Roosevelt Lake, Arizona

April 5-18, 2009 - We left Chanute, Kansas in a blast of cold headwinds.

Those miserable winds pummeled us all the way across Oklahoma,

Texas and New Mexico. We were totally windblown by the time we

arrived in Arizona, and we were utterly fed up with fighting it every time

we set foot outside the trailer. Our usual mileage of 10 mpg while towing

dropped as low as 7.7 through parts of Oklahoma, and for the entire trip

across country our average was a dismal 8.5.

The truck and trailer looked like heck when we got to Arizona, and

we did too. So it was with great excitement that I opened our door

and looked out at the lake on our second morning and felt not just

warm sun on my skin but the sweetest of gentle breezes on my

face. This is one of those areas that is a little jewel on our planet.

Coming into Windy Hill

Recreation Area there

is a fantastic curvy

road, and I spent

several happy hours on

two different days

running up and down

the road getting

pictures of RVs as they

drove past.

Roosevelt Lake was damed in 1911, and at the time was the

largest man-made lake in the world. We had lived in Phoenix,

next door to this little piece of heaven, for years, yet we had

never been there. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. If we

had known about it, we would have camped there every spring

and fall weekend in our popup tent trailer.

The lake is open to boaters of all kinds, and a marina sits next to the

visitors center. There are lots of houseboats at the marina. What a fun

place to roost for a while.

We had ridden our bikes on just about every road in the area

with various organized bike rides over the years, but the one

spectacular road that runs alongside the lake was a whole new

discovery for us.

Everything seemed to be in bloom when we arrived, and the high winds

had blown every bit of dust and pollution to kingdom come, so the air

was crisp and clear.

The lake was full to overflowing, and the views in every direction were filled

with the promise of spring.

We were

blessed with a

full moon during

our stay, and a

group of birds

swooped back

and forth in front

of the moon as it

rose one

evening.

The entire lake is smack in the middle of Tonto National Forest, so there

is virtually no development anywhere other than the slightly developed

campgrounds and an Indian cliff dwelling site nearby. I was amazed by

how many campgrounds there are, and how many campsites within each

campground. The USFS has closed several campgrounds and closed

many loops within the open campgrounds, probably because they just

don't get enough business to make it worthwhile to maintain it all.

The campgrounds are set along little peninsulas, and

many campsites have a waterfront view. Whoever

designed the campgrounds along this lake did an

outstanding job. There is boondocking too, but the

campgrounds are so spacious and pretty that we

opted for a waterfront site at the end of a peninsula

instead.

Throughout our visit the cameras just kept clicking. In

every direction we turned there seemed to be another

lovely shot. Friends of ours were camped nearby, and each

evening the discussion always seemed to wander back to the

various photos all of us had taken during the day.

One evening I came back from a bike ride to hear an excited discussion

around the campfire about a clump of clover and a bee. This little bee had

unknowingly become a supermodel for the afternoon, and we had fun

comparing all the different photos of him.

The Sonoran Desert is one of my favorite places. It extends

from Arizona into Sonora, Mexico, and is extremely lush, filled

with a wide variety of flowers, birds and cactus. It is the only

place in the world where the wise old saguaro cactus chooses

to live, and they rule the landscape with a myriad of

personalities, all seeming to wave a greeting to their fellow

cactus.

The saguaros that have a cluster of arms are often 150 years old or

more. Those cactus grew up in a very different world -- one with a

small river instead of a lake, for starters.

The main road hugs the lake for many miles, and on a few days we

ventured out to Tonto Basin, a small community at the far north end of

the lake. On those morning drives the hillsides were alive with bright

yellow flowers and towering cactus, looking down at the lake. In the

distance we could see Four Peaks, an aptly named mountain range

that makes a distinct landmark on the horizon when looking east from

Phoenix. Here we got to see its back side.

A bridge spans the river just before the dam, and every time you

drive by it begs you to take a picture.

On several days we went out in the kayak and pedaled and paddled

around. The wind resumed its howling every few days, so we had

some sloppy times on the water with the spray flying. But there were

some really calm days too. Those were times of heavenly relaxation

and serenity.

The lake is an interesting habitat because it is in the middle of the

richest Sonoran Desert land, but because the body of water is so large,

ducks, grebes and even seagulls set up housekeeping here too.

Whenever we would go out in the kayak we were always amazed to see

hundreds of grebes swimming around. They would alert each other to

our presence with frantic calls, and as we approached, one by one they

would dive underwater. At the same time we could also hear the calls of

the Gambel quail from their perches in the desert scrub along the shore.

The fishermen

complained that the

fishing wasn't too

good. That surprised

us, because we saw all

kinds of huge fish

leaping out of the

water as we paddled.

Maybe their noisy

powerboats were

scaring off their catch.

The cycling in

this area is

spectacular as

well. There are

a lot of

organized rides

Adventures with Mark & Emily