Wednesday June 10th 2020

Today was a little warmer, but still a very nice day in the mid eighties. The trend is for increasing temperatures over the next few days.

I got a late start to my day of touring. It was after 11AM before I set out for the Petrified Forest National Park. This was my second visit to the park. My first visit in the fall of 2017 didn’t produce a lot of memories, but when I got to the park they started to return. The section of the park north of Interstate 40 that is part of the Painted Desert was one of those faded memories. I remembered it when I got there, but I wasn’t connecting it with the Petrified Forest National Park in my recollections. I stopped at several of the overlooks and took pictures, just like I did last time I visited. Maybe I’ll remember to look at the pictures before my next visit.

I spent most of my time today at the Blue Mesa area. There is road construction on the main park road just to the south of the Blue Mesa road that had traffic backed up. I’ll return later in the week to do the area south of the construction.

At the Blue Mesa I took the mile long hike into the Blue Badlands area. The last time I visited the park I stayed on the loop road around the mesa. The trail is a paved path that starts and ends with a steep climb, but it is well worth the effort. The rocks and surfaces are more white and gray than blue with more than a few pieces of petrified logs scattered in between. It makes for a very striking landscape. I took plenty of pictures.

Tuesday June 9th 2020

Yesterday’s wind brought cool overnight temperatures. It may well have been in the fifties before the sun came up this morning. The wind was much calmer today. It allowed the daytime high temperature to reach the low seventies. It was a beautiful weather day.

I started the day with a very low energy level. Probably because of the stress of yesterday’s drive, I really didn’t get going very fast this morning. Eventually I finished the setup tasks I didn’t get to yesterday afternoon. The bicycle and rack are off the car and it’s ready for touring in the area.

Walking around the campground I found a lot has changed since my last visit in the fall of 2017. At the time it was just a big level gravel field with RV hook ups. Since then evergreen trees and tall fences have been added between some of the sites. They have also added more cabins and fancy patio sites. It seems to be working because they are getting lots of nightly guests.

The RV park had a lot of overnight travelers last night and more tonight. I spotted RVs from all of the surrounding states as well as Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Washington. People are traveling. I was primarily seeing Arizona and California plates the last couple of weeks at the state park, but out here on the side of Interstate 40, a major east west route, there are a lot of travelers. That is encouraging for my summer travels and maybe just a little bit frightening. Communities that develop a fear of travelers is my biggest concern.

Monday June 8th 2020

Today was a travel day. It was also the windiest day of the last few windy days. The temperature was also the lowest it has been in the last few weeks. The temperature peaked around eighty in Cottonwood and was even cooler at my destination.

I pulled out of my campsite shortly after eleven, but it was almost noon when I left the state park. The line up at the dumping station took all the extra time. After working my way through traffic and eight rotary traffic intersections I reached Interstate 17 in Camp Verde and turned north. Interstate 17 from Phoenix to Flagstaff is one of my least favorite Interstate routes. The section from Camp Verde north begins with an eighteen mile climb on four to six percent grades. There is only one short section that isn’t a steep climb. Camp Verde is at about three thousand feet in altitude and Flagstaff is over seven thousand feet. Most of the altitude change is in the first eighteen miles. Adding to the mix today was a strong cross wind all the way up to Flagstaff.

At Flagstaff I turned east on Interstate 40. The wind became a tail wind on this section of road. It was either directly behind or coming in on the passenger side rear corner. The wind blew at a constant twenty miles an hour or so with some gusts that were much heavier. Tonight’s news reported 30 MPH sustained winds with gusts in the forties for Winslow Arizona about thirty miles from here. I had the new experience of having to dodge tumbling tumble weeds along the Interstate.

I arrived at the Holbrook AZ KOA about 3PM. I was glad to be off the road. I stayed here in 2017 to visit the Petrified Forest National Park. During my weeks stay I will probably visit the national park again. My primary reason for this stop is to use the laundry facilities at this commercial campground before returning to a more primitive state park for the following three weeks.

The wind finally quieted down toward sunset. Tomorrow is forecast to be a little warmer with a little less wind.

Sunday June 7th 2020

Today’s weather was a clone of Saturday. The temperature was in the mid eighties and the wind was powerful. It was a nice day overall.

This is my last full day at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. My two weeks are up tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed my stay here. The trails in the desert and the along the Verde River provide good recreation opportunities. Pandemic related shutdowns prevented visiting some of the other attractions in the area. I’m afraid that’s going to be normal during my travels this summer. I need to stay at places with plenty of outdoor recreation activities, because I can’t count on the area attractions being available.

In addition to watching NASCAR on TV and taking a couple of hikes around the park, I did more travel research today. I have places booked through the 29th of June in Arizona. I’d like to book my next stop to include the Fourth of July weekend in New Mexico, but it is slower reopening than other states in the region. New Mexico State Parks are not open for camping yet and the open private campgrounds are expected to limit capacity. Texas and Oklahoma further to the east seem to be less restricted. I continue to hope things will open up more as the summer continues, but travel will be a challenge.

I have some of the packing complete for tomorrows travel. In the morning I’ll complete the preparation and get on the road north and east about one hundred and sixty miles. Hopefully, the wind won’t be as bad as the last couple of days.

Saturday June 6th 2020

Today was a hat chasing kind of day. The wind blew strong all day. I saw one hat getting chased across the campground and only a few minutes later I was catching mine before the wind took it away. The good news is the temperature topped out in the eighties.

I took advantage of the cooler weather to hike one of the trails into the Coconino National Forest. The view back over the Verde River valley is awesome. I went out and back for a total of about three miles. The terrain on the loop of trails I was considering looked to be heavier than I wanted and I wasn’t finding any nice landscape photography opportunities. Overall it was a nice hike.

Some of the remaining daytime hours were spent watching sports on TV. During the pandemic shutdown you can’t be to choosy. I spent an hour watching a Pro Corn Hole competition. Who knew you could make money trowing a beanbag through a hole. The NASCAR race from Atlanta I watched later in the day was a little more ordinary.

Friday June 5th 2020

The triple digit heat is over. It was a cloudy day in the mid nineties with lots of wind in the Cottonwood area. On my drive I even passed through a brief rain storm.

My drive was through Sedona and on north to the outskirts of Flagstaff before returning south on the Interstate. Sedona still isn’t my cup of tea. The impression I developed three years ago continued with this drive through visit. I think the problem is that as a high end resort community if you aren’t staying in town you aren’t able to appreciate the area. The traffic is very heavy and many of the roads are narrow with a rotary every few hundred feet to manage intersecting traffic. Parking is also a problem. There aren’t enough public parking spots in the downtown area. I passed several overflowing parking lots today. Away from the downtown area all of the roadside turnouts and parking areas were also full. The scenery back away from the road behind the shops and resorts looks spectacular. It just isn’t easy to get near.

When I got back to my RV home at Dead Horse Ranch State Park the weekend was in full swing. All three of the RV camping loops were marked as full. The tent area was only about half full. The sound of competing music from the weekend residents was really cranked. I think it was a battle of country vs. rock, but really just sounded like noise. At some point during the evening they were told to turn it down by the park staff. It looks like this will be an active weekend.

Thursday June 4th 2020

Today was the third triple digit day in a row. Thankfully, it is the last one in the current seven day forecast for this area. Other areas of Arizona have had a longer run of hot days and they are still in the forecast. This area is about ten degrees cooler than the Phoenix area.

I took a walk along the Verde River section of the state park today. The tree cover keeps the sun from beating down and the sound of moving water is relaxing. I also like the birds the water attracts. Around the park ponds there are several families of ducks. Today I even saw one of my favorite birds, a Great Blue Heron.

The campground is starting to fill for the weekend. Families with young kids are arriving. The overall atmosphere of the park went from sleepy to noisy fun. I’m not sure what the specific attraction for families is. There is no real swimming area and the park’s playground is closed as a virus spreading precaution. I did see a couple of kids with their family splashing in the river, but it looked more like an act of desperation.

Wednesday June 3rd 2020

Last nights cloud cover didn’t allow the temperature to drop quickly or very low overnight. It was still in the 90s outside at 11PM and probably only got to the high seventies before the temperature started to climb again to another triple digit day. Sleeping last night was a trade off. Either live with the loud cycling of the AC or deal with the heat with the occasional breeze through the windows. I tried both, but didn’t really sleep until 3AM or so.

The lack of sleep and today’s heat resulted in a general lethargic mood today. Just before noon I left the campground on a tour of the area for something to do and to take advantage of the focused AC in the car. Eventually I found myself near Walmart. I needed a few non grocery items like holding tank chemical so I ventured in. I found the chemical and a large package of expensive RV toilet paper. I usually use regular septic safe toilet paper, but given the current supply issues I grabbed a package. In the grocery section of the store I bought some frozen items so my travels for the day were over. I needed to get home before everything melted.

My evening walk around the campground shows a subtle change. The weekend crowds have been mostly Arizona residents. Tonight there are more sites occupied by out of state vehicles than I’ve seen during my stay. Is this a sign that people are traveling again?

Tuesday June 2nd 2020

The temperature reached triple digits in Cottonwood AZ today. The day started with full sun and a gentle breeze. By midday the breeze was gone allowing it to really warm up. Late in the afternoon the clouds moved in. Without direct sun outside activity became possible. This evening the clouds remain and a very strong wind has arrived.

Once the clouds covered the sky the I set out on a hike into the Coconino National Forest. The trail is rocky and climbs up hill for a long distance. It is possible to see long distances to the north and east from the top. Approaching nightfall kept me from continuing the loop trail. I turned around in time to get back to my RV home before dark. The temperatures this weekend are forecast to be cooler, so I may try the trail again.

Monday June 1st 2020

Today’s temperatures were in the upper half of the nineties, but a nice breeze kept things comfortable when you weren’t in the direct sun. Tomorrow is forecast to have a similar temperature with less wind. The temperature climbs again later in the week.

Today turned into a lazy day. When I went to bed last night, I had thoughts of driving into Sedona today. I didn’t get out of bed quickly this morning and found myself still sipping my morning coffee as the noon hour approached. My general ambition level was pretty low. The end result is touring the area was put off until another day. Sedona is a more upscale resort area than I gravitate toward, but it does deserve a visit while I’m here.

This afternoon I took a walk down along part of the Verde River. As you might expect the water level is low, but there is plenty of evidence of recent high water. There are a lot of deep wash out areas and plenty of debris caught in the trees along the sides. Some of the trees were even uprooted and lying at odd angles. The walk in the shade with the sound of moving water was refreshing.

On my evening walk I found the campground to be emptier than last night. A couple of empty sites were marked as reserved. That usually means someone hasn’t arrived for yet. The whole state of Arizona is under curfew from 8PM to 5AM this week to control the violence and looting associated with the demonstrations. Anyone planning to arrive late may have to arrive tomorrow.