Petrified Forest National Park

As we left Arizona this spring, we stopped for a day to visit Petrified Forest National Park, located along I-40 near Holbrook, AZ.

This piece of American heritage was set aside in 1906 to protect and make available for public viewing one of the largest petrified wood deposits in the world.  Millions of years ago this area of Arizona was once a steamy, swampy, equatorial forest. The tall trees that inhabited the area eventually fell, and raging rivers washed them into the floodplains. Silt, mud, and volcanic ash covered the trees. As they were buried, silica-laden groundwater seeped into the wood fibers and changed the logs to rock.  Over the next millions of years the logs were uplifted due to shifting of the earth's underground.  Wind and water eroded the sands away and exposed the ancient logs.

Humans inhabited the area at some points in time; a large petroglyph wall called "Newspaper Rock" contains etchings from the past.   Archaeologic remains of a 100 room village built between 1250 and 1380 are located within the park.  And fossils of some of North America's earliest dinosaurs are being discover there.

In 1932 another 50,000 acres of land formations called the "Painted Desert" were added to the park. Sediment deposits from the past are now exposed as distinct colored bands in the landforms surrounding this area. 
The 28 mile drive through the park offered many overlooks and trails to give visitors a chance to stop and see the beauty of this massive area.

Oatman, Arizona

Oatman, Arizona is an old mining town between Kingman and Lake Havasu City, reached via old Route 66.  Walking Main Street is like returning to the Old West...in fact scenes from How the West Was Won were filmed there.  The Oatman Hotel, where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon in 1939, is still there, and serves as a sort of museum. Old buildings now serve as tourist shops and art galleries; gun fights between gold robbers and the sheriff still occur on Main Street (courtesy of actors who perform there); the saloons still serve drinks and food. 

However, the main attraction in town are the wild burros. These burros are thought to be descendents of burros who worked the mines, then were released when mines folded and miners left the area. Now they wander into town from the nearby hills and meander among the tourists. Hay pellets sold by several of the business folks will have these "wild burros" eating out of your hand in no time! 

Lake Havasu City and London Bridge

After leaving the RV park on April 1, we headed west to spend some time at Lake Havasu City (located in the northwest corner of Arizona along the Colorado River).  We camped two nights at Cattail Cove State Park, a small park located right on the shores of the Colorado River.  There we watched the boats launch and travel the river, sat on the white sand beach, and walked the trails along the shoreline.  From there we moved 15 miles north to an RV park in Lake Havasu City.

 London Bridge is Lake Havasu's claim to fame...originally built in 1825 in London, England, the bridge was scheduled for replacement in 1968 as it was sinking into the Thames. Havasu City founders purchased the old bridge, had it disassembled, shipped to Arizona, and rebuilt it stone for stone near the lake.  Once built, a mile long channel was dredged under the bridge to connect Lake Havasu with a nearby bay. The channel is a popular place to "cruise" with any type of watercraft, and the shoreline is lined with parked boats and sunbathers. A replica "English Village" with shops, restaurants, and pubs, was built along the shores on either side of the bridge. With abundant sunshine, warm temperatures, and plenty of beaches and water, Lake Havasu City has sometimes been called the Arizona Riviera.

Theodore Roosevelt Dam

A couple weeks ago we spent a day driving to Theodore Roosevelt Dam. Building of the dam started in 1903, shortly after Congress passed the Reclamation Act of 1902.  This act allowed for developing water projects to control floods and drought, harnessing water, and supporting growth and development of the desert southwest.

Workers constructed the dam at a narrow gorge where the Salt River and Tonto Creek merged.  At the time it was built (between 1903 and 1911) the cyclopean-masonry gravity arch dam was the highest in the world, and among the last of the stone masonry dams built.

Stones were cut from surrounding hillsides, and placed by hand to construct the dam.  It rose 280 feet above the river; 184 feet thick at the base, and 16 feet wide on top. The original dam top provided space for two Model-T Fords to pass as tourists drove the Apache Trail highway.

In 1984 Congress approved to modify the dam, making it safer and providing for more flood water storage. These modifications, done between 1993 and 1996, involved adding concrete reinforcements, increasing the dam height to 357 feet and strengthened it's entire structure.

In addition to regulating and storing water, recreation opportunities also developed.  Boating, fishing and camping are popular on the reservoir.  New upgraded roads, including Roosevelt Lake Bridge, allow visitors driving large recreational vehicles and modern day autos, to reach the lake more safely.

February 2015 Activities

In February we joined a travel group for an overnight bus tour to Jerome-Sedona-Camp Verde area.  The tour bus left from the park and drove us to Jerome, AZ for lunch and sightseeing.  Jerome was once a booming mining town, but now is a "ghost town"/tourist destination.  The town, built on Cleopatra Hill, sits nearly a mile high, with houses and shops clinging to the twisty streets.  Shops and restaurants are available to explore. One restaurant is said to have a "ghost cat" who rubs on customers legs under the table while they dine.

From Jerome we took the bus to Sedona, AZ. We drove up Airport Road to get a panoramic view of the city and it's famous red rock formations. Some chose to stay and shop in Sedona; the rest of us chose the drive through Oak Creek Canyon.  This scenic drive follows AZ89A along Oak Creek; with hairpin curves and steep walled canyons we ascended to the peak and hiked a bit among the evergreens.Along the way we saw Slide Rock Park, a natural water slide area of Oak Creek.  The large smooth rock and flowing water makes this a popular place for families to picnic and enjoy some watery fun.

From Sedona we were on our way to Camp Verde where we spent the night at Cliff Castle Casino.
In the morning the bus left for a short drive to Montezuma Castle National Monument.
  Montezuma Castle is one of the best preserved prehistoric Native American dwellings in North America.  The 45 room, six story high cliff dwelling, built high into the sandstone cliffs some 600 years ago, provided safety for the inhabitants who lived there. Unfortunately tourists are no longer allowed into the ruins.

From Camp Verde we were on the road back to home, with a short rest stop and treat at a pie shop along the way.

Return to Arizona 2015

We left Minnesota just ahead of a snowstorm and bone-chilling cold temperatures. But, even as we traveled south, so did the cold.  Waiting until Kansas to fill the fresh water tank should have been safe, but two days later in northeastern New Mexico a line froze and we were without water again.  Daytime temps below freezing and overnight temps in single digits took their toll, and we struggled to keep warm.  We even drove in snow during our final drive day along I-10 into Tucson.


Evidence of the cold was also noticed here at the RV park...usually beautiful rosy-red bougainvillea plants and golden yellow-orange lantana had frozen before be arrived.  Other desert shrubs and some cacti were also affected.



Anyone who watched TV the end of January is aware that Super Bowl was played in Arizona, and it was cool and wet for some pre-game events.  Also the Waste Management Open Golf Tournament play was hampered by rains...so it was in our park. It rained overnight, all day and night and into the next day..."Should we start building an ark?" one might ask.  The hard desert sand repelled the rain, water ran down the streets and overflowed ditches...even the driveway into the park was impassable for awhile.

But now it's sunny and warm and we are reminded again why we drive south for the winter!