AZBAMBI...On the Road Again...

[TBRich]

We had a great time at the 4CUnit Thanksgiving Boondocking Rally in Quartzsite, AZ.

We had never stayed in QTown before, so it was a new thing for us. If you haven't tried it you should do it at least once...it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it IS entertaining, for sure!

You can click on the link above to go directly to this trip or click on the link in our signature to go to the trips list page...

Pic #1: Our Bambi flanked by Michele & Carol's next to us...there were no designated sites so we parked wherever we wanted to...(free up to 14 days!) We formed a sort of lose circle of aluminum around a central area where the fire pit was...
Pic #2: Inside the Circle...
Pic #3: The turkey goes in the fryer...
Pic #4: Is it turkey yet?
Pic #5: It's turkey time!
Pic #6: Chef Michael doing what he does really well...
Pic #7: Terry made fresh turkey dressing from scratch...(and 3 pies!)
Pic #8: Lined up for Thanksgiving Dinner...it was wonderful...
Pic #9: The Bottle Garden in QTown...
Pic #10: Sunset from camp...

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Thanks again for the updates; I really enjoy traveling with you Via the internet. Great time, nice pictures.

[flyfshr]

Went through the entire updates and especially liked the Thanksgiving in Qtown report. Felt like I was there and I too enjoy traveling with you guys. Sometime in the near future, we'll hopefully be able to join you. Thanks for posting.

Brad
FF

[TBRich]

Hey Brad... Thanks! We enjoyed seeing you at Quartzsite for a little while anyway, but we missed you being there for the whole time. Hopefully we'll see you around the 4CU campfire soon...TB

[TBRich]

Alright! We are making good progress at getting the travel log up to date...this is the last trip of 2009...actually spilling over into the new year... We spent Christmas at Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction, AZ and followed that stay with the 4CU New Year's Rally at Picacho Peak State Park.

This was our first time at Lost Dutchman...its a great park, beautiful vistas, all dry camping... We are bummed because it may be our only chance to stay there... it is scheduled to close 3 June (unless Apache Junction or some other gov entity takes it over)...

At Lost Dutchman we met a couple from Colorado, Jim & Marcy, in their 1967 Caravel, parked across the road from us...very nice people, and a great vintage trailer. We got to know them a little and invited them to the Dead Horse Rally in Feb (update on that one forthcoming)...they came ... and joined the 4CU!

From Lost Dutchman we headed south to meet up with the 4CU gang for the much-anticipated New Year's Bash at Picacho Peak State Park (also on the chopping block). What a great time it was. We even stayed up past midnight to ring in the new year! It was a great crowd of 30-some rigs and a very fun rally... Much thanks to Louis & Sergio and Ken & Linda for hosting it... You're a great team!

You can get the full story & pics by going to our travel log (link in our signature below) and clicking on the last entry on the trips page.

Here are some pics to lure you to the travel log:

Pic #1: Approaching the Superstition Mountains from the west...
Pic #2: View from the campground...
Pic #3: View of the Superstitions from our campground at sunset...it doesn't get better than this...
Pic #4: Jim & Marcy's rig across the road from our site...
Pic #5: Terry in our campsite at sunset...it was a beautiful site with a great view...
Pic #6: Gathering around the bonfire at Picacho for New Year' Eve...
Pic #7: Nights were chilly but the bonfire warmed us nicely...
Pic #8: Early morning at Picacho
Pic #9: Richard & Jan with the ostrich egg that they used to make the Dutch Oven omelet in the foreground ... that fed the whole gang!
Pic #10: Aluminum in the desert...

[warbler5]

Terry, are you sure that's not a FLAMINGO egg omelet?

[TBRich]

Originally Posted by warbler5

Terry, are you sure that's not a FLAMINGO egg omelet?

Dee & Paul... Do ya think? Maybe those ostriches are really flamigoes in very clever disguises! The next time we're by the ostrich farm perhaps we should stop and do a little investigating! ...TB

[TBRich]

Ready with another update to our travel log...we're on a roll! This is a long weekend trip to Patagonia Lake State Park in late January 2010...the park is located between Patagonia, AZ and Nogales, AZ north off Route 82. We have been there several times, so if you would like to see more pictures or have more information go back to our earlier visits there (all accessible through our travel log, link below in out signature). This was a dry camping weekend for us, but there are electric/water hookups sites available as well. It's popular for birding and it's well-developed for fishing, boating and swimming....even has a marina and a small store.

Here are some pics for you...

Pic #1: The east side of the snow-capped Santa Rita Mountains which lie south of Tucson...shot taken from highway 83 headed south from I-10 to Sonoita, AZ...
Pic #2: Our campsite in the dry camping area facing the lake and beach area...fairly quiet in January...
Pic #3: Lake view..
Pic #4: Lake view...
Pic #5: Free range cows making a meal of prickly pear cacti...
Pic #6: Our campsite through the trees...
Pic #7: Sunset on the lake...
Pic #8: Lake reflections...

[elfirebob]

TB, Nice shots...looks like you had the run of the place!
We were there just a few months ago...relaxing and nice fishing...
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...rip-63400.html
And we always post on our Members Photos.
Ya'll stream safe,

[TWaugh]

OK, I almost choked on my lunch when I got to the "run, Tippy, run" comment.
Thanks, I needed that.
Folks around the office must think I'm crazy laughing to myself.

[TBRich]

Bob...had we known you were in our neck o' the woods we could have tried to cross paths! Next time perhaps! We hope to see you two at a 4CU rally sometime!

Tom...I wondered how many would "get" that. We're showing our age, aren't we? One of my favorite Hitchcock movies. Glad you got a kick out of it!

[TBRich]

We have another trip travel log up on our website and ready to view... It's of the Four Corners Unit Dead Horse 4 Rally at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, AZ in Feb10 ... followed by 5 nights at Lake Pleasant, a Maricopa County Regional Park NW of Phoenix ...we were out from 11 - 21 Feb ... nice trip, a great rally with a "Pirate" theme (thanks Richard & Jan, for being the hosts...aaargh!) followed by much needed R&R at lake Pleasant...we even got to go for a boat ride on the lake courtesy of Streamers Janet & Leon (thanks!)... Visit our log using the link in our signature below... Enjoy!

Here are some pics to tease you into coming to the site:

Pic #1: Part of the loop in the Dead Horse Ranch State Park group site, with all the aluminum neatly lined up...
Pic #2: Potluck!
Pic #3: All the Pirates...
Pic #4: Pirates Terry & Greg...all decked out...
Pic #5: Anthony and Sergio (with Richard behind) at the costume competition... Anthony won! Great costume...
Pic #6: Our campsite at Lake Pleasant...
Pic #7: Panoramic view form the hill where we camped at Lake Pleasant...
Pic #8: View from the hill behind our campsite...looking toward phoenix...
Pic #9: The Lake with Scorpion Bay Marina and Dillon's Restaurant...
Pic #10: Saguaros and a palo verde tree on the hill near our campsite...

[az-streamer]

TB -

just saw your post about lake pleasant. you are right about it being a really nice place and close to phoenix.

deb & i decided to try it and spent a long week-end there starting apr 30th. we got there early afternoon friday and left sunday a.m.

did a lot of r&r and a little fishing [no catching]. the days are getting hotter there but the nights are still cooler than in phoenix. we did get water & electric to make life a bit easier.

we plan to go up there again this week-end since it is only about an hour from where were keep the AS. we can just pick up and go - get a real early start friday.

any excuse to hit the road

we also toured the various loops and noticed they have some group areas that would make a good rally spot for the future.

see you all down the road!

az-streamer
jon & deb

[TBRich]

Jon & Deb... Glad you are also enjoying Lake Pleasant ... and it would be really close to you! We thought it would make a nice place for a group venture or rally as well. That dry camping loop down near the water near where the actual group areas are looks inviting. Have fun this weekend... We are heading to Show Low for an extended weekend...looking forward to some cooler weather!

See you soon!
TB

[dogpound]

We were in Show Low two weeks ago and the rate was $30.00 per night. I know you know that Terry but some others may not.
Bob

[TBRich]

Originally Posted by dogpound

We were in Show Low two weeks ago and the rate was $30.00 per night. I know you know that Terry but some others may not.
Bob

Thanks Bob...yea, I know...yikes, huh? But still better than staying at a private park...it's our anual spring visit...looking forward to it... TB

[TBRich]

Hey All ... believe it or not we are catching up on our travel logs... I am posting three trip updates to tonight...this is the first... Roper Lake, AZ for Spring Break in March. We were going to meet friends from ABQ at Roper for Spring Break, but they ended up not being able to go ... but we went ahead. This is the first time we've left for a trip on a Sunday... We were SURE we'd be able to get a space on a Sunday afternoon, but noooo... the electric loops (2) were was completely full or reserved during the next few days. So we ended up staying in the group area and dry camping Sunday through Thursday...then the group area was booked, so home we came... It worked out OK...luckily we had taken our genny with us, so all was well. We've caped there many times, and this is the first time it has every been full, and the first time we ad to resort to dry camping. We wanted to go to Roper one more time before it clsed down at the end of March. Then we learned shortly afterwards that the state had decided to leave it open, at least for a while linger... We had a good time, but it was certainly a different "Roper expreience" for us...

Below are a few pics...pi can go to our travel log website — the link is in our signature below —for the whole nine yards and more pics...

Pic #1: Our lonely site in the Group Area ... lonely for the first night, anyway...
Pic #2: Our site with Mt Graham behind .. still snow-capped and beautiful...
Pic #3: The lake from the groups site shore...
Pic #4: View of the Group Area from around the end of the lake...
Pic #5: View of the mountains south of I-10 while heading south on 191 to I-10 from the lake...

[TBRich]

We had not been to Gilbert Ray Campground for some time, so we made a trip before it gets too warm...there is electricity at the sites and water is available throughout the campground, but not at the sites.... It's a great weekend getaway for us because it's just 40 minutes from our home on the west side of the Tuscon Mountains near Old Tucson Studios and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum...it's part of the Tucson Mountain Park which is run by Pima County. You'd never know you were that close to town. It's a very pretty place in beautiful desert setting with broad vistas looking west to Avra Valley, and the desert is RIGHT at your doorstep. We met friends from Clarkdale there for Easter weekend as they were bring their AS down to Tucson for service at Oasis RV... We had great weather, beautiful sunsets and cool nights... a great time was had by all!

Here are a few pics, but please visit our travel log...the link is in our signature below ... for lots more pics and details...

Pic #1: Our campsite looking east to the Tucson Mts...and that great ocotillo cactus in our site!
Pic #2: There it is again...
Pic #3: The view our our door...
Pic #4: Looking west into Avra Valley form the campground...
Pic #5: Sunset...
Pic #6: Sunset reflections in aluminum...
Pic #7: Another sunset...
Pic #8: Bambi at night
Pic #9: Hitting a trail at sunset...
Pic #10: The Tucson Mountains at sunset...

[SilverGate]

Very nice,

-- Bill

[TBRich]

This was our first joint rally with the WBCCI Arizona Unit (we are members of the 4Corners Unit). It was originally slated for Roper Lake but when the State of AZ decided to close Roper, the rally got moved to Roosevelt Lake, which is in the Tonto National Forest, NE of Phoenix. (Then the state decided not to close Roper as scheduled...after rally plans had been changed. )

The lake is formed by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam, and it quite large. There are several large group areas with sub-loops for different parties ...and there are just as many regular camping areas sprinkled along route 188 that follows the western shoreline, each with sub-loops within them. It's a huge boating destination for summer water fun, but be forewarned... camping would be warm in the summer without your own power for AC...it's all dry camping. The best time for camping, therefore, is in the fall though the early spring. We were there mid-April which was right on the cusp of it being too warm...another week later and we would have wanted AC for sure. (There are showers, water is available but not at sites, and there's a dump station servicing all the campgrounds.)

This was also our first trip to Roosevelt, and we will return during the fall, winter or spring to explore further... It's a pretty area with a lot of nice desert growth and stately saguaros, and would make for good dry camping in cool desert weather... The Tonto Cliff Dwellings are nearby as well.

Here are a few pics to tempt you to visit our travel log website ...the link is in our signature below... enjoy!

Pic #1: Roosevelt Lake dead ahead!
Pic #2: Happy Hour!
Pic #3: Lake view...
Pic #4: Lake view...
Pic #5: Lake view...with desert blooms...
Pic #6: Silent Sentinels of the Desert on the ridge...
Pic #7: Just a "boy" and his truck (Greg) at our campsite...
Pic #8: Our site looking toward the lake...
Pic #9: Hang out at Jim & Min's (Jimmini)...
Pic #10: Jim and part of the 4CU Dog Pack ... they know where the treats are!