Arrival in Phoenix (Apache Junction/Mesa KOA)
We drove for 5.5 hours to get to Phoenix, specifically Apache Junction, where the KOA is located. The drive was pleasant; we could choose to drive a route that took us to a narrow, windy road through Tonto National Forest for the last 30 minutes or Route 10 the whole way, which would have been 15 minutes longer but less scary. We went the scary way. Tonto is really beautiful with towering rocks and high elevation.
I was too scared to take any photos, but here are two from the Internet that are fairly representative; IRL it's quite spectacular.
I was too scared to take any photos, but here are two from the Internet that are fairly representative; IRL it's quite spectacular.
Scott took a picture of the landscape when we stopped in Safford, AZ, for gas, long before Tonto, where the land is classic basin and range, with flat plains and mountains in the distance.
We arrived at the KOA at 3:35. We're always anxious to see what an unfamiliar campground will be like. This one was not too bad for Arizona. The RV parks you see from the highway all over Arizona are downright depressing to me. Who knows? Maybe there are many tucked away from the highway that are lovely, but the ones I see are dumpy, dusty, dry, crowded, and brown. They look like parking lots either in the middle of nothing or riddled through with and surrounded by rusty, decaying buildings and trash.
So this KOA has trees and cacti sprinkled around, and it looks nice. Our site is actually pretty private and nice. I just need to get used to it. It's not perfect, but there are plusses and minuses, and in the end, the plusses far outweigh the negatives.
So this KOA has trees and cacti sprinkled around, and it looks nice. Our site is actually pretty private and nice. I just need to get used to it. It's not perfect, but there are plusses and minuses, and in the end, the plusses far outweigh the negatives.
Minuses of this KOA
- I feel a tenser ambiance, like what rats probably feel when they're packed together in some experiment. Sites are no closer together than in any other KOA, so I don't know where I'm getting the impression. Maybe seeing on arrival a line of people carrying laundry to the laundry room and our placement next to tent sites, with the one next to us a bit hillbilly-looking (although probably pretty pleasant on the inside). UPDATE: The ambiance of this campground is super nice, and all the people we've run into have been as nice as anywhere.
- There is only one bathroom for the whole campground. There are 133 sites! The ladies have 3 toilets and 3 shower stalls. The men have 2 toilets and 3 showers. Scott said there was a line to use the johns when he went at 7:30 am. Update: Scott has been going in a little earlier in the AM and having no problem. I've never had a problem going to the bathroom or getting a shower when I wanted one.
One thing we are doing for the first time on this trip is using our RV toilet, but we use it only for tinkle. We still use the KOA facilities for showers and their toilets for doo-doo. But being able to use the RV kitchen sink for water and washing dishes and the RV toilet has been a game-changer. We didn't hook up to water before on our February trips because we were apprehensive about water freezing and plus we were newbies to the sewer-dumping process. However, on this trip I insisted we use it because I was tired of carrying dirty dishes to the outdoor sink (or the bathroom if there was no outdoor sink!) and trekking to the KOA johns in the middle of the night. If the johns were too far, I'd use a porta potti that I have, but that was a pain because I'd have to empty it every morning. - At Las Cruces, we had full hookup (water, electric, and sewer). Here there is no sewer hookup. So in the middle of the week, we will have to hitch the camper up and drive over to the dump station. It's a chore because there is a lot of leveling and stabilizing that Scott has to do. I'll probably have to secure some stuff inside the camper as well, but not as much as if we were heading onto the road. Update: We have had to dump once, and it was not too bad. It took Scott almost 30 minutes to unhook and get the RV ready to drive 20 yards. So it's ideal to have full hook up, but not too bad if you don't.
- Their wifi sucks. The receptionist warned us it's good only for minimal searching, no streaming. Thank goodness we have our WeBoost and hotspot, though we pay through the ass for the latter. Update: our WeBoost and hotspot have been working pretty well.
- Our site is on the end of a row. In the end, this is awesome because it gives us a lot of privacy. But we are next to a fence that hides the workers' equipment and sheds. They work over there and we hear a lot of noise. My view is fairly blocked, but Scott can see straight over it because he's tall. Update: One day it was super noisy, but it hasn't been bad since.
- There is a hot tub. It is small and tucked into a kind of gross corner, but it exists. Two people were in it yesterday and it didn't look big enough to hold more politely. Update: it holds about 6–8 people. We've been in three times in 6 days, about any time we wanted. We have shared with at most 3 others, and they have been nice.
- Our site is located next to the showers, bathrooms, laundry, pool, and hot tub.
- As mentioned, our site actually gives us great privacy. We will never see neighbors on the main side of the site. The tent people are visible only looking out the window on the other side. We have two big trees at the back of the site with lots of foliage.
- Over the fence, we can see the Superstition Mountains.
Creepy hot tub.
Phoenix, Day 1
We lazed around until about noon. Then we headed over to Usery Mountain Regional Park. We had hiked here two years ago and loved it. And today, OMG we had such a fabulous hike! We started on the same trail, the Blevins Trail, which is a mostly gravel and sand path through hilly terrain filled with a variety of desert plants and sprinkled everywhere with saguaro. It's so gorgeous. We added the Cat's Peak Trail, which climbed to a beautiful view and went through similar terrain as Blevins, though the trail was more narrow. We got back to the parking lot and felt ready for more so we made another loop out of bits of the Noso, Blevins, Cat's Peak, Meridian, and Pass Mountain Trails. It was extremely pleasant, maybe our favorite hike. Total hiking time was about 2.5 hours and about 7.5 miles.
We saw a lot of wildlife! Unfortunately, they all move quickly and it's hard to be sure exactly what you're seeing. We saw a number of rabbits, a lizard (I don't know what's out here but it looked like an anole), prairie dogs, prairie chickens or partridges, chipmunks, a hummingbird, a Gila woodpecker (I think), and a number of sparrow-sized birds with all different sorts of markings.
At our campsite we have routinely mourning doves, thrashers, cactus wrens, and some other birds I haven't identified yet.
At our campsite we have routinely mourning doves, thrashers, cactus wrens, and some other birds I haven't identified yet.
Phoenix, Day 2
We got out about 11 am and headed straight to Usery Mountain Regional Park again. We first hiked the Wind Cave trail, a narrow and steep climb to a cave. It's gorgeous the whole way and a good workout. It got a little scary for me in places, but not as bad as the last time we hiked it two years ago.
Then we went over to Blevins and walked a bit and then picked up the Chain Fruit Trail. It was full of chain fruit cholla (picture below) and all the other usual suspects. Very pretty. Total time hiking was about 2.5 hours. Total miles about 5.
I finally saw a roadrunner as we drove into the park. We saw lots of chipmunks and a few lizards, lots of birds but I don't know what they were. In the nature center, they have a feeder station and we saw lots of birds. There were hummingbirds and a rosy-faced lovebird, an import from Africa, which has proliferated in the wild here, according to the guy at the nature center.
I finally saw a roadrunner as we drove into the park. We saw lots of chipmunks and a few lizards, lots of birds but I don't know what they were. In the nature center, they have a feeder station and we saw lots of birds. There were hummingbirds and a rosy-faced lovebird, an import from Africa, which has proliferated in the wild here, according to the guy at the nature center.
Then we went and had a carb-filled and delicious lunch at Nandos, and then we went to some beautiful courts in Mesa and played tennis for an hour. It was a lot of fun. We got back to the campground and checked out the hot tub hopefully. No dice. It's packed with people who weren't going anywhere. Not much of an amenity if you can never get in it.
Phoenix, Day 3
We woke early--6:30 am mountain time. We had coffee and exercised. At 9 the hot tub was open and empty, so we ran to the camper, got ready, and ran to the hot tub. A guy was stepping into it. We said "screw it, we're going anyway." He was nice, and once we were in the tub, we realized it's plenty big enough to hold 6 stranger couples. I wouldn't want to be the fifth and sixth person stepping into it, but it wouldn't bother me if a fifth and sixth person came in when we were already in it. Anywho, it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Later, another guy came in for about 15 minutes, also nice, and then the original guy's wife. They were from BC, Canada, and we had a nice chat with them.
After hot tub, we headed back to Usery Mountain Regional Park! We hiked Pass Mountain Trail. It was AMAZING. It was 7.5 miles and it took us 4 hours. I logged 22,000 steps on my fitbit. The trail was 98% fun and 2% absurdly scary. The worst was at the peak of the trail; we had to cross what was basically an f-ing cliff face, slanted down toward the cliff below. One fellow jogged across it as I was on my butt gripping the sides with my nails. Another couple passed us and walked across like it was a sidewalk in the city. Scott wasn't afraid at all but I had to cross it on my hands and knees. I was terrified and felt nauseous. After that, the trail was normal again for a bit, and then it got scary, narrow and on the edge of a steep, steep slope; plus, we were high up. The views were absolutely stunning. I wish I wasn't so afraid of heights, but so it is.
This is where I panicked.
Me freaking out on cliff.
Better view of the mountain slope, aka "trail," overlooking death.
Another pic trying to convey the terror of this part of the "trail."
All in all, we walked 7.5 miles and it took us nearly 4 hours. I saw a what I think was a quail! I also saw what I am pretty sure was a phainopepla.
A picture of a phainopepla from Wikipedia
When we got back to the campground, we ate dinner outside! It was warm and sunny.
Phoenix, Day 4
We sat outside today by the fire drinking our coffee. We took off at 9:30 to head back to the Mesa tennis courts. We played for an hour and had a lot of fun. Then we went to Walmart, came back to the KOA, and made a bee line for the hot tub. Only one other odd person was there, so it was super nice.
Next, we tried a new place to hike, Lost Dutchman State Park. It cost more to get in than Usery ($10 vs $7), and was okay. The views of the mountains were beautiful, the terrain was a little different so it was something new, and the first third of the path shot almost straight up the mountain so it was a good workout (which after Pass Mountain yesterday and tennis this morning, I didn't really need). The second third was super rocky and a chore to hike. The last third was a nice walking trail but the views were less amazing. Pleasant, but not stunning. I don't think we'll do this one again. We hiked the Treasure Loop to the Prospector's View to the Jacob's Cross Trail. The trails were not well marked at all but we didn't get lost until we came out into the wrong parking lot. Thank God Scott could figure out the map. I would have been lost and I was exhausted.
Then we went to Nando's. Again. It's so good.
Phoenix, Day 5
Well, today we were quite exhausted, me especially. We exercised, Scott fixed a couple things, and we took a bike ride around the campground for about 15 minutes. Then I practiced for 2 hours and Scott watched a webinar. Then we went to the hot tub again!
We were planning on going over to Usery again and walking some easier paths for a couple hours, but then we didn't have enough time before Scott and Thomas were scheduled to watch a show together. In the end, I'm glad because my legs really really need a rest. They watched their show, and I read Citizen of the Galaxy.
Phoenix, Day 6
We woke up with enough energy and strength to go hiking. We drank our coffee and exercised; then Scott fixed something else that fell off the camper and I did dishes. Then we did a half-hour hot tub and after that, we headed out to Usery again to do Pass Mountain Trail again!
It was an absolutely beautiful day. The temperature was perfect and there was a small breeze. The scenery was again stunning. The trail is challenging, with plenty of climbing and walking over rocks but often it's sand or pebbles and generally comfortable to walk.
It was an absolutely beautiful day. The temperature was perfect and there was a small breeze. The scenery was again stunning. The trail is challenging, with plenty of climbing and walking over rocks but often it's sand or pebbles and generally comfortable to walk.
I was still scared at the scary parts of the trail, but less so this time. I studied the death trap that the locals call "the saddle" before walking over it. It wasn't AS steep as I imagined the first time, and I realized I wouldn't die if I fell, though I would be covered in cactus barbs. I get scared up there because it's VERY high up and exposed.
When we had about 2 miles left to go, we decided to take a trail we thought would loop back down to Pass Mountain Trail a little further up. We were wrong. We walked out a mile, hit a road, and turned around. I was pretty beat at that point and I couldn't handle looking for a reemergence of the trail elsewhere and adding more steps to the journey. In the end, we walked for 4.5 hours and we figure about 9.5 to 10 miles.
I didn't see too much wildlife. A bunny, a chipmunk, a small lizard, more small butterflies, and lots of birds I can't identify because everything moves fast.
Sometimes, you have to keep your eyes on the trail so you don't break an ankle. But it's okay because the rocks in this park and along this trail are awesome. There's a huge variety everywhere you look: rocks that look like they bubbled out of the ground just last week, smoother rocks that have been worn down by time, garnet-red rocks, olivine-green rocks, rusty rocks, white rocks and tuff, fine-grained rocks, coarse-grained rocks with cubes of quartz, feldspar, and mica poking out, rocks disintegrating into gravel, and little mica mirrors sparkling out of rocks on the hillsides and the trail.
Sometimes, you have to keep your eyes on the trail so you don't break an ankle. But it's okay because the rocks in this park and along this trail are awesome. There's a huge variety everywhere you look: rocks that look like they bubbled out of the ground just last week, smoother rocks that have been worn down by time, garnet-red rocks, olivine-green rocks, rusty rocks, white rocks and tuff, fine-grained rocks, coarse-grained rocks with cubes of quartz, feldspar, and mica poking out, rocks disintegrating into gravel, and little mica mirrors sparkling out of rocks on the hillsides and the trail.
When we got back, we had another hot tub and then we ate our meatball dinner outside.
