Winding down the Ultimate Road Trip

With only a few days left before returning to Phoenix we headed south to the city of Show Low to find an inexpensive motel for showers and laundry. The KC Motel on Deuce of Clubs Street seemed to fill the bill. Curious about both name of the town and the name of the main street, we checked wikipedia to find an answer. Turns out, according to legend, there were two homesteaders in the early days that felt the town wasn’t big enough for both of them (such a western concept) so rather than settling their disagreements with guns they decided to draw from a deck of cards. They agreed that whoever drew the lowest card – or show low – could stay, the other had to pack up and leave. The story goes that one of them turned over the deuce of clubs and remained to name the town, and its main thoroughfare, in honor of his good luck. Who knows if it’s true but it certainly makes a good tale. And what else could explain the names?

We left Show Low for the Apache-Sitgreaves NF and some inexpensive camping and on the way saw a couple selling indian fry bread by the side of the road. Naturally, we turned around to buy some and met the vendors Larry and Sue, he Apache and she a Navajo, who are getting married next week. He has a sister who lives in Long Island so we invited them to visit when they go up north to see her. Left them a card with our contact info.

We spent the night in Benny Creek CG, totally alone until one other car pulled in across the campground while we were out for a walk and set up their tent. We did a little birding along the Bunch Reservoir and saw a few spotted sandpipers, a killdeer, many western bluebirds, chipping sparrows and the elusive Grace’s Warbler. The following night we found ourselves alone again in the Timber CG in the Tonto NF. It’s really peaceful being alone in the woods, despite being only a few hundred yards from a main road.

Ron found an interesting sounding campgrounds in our guide (also in Tonto NF) near a town called Tortilla Flats along a scenic mountain road called the Apache trail. We stopped at the Tonto National Monument to fill a jug of water and to get our passport stamped. We’re running out of room on the western pages! Took a pass on climbing to the cliff dwelling, though. It was way too hot so we opted to watch the movie at the visitors’ center instead. I think we may be getting sated with native American ruins.

We took the scenic route to our next stop, following Lake Roosevelt to the Theodore Roosevelt dam on the Salt River. A word of advice; when the sign says “Pavement Ends” turn around and go back to find an alternate route. Ron spent the next few hours white-knuckling along an unpaved, steep, winding, un-guard railed, washboard road on what is known as the Apache Trail. The Apaches did not drive camper vans with 16″ tires and low clearance, filled with rattling dishes and silverware, with cabinets and drawers that inconveniently pop open in the narrowest of stretches. Up side is that it was breathtakingly beautiful.

When we finally got to Tortilla Flats the campground we sought was closed for renovations so we continued down the mountains – on a paved road this time – to the Lost Dutchman’s State Park for our last night of camping. We sprang for a site with electricity and water, not to mention real flush toilets a few sites away. It was hot, over 99 degrees at dusk, but we ate the last of our dinners at the picnic bench and watched the sunset turn the Superstition mountains red. Phoenix is less than 50 miles away and the next day we head for Doug’s once more to prepare the van for storage and pack for our flight home, but not before making one more stop at an old mining town, complete with abandoned equipment, a zip line (no, didn’t do it), a famous saloon, lots of trinket shops and a bakery/coffee shop – our real reason for stopping.

DSCN1717 — Sunset in the Superstition Mountains

We spent the next couple of days relaxing in Phoenix, eating out and making final plans for leaving the van for the summer and having it serviced when we get back in September. We had a short, pleasant visit with Joe McLaren and Charlie and Judy Zarelli in Scottsdale and finally got the van washed.

Doug’s hospitality was over and above, as it has been our entire visit. He even got us to the airport for a 6:05 flight to Newark!