Monday, February 26, 2018

Move to Superstition Mountains

Monday, February 26, 2018 – Location:  Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Arizona

It was about 9 o’clock this morning when I said goodbye to Saddle Mountain and headed into Tonopah to meet up with Deb and Riley of On a long and lonesome highway….  .  Deb had the address of the Walmart in Apache Junction saved in her GPS so she led the way and I followed.

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Off to my right just past Saddle Mountain is the Palo Verde Nuclear Power plant blowing off a little steam.  I hope.

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Stopped at Love’s on I-10 in Buckeye and dumped tanks and took on water.  I drove to a service station just down the road to take on propane because they didn’t have it at Love’s.

The trip went without incident.  Only  around 100 miles but we had to drive through all the cities surrounding Phoenix.  The traffic was heavy but no delays.  Deb and Riley did an excellent job taking the lead.  All I had to do was follow the Igloo!

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Phoenix skyline.

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I believe this is the Papago Freeway tunnel on I-10 in Phoenix.  Had my sunglasses on and had to take them off.  There wasn’t enough light for me to see with them on. 

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Closing in on the Walmart store in Apache Junction.  Those are the Superstition Mountains overlooking the city.

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When we reached Walmart, I had to buy a month’s worth of groceries.  I was out of everything.  Even picked up a prescription. 

Glad this wasn’t us in the Walmart parking lot.

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About an hour after Walmart, we were ready to find the GPS coordinates that Lorne of A Place Called “Away” gave us.   He was right on the money with his coordinates.  Thanks Lorne! 

Unfortunately, there were quite a few boondockers off Hackamore Road.  Lorne had said the road was terrible and filled with big dips and potholes.  He was NOT kidding!  Deb stopped a little ways in and I said I would go on ahead and scout out the lay of the land.  It would be much easier for me to unhook the Jeep and turn around in a tight spot than Deb with her 5th wheel.

Passed by the place Lorne and his friends stayed and almost at the dead end, I found a place we could fit into with breathing room and it was flat.  I texted Deb and said, “Come on up, but go real slow!”.

Once into place, Deb and Riley had an excellent spread for lunch.  I ate like a King.  Thanks mainly to Riley’s great salads.  Yuma was just too excited, so he had to have his lunch in the RV.  Poor guy!

We sat outside after our lunch/dinner and talked till the cool of the evening drove us to our homes for the night.  This is our view as we sat outside the Igloo having our lunch.

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I am as tired tonight as if I had hiked four miles.  Must be the tension of driving in heavy traffic and then having to shop for a month’s groceries.

Hope I sleep good tonight.  See you later.

21 comments:

  1. What beautiful pictures of the Superstitions and, my favorites, chollas! I see the berries hanging from them. I know you're glad to get your shopping done. Can't wait to see more photos of the mountains. Tell Yuma to stay out of the chollas.๐Ÿ˜€ Sleep well! ❤

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    1. Thanks Dolly. Yuma seems to be getting smarter around those Chollas ☺. I'm going to do a little internet research to see where I can Jeeps. From where I am I see no entry roads into the mountains.

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  2. Looks like a great place you'll be staying! Guess it's all pretty country or that way At least you won't have to grocery shop for a while. Take care Dad. Love you.

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    1. Thanks Steve. Glad to have the shopping done for awhile. It is pretty here and secluded at the place I'm in. No body in their right mind would bring a MH up here๐Ÿ˜‚. Love you.

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  3. Glad you enjoyed lunch. Riley was pretty happy that you enjoyed the salads.

    Thanks for finding the spots, I think we'll enjoy it here for a while. Looking forward to a few hikes, drives and some sightseeing too.

    Love the pictures!! They look great.

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    1. Thanks Deb. Beautiful view of the Superstitions that's for sure.

      Will have to do a little research to see where to hike and visit.

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  4. Glad you guys found the spot. You will never forget Superstition Mountain. The Tonto Forest to the north is accessible to Jeeps I think if you go to the ranger station in Apache and get a key or something. Might be wrong. Those Cholla's will jump out and bite you!!!!

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    1. Thanks Lorne. Will have to watch Yuma around those Chollas.

      I'll check with the ranger station. They always have good information.

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  5. Doug, you will enjoy the Superstition Mountains,they're magical.Interesting history. Some nice hikes, and I recommend the one that goes up and loops around a huge boulder. Have a great time!

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    1. Thanks Rawn. I'll ha e to read up on the Jeep and hiking trails here. New to me.

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  6. Nice that you made it there safely, Enjoy your time there, the views are awesome.

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    1. Thanks George. The road was pretty bad. Had to go very slowly.

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  7. When you are ready for a spectacular Jeep drive - hit the Apache Trail. Google it on "dangerous roads.org" or "trip savvy.com" . It goes thru Lost Dutchman State Park and Tortilla Flats - at which point it becomes unpaved & you go on to Roosevelt Lake ( and further if you want ). I have never seen it in person but have read & saw some photos. White knuckle, hairpin curves, no guard rails, tires almost hanging off cliffs. Sounds like a perfect Doug and Yuma adventure in the Jeep ! ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜ฑ

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    1. Thanks Moonfly. That drive is top on my short list. Looking forward to some nice hikes and Jeep rides.

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  8. With the Cactus League in full swing you'll have lots of company out there!, We'll be coming out for a few games too, so looking forward to your outings.

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  9. At least we know you and Deb aren't making things up! ha ha your stories of the day's travels match. :)
    You should all enjoy the area around Superstition Mountains, we haven't been there yet.
    Have fun with your neighbours and hike carefully.

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  10. Great pictures and a great day for all of you! Sounds like a great lunch. New places for Yuma to explore. Those mountains and area looks gorgeous. Have fun!

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  11. What wonderful pictures of a beautiful spot you, Deb, Riley, and Yuma have stopped in. Not sure we would enjoy the drive through Phoenix, though...lol The only time we stayed in that area Tom was in a full service RV park well I flew home to be with our daughter who had just had a baby. From the pictures you have posted and Lorne posted, looking at Deb's next, we are thinking it needs to added to the list of places to visit. To have the view in the last picture would make the trip worth it.

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  12. Hey, we are neighbors. I may wander out and see if I can find you at some point. If my little Mazda3 can make the road, that is.

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  13. I think I can see where we were parked at Lost Dutchman State Park. I had heard there was boondocking spots near there but we didn't look for them. Enjoy the area. It's awesome!
    The road to Tortilla Flats is very good. Some hairpins, but not dangerous. We didn't go on to Rosevelt Lake. It's unpaved past the Flats.
    We're back in Quartzsite tonight.

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  14. Superstition Mountain and the Tortilla Flats drive are great. Too bad that big megapolis of Phoenix and it's suburbs have to be so close. On the trail we took from Lost Dutchman State Park it seemed one of the Apache Junctions suburbs was butted right up against the mountain. I'd like to be up there at night though to see all the city lights below.

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