Do Overs

As we spend the last week or so here, we are now like residents of the area.  We have been to the same old restaurants several times, and back to the Wal Mart almost daily for the last 8 weeks.  So we are beginning to see the same sights over and over.

So today we went back out the Apache Trail to Canyon Lake.  Only two miles beyond is Tortilla Flat, but since we were not going to the restaurant or looking for an Ice Cream, we turned around at the marina at the lake.

It was late in the afternoon, and we stopped at the visitor overlook.

The Salt River comes into the side of the lake, so it looks like there is a lake in a canyon without any source.  From the road it is hard to see where the water comes from.

The explanation sign was quite faded, but you can see the water comes from the top right, and the dam is across the river outflow to the left.  It backs up back into the canyon to the lower right.  The loop off of the road right of the big red blotch of something spilled on the sign, is the campground.  Tortilla Flat is just out of the picture to the right on the road.

This is the Tonto National Forest, and you have to purchase a day pass for $6 if you plan to stay anywhere and leave your car parked while you hike, or fish.  And the pass has to be purchased back in Apache Junction.  So if activities are planned, get a pass before you leave town.  If you have an America the Beautiful Sr. Pass, you can buy a $3 day pass and then display both cards in your window while parked.

See the little fishing boat, that is about a 14 foot row boat, so the size of the lake is deceiving with all the rock walls around it.  This place is a definite do over, and over.

The road turns to gravel and winds for 26 more miles, and ends up at Roosevelt Dam.  We were over it years ago, but have not taken a car over it this year.  Others have said it is passable, but then one of the ladies here in the park said it was washed out in places, and didn’t make her too comfortable.  So Loyce is not going over it, at least not in the car.

I went this morning, and checked with the RV dealership, to see if they had heard from Jayco on our broken bracket.  They had not.  The repair counter fellow said he would call Jayco and call me back.  I am still waiting for this return call.  But then he didn’t say what day he would call me back.

I did find the bracket that we need, on the wall of parts next to the counter.  If worst comes to pass, and we do not have time to get it repaired, I will purchase the bracket, and install it myself before we leave.

The high here today, recorded at the airport was 77, and that was for several hours in a row.  That sort of a day can be a ‘do over’ for the rest of the time we are here as far as I’m concerned.

Retired Rod