and summer when they have their full foliage. It’s a bright green, which gives another reason for the name Verde Valley. The entire valley is a green oasis in the desert, surrounded by red rock rimmed mountains. It’s a place to see!
The Airstream reflects the evening sunset in Cottonwood, AZ.
Mesa, Arizona, is a place where snowbirds stay during winter. Occasionally, it gets really cold there too. We were wintering in Mesa hoping to get some really nice weather, but when we arrived, it was chilly. A couple of storms blew in blanketing the surrounding mountains in snow.
Stormy clouds over Mesa, Arizona.Four Peaks as seen from Mesa, Arizona
It’s not usual for the Four Peaks (above) to get snow in winter, but it is for Superstition Mountain (below). This storm really blanketed the Four Peaks, and dumped a fair amount on Superstition too.
Superstition Mountain after snow storm
It only lasted a couple of days before it melted.
Superstition Mountain
We spent most of January in the area mostly getting medical visits taken care of. It was also nice being close to so many stores. It made shopping really easy. We enjoyed eating out several times too.
Sunset at Monte Vista RV Resort, Mesa, Arizona.d
One thing about Arizona, the sunsets are fabulous!
During November and December, we enjoyed spending the holidays with our kids and grandkids. In January as we were headed out of California again to spend the rest of the winter months in Arizona, disaster struck.
California has bio-diesel at a much cheaper price than Diesel #2. We thought we were saving money. Now we know better. Apparently, our truck has a unique fuel pump that can’t handle bio-diesel. It failed and all the metal parts were distributed throughout its fuel system. Three weeks and thousands of dollars later, we were wiser but poorer. Thankfully, we were able to spend those three weeks in a nice campground near Santa Barbara while the truck was being repaired.
The hills outside Santa Barbara, California.
We were surrounded by mountains, and the hills were beautiful in the evening light.
The campground was a working ranch with horses a plenty. I took the opportunity to get acquainted with some of the equine one afternoon.
Rancho Osa outside Santa Barbara, California, is a working ranch.
Our main concern was not being able to shop for groceries. Although there was a country store on the campground, the selection was very limited, especially when it came to fresh food and meat. After a couple of weeks, our supplies were very low. Our daughter, Ann, rescued us by driving there and taking us grocery shopping one afternoon in Santa Barbara. We were very grateful.
Because of the pandemic, auto parts were delayed in coming. We had a great mechanic, and the park rangers were very helpful in extending our stay. The hardest part of being stuck there for three weeks, was the lack of communication. The campground was in a canyon. We had to walk to another part of the campground to get enough phone signal to make a phone call.
One way to spend time while we were waiting for our truck to be repaired was to take walks in the afternoon or evening discovering the beauty around us.
Prickly pear cactusBloom where you’re planted!
We were so grateful to have our truck back, and in the future, we would love to explore this area more.
By October, we were in northern Arizona headed south to warmer weather where we would spend the winter. We stayed a couple of days in Waweep RV Park which is just south of the Utah/Arizona border near Page, AZ. Our cell phones were constantly confused about the time since Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings time and Utah does. The campground was very nice with the campsites spaced out nicely. We could look out our windows and see the mountains and Lake Powell.
Our campsite at Waweep RV Park near Page, Arizona.My morning walk down the path to Lake Powell.
A nice pathway winds through the campground and down to the lake. I took a walk one morning and just enjoyed the beauty of the rocks, mountains and water. Each evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
One of the items on my bucket list was to visit Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. It just so happened it was only a few miles away from our campground. Although it is on Indian land, it is accessible to the public. There is, however, a $10 charge to park. The trail is paved and there are a couple of shaded benches along the way. We were warned to take water with us since it can get quite hot and the hike is a 1.5 mile round trip. The hike is a gradual downhill walk. At the lookout, there are guardrails along the edge. It was quite an experience looking down a 1,000 foot drop. Down below I could see tiny figures that I realized were people kayaking on the river. My cell phone wasn’t able to get the whole view, but fortunately I brought along two other cameras that had wide-angle lenses that were able to capture the entire view. Even then, it was impossible to get the entire view in one shot. I did some research and found that timing is important. If you get there too early or too late in the day, the canyon is in shadow, so I made sure I timed it just right.
Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River near Page, Arizona.It’s a 1,000 foot drop to the canyon floor below.
APACHE JUNCTION, AZ
Although it was October, the temperatures were still in the 90’s. We headed to Apache Junction (near Mesa, AZ) to stay in one of our Thousand Trail Encore parks. While we were there, we took a day trip to Canyon Lake.
Canyon Lake
Along Highway 88 from Apache Junction to Canyon Lake was a pull out with a trail to Weaver’s Needle, a rock spire in the Superstition Mountains. I hiked to the end of the trail hoping to get a photo of the needle. I was disappointed that I could only see the tip of the needle in the far distance. A zoom lens helped me get a little closer look.
Path to Weaver’s Needle falls short of a good view.
There is a legend that the shadow of Weaver’s Needle points to the Lost Dutchman’s Mine at a particular time of year.
Even with a zoom lens, Weaver’s Needle is barely visible.
Apache Junction sits at the foot of the beautiful Superstition Mountains. The mountain faces west, so as the sun sets, the mountain reflects the colors of the sunset. There’s a state park there now—Lost Dutchman State Park—with hiking trails. One day I hiked on one of the trails to get some photos of the mountain and the desert.
But my favorite time of day was in the evening when the cacti were silhouetted against a flaming sky of color.
Arizona sunsets are the best!
It was time to head to California to spend the holidays with family.
We stayed for two weeks in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, a small town with a population of less than 1,000. There are lots of beautiful areas in and around this quaint little mining town.
Nearby, there are wheat and hay farms. Everyone grows hay here, it seems. They roll the hay in big bales and use most of it for feeding their own livestock. Winters are harsh here, so I’m sure it takes a lot of hay to last all winter long.
One afternoon, we drove around the back dirt roads around the town. Here are some of the sights we saw.
One day while driving toward Bozeman, Montana, we found this quaint old church from 1898.
And nearby was this iconic view of a typical Montana ranch. Notice the rows of bales of hay to the right.
In September, we moved to a KOA outside of Townsend, Montana, just a few miles from Helena, Montana. One evening it rained and we could see snow on the nearby mountains across the lake. However, in a couple of days the temperature was up in the 80’s again.
As we made our way south, we stayed in Downey, Idaho, for a couple of nights. We were really close to Bear Lake in the corner of Southeast Idaho and northeast Utah, so we decided to take a day trip to see it. We drove most of the way around the lake. It was hazy from the wildfires, but the water was still a beautiful turquoise blue.
Further south, we stayed at a nice campground in Duchesne (pronounced du-shane), Utah, which was right by a reservoir. It would have been nicer if there wasn’t so much smoke from a nearby fire.
Zion National Park is bigger than I thought! We drove into Kolob Canyon little realizing it was a part of Zion NP. However, there is no road to the main part of Zion through Kolob Canyon. It’s a dead end road. But the beautiful red rocks cliffs are just as stunning.
This was a nice short trip to the backside of Zion to see more of these amazing rocks.
Two more nearby sites we saw while camping in Hurricane, Utah, were the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) Camp in Leeds, Utah, and an old ghost town that was a former mining town called Silver Reef.
The CCC was an organization started from 1933 to 1942. It was a work relief program for young men between 17 and 28 years old. It provided manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by the federal, state and local governments. It provided them with food, clothing and shelter plus a wage, part of which was sent home to their families.
Silver Reef was once the site of a silver mine in 1866. Geologists were at first uncertain about the claim since silver is not normally found in sandstone.
On the way to Bryce Canyon, we passed through Red Rock Canyon. In Bryce, you are looking down into the canyon. However, in Red Rock Canyon, you are down in the canyon looking up.
The red rock spires reach into the sky.
We drove on to Bryce Canyon where we saw this awe-inspiring display at Sunset Point. It wasn’t sunset, but the rocks were beautifully reflecting the afternoon light. Down below were trails, wildlife and conifers. It you look closely, you can see the tops of the trees.
Bryce Canyon is a changing landscape. The spires, or hoodoos, as they are called, continue to change through erosion from wind, rain, snow and ice.
Bryce Canyon National Park is a rather narrow but long national park positioned along the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. In the distance are the gray, white and vermillion cliffs that stair-step down to the land below. The elevation at the rim varies between 8,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation, thus the expansive views.
At around mile 12 of the road into the park, there is a “natural bridge,” which is really a natural arch. The name was given so long ago that it stuck. A true natural bridge by definition is formed by flowing water that cuts through the sandstone. This arch was formed by other means.
Looking across the span of Bryce NP at the end of the road at Rainbow Point.
We enjoyed our day at Bryce Canyon National Park. We would like to go back some day to spend more time there.
While staying in southern Utah, we took a day trip to see the fall foliage. Driving up the canyon on Hwy 9, we caught some leaves turning beautiful colors.
We stopped at a county park where I hiked up a hill pathway to see where it might lead. I was rewarded with this beautiful pond capturing the reflection of the golden aspen trees.
