ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!......Sunday morning 1/29 about 10 AM we left Rockhound State Park and headed west on hwy. 10, then north on 191 to the little town of Safford and our nearby destination, Roper Lake State Park. We stayed at Roper last year and really enjoyed it. The views are beautiful and there are some good trails available to explore with the pups.   

As we rolled down the road we remembered that several years ago Steve had seen a posting on an RV discussion board for job opportunity in the area we were passing through. It was a "help wanted ad" for someone to help with the construction work of restoring a ghost town. The posting included an opportunity for someone to organize and index documents related to the town. It would have been right up our alley, but we still had jobs at the time. Steve said he remembered hearing the man who owned the town had been murdered a few years ago. Our route took us right by the location so we stopped there for lunch and to check out the town itself. 

The town is situated on a narrow strip of land in between Hwy.10 and the railroad line, past which there are dirt roads leading out into the desert. 

The "ghost town" of Steins (or Steens) is a small collection of buildings and adobe ruins, some in their original locations and others having been moved in or reassembled in the spaces between. The Wikipedia article provides the historic background. 

The area is now fenced, and looks very neglected, so photos had to be taken from the outside of the area. The town location is actually right on the highway, and traffic is busy these days, so it's tricky to get a shot with no trucks in the background. 

Unfortunately, between the fence and my short stature I couldn't get decent photos that weren't covered just rooftops covered in sagebrush, so try an areal view on Google maps. You can click on satellite in the layers choices and then zoom in to get a better idea of what is actually in the little town. 

Legends of America has the backstory of the town's current state and the story of the attempted restoration is intriguing. It seems we have a second murder mystery on this trip!

We arrived at Roper Lake State Park about 2 PM and settled in to the same spot we'd been assigned for our last visit. We have a perfect view of the mountains and the snowy cap on the highest peaks made for beautiful contrast. 

These are the   Pinaleno Mountains.

The name of the range reflects the pine trees growing on it's slopes. They make for a very picturesque background with the shadows constantly changing with the movement of the sun, and the glistening snow on Mt. Graham. 

We enjoy this campground for many reasons. The scenery is one reason, the trails another, and it's really quiet. Though fishing is allowed here, this time of year there doesn't seem to be much of that activity, and it's still chilly so the birdwatching is at a minimum too. The lake and the picnic area on the little island that extends out into it make for a nice viewing area. The park is popular pretty much year round, and based on difficulty getting reservations it must be full every night. As with all campgrounds anymore reservations are a necessity. 

We pull out this morning, we'll be moving to Lost Dutchman State Park for our next stop. 

The three hour drive to Lost Dutchman State Park wanders through Apache land, several small towns, and some beautiful scenery. 

The rocky formations in this area are not only beautiful, they are rich in minerals. We passed several large copper mines, and then the Magma Mine, originally named the Silver Queen. 

This is the deepest mine in the state. There are 36 levels, with levels every 100 feet in the upper 2000 feet, and then every 2000 feet apart down to 4800 feet. The article linked above provides the history of the mine. 

We arrived at our site in Lost Dutchman State Park around 1:30 and wasted no time getting settled in. 

A cactus wren perched atop a cactus and welcomed us to the neighborhood with a song, and there were humming birds darting about in the shrubs. What a lovely beginning to our stay!

Our site is nestled up against the rocky slope at the base of Superstition Mountain and we have a terrific view of saguaros and other native vegetation. The site has a short path leading directly to the trail that encircles the park. 

The view out our door is perfect. Due to the way the sites are laid out we have a clear view of the mountain behind us, with no interference from other camp sites.

We spent the afternoon getting settled and trying out some of the many trails around the park. Everywhere you go there are striking scenes of giant saguaros, bushy cholla cactus and red mountains with fascinating erosion patterns. There was a bit of haze in the air, but as the sun moved and changed the shadows the effect was still fascinating. 

We'll do a little exploring in the area tomorrow, so tune in again for that report.