Crossing into eastern Arizona from the Gila Forest, the road climbs so gradually that you don’t quite realize the altitude gain until your ears start popping. We had planned a short stay with a Boondocker host in Show Low, but when we arrived at the property, there was no good way for us to turn around and the narrow driveway had a deep ditch on either side, making any maneuver potentially disastrous for Chérie!. We regretfully canceled our booking and regrouped on a nearby church parking lot to consider our options. A quick online search yielded several possibilities in the area, so we drove to the Show Low Lake Campground to see what availability they might have. As we were cruising around the campground, looking for a spot, a short-haired blond woman in a golf cart quickly intercepted us and hauled me off to her office to give me the low down and help me book a site.
Honey & I had only planned to stay a couple of days in this town before continuing our westward push to Payson, Prescott, and then north to Flagstaff, but when I let my friend in Flag know about our plans, he told me there was a big fire 14 miles northeast of the city, which prompted me to check Prescott. Sure enough, there was a fire there, too, and the campground we had booked was in the area zoned for potential evacuation. With adverse weather conditions predicted for the next few days, there was nothing to do but watch and wait. We canceled our stay in Prescott and extended our time in Show Low, which gave us time to do some nice hikes, visit with a friend of my mom’s and spend a day at Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP).
Show Low is nestled in the White Mountains part of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, blanketed with piñon and ponderosa pines. Year-round residents number around 12,000, but in the summer, the population swells to 60,000 as Phoenix dwellers run for the hills, so to speak, to escape the high temps in the valley. A few miles to the north, the forest gives way to cypress stands and then to the Painted Deesert, where shades of pastel pinks, tans and blues paint the land for miles on end. Even the sky appears as a pale wash of blue, spreading above with perfect puffs of clouds marching off to the horizon. This landscape dominated by wind and open sky begs to be watched with lazy attention for hours on end. Only then might you be lucky enough to spot a hare scampering between the bushes, or a lizard warming itself on a rock. During the day, animal sightings in the desert are few and far between.
An hour-long drive took us to the entrance of the PFNP where a shop posing as a museum sells polished and unpolished chunks and slabs of petrified wood. The actual museum inside the park displays the geological history of these wood formations and the progression of this landscape from giant conifer forest to sparsely vegetated desert. The park is set up to be driven through with stops along the way for short hikes to various points of interest. It is possible to hike other portions of the park, either independently or with a ranger if you plan ahead, but we didn’t realize that was an option until we were already onsite. With our dog and the wind (I know it’s the season, but it does feel a bit like it’s following us wherever we go) we probably wouldn’t have opted for a long hike anyway.
The moment we crossed into Arizona, Honey lost all cell service and I got mine back in spots. Reception at the campground and in Show Low was terribly patchy, but that could also be the high wind—we’ve had issues whenever it gets a bit gusty. Since Honey’s business is entirely online it’s more important for him to have a good connection and his tolerance for bad cell reception is pretty minimal. Imagine our surprise when, in the middle of our walk through Blue Mesa (one of the most beautiful parts of PFNP), Honey’s phone started pinging madly as all of his messages came through. Not a cell tower or power line or man-made edifice in sight and this was the place where his network picked up strong and clear. I didn’t think I’d ever get him to leave the spot!
Blue Mesa was arguably my favorite part of this park. The violet, blue and white stratas of clay exposed in ridged mounds are striking and the interplay of light and shadow bring out the colors in an endless array of hues. There is only one paved path leading visitors through the mesa, but it wasn’t crowded and we were able to meander at a leisurely pace as I madly snapped photos and Honey caught up on his news.
Something we had been looking forward to since we left Florida was potentially meeting up with my little cousin and his partner, who have been living and traveling in a minivan since December. They drove from Michigan and have been living and working in Scottsdale, AZ for the past few months to save up towards a larger vehicle and continue funding their trip. We were able to get together on one of their days off to hike around Woods Canyon Lake up on the Mogollon Rim at the edge of the Colorado Plateau. It had been many years since I’d seen this cousin and we’re not at all close given our age difference and my long absence from the US, but a walk in the woods is a great way to get to know a bit about a person, and this was no exception. Honey and I enjoyed hearing their stories and sharing some of ours. We were able to compare our experiences of traveling by road during these strange times and talk about what we’ve enjoyed and also about what has been challenging. Mostly, we agreed that it is a pretty grand thing to be able to explore the country in this way, regardless of age, or means, or circumstance, and none of us would change it for a thing.
Honey & I camped on the Rim after our family hike and in the morning I walked and Honey skateboarded the length of the paved rim trail. The views were spectacular and the high winds at the edge of the cliff did nothing to diminish our enjoyment of them. Standing on the edge of a cliff with the wind blowing against you and a view over miles of hilly pine forests is a wonderful way to spend a day. You gain so much perspective when you’re sitting high above the world. The space and the distance and those wonderful pine terpenes clear your mind (and your sinuses!) providing that magical uplift only Mother Nature knows how to give.