London Calling

Greg encounters a sandstorm, crosses the London Bridge, and visits a ghost town… must be Arizona!

Picking up where I left off, I ran into a sandstorm just outside of Baker, CA. Visibility was near zero a few times. When it cleared up a bit I took a photo.

That pic doesn’t do the storm justice. I had 400 miles to drive to my next campground. Since this was my first time pulling the trailer I decided to cut the distance in half and camp for a night at Park Moabi near Needles, CA.

They now have wi-fi in the campground and that is where I posted the previous blog. The next morning I was treated to a nice sunrise.

Heading out of the campground I saw an interesting sign.

That would be a fun trip. Following the entire length of Route 66…

I rejoined I40 and headed east across the Colorado River into Arizona. Nine miles in I turned south on AZ 95 and headed south. First stop was the London Bridge.

My Brother told me a story about the purchase of this bridge. Seems the buyer thought he was getting the more famous Tower Bridge and he was mislead. I don’t know. My Brother is pretty smart, however. Definitely the second smartest of my Parent’s two sons.

The area is pretty well built up into a popular tourist destination. Lot’s of shops and restaurants.

I keep following the river south and come across the Bill Williams Wildlife Reserve. Very beautiful in the morning light.

I gas up in Parker, AZ. and head east to Alamo Lake State Park.

After setting up camp I make a some tacos, the world’s perfect food.

Alamo Lake is around 140 miles east of Phoenix. There are over 200 sites and it is especially popular for fisherman. They range from no hookups to just electric and full hookups. There are fishing tournaments here most weekends. I have never seen a trolling battery recharging station before.

They have a small store and a large boat ramp.

Did I mention that it is popular with fisherman?

I hooked the trailer back up a few days later and headed out.

I noticed a sunrise reflection in my rear side window.

Pretty cool. Remember to focus on the reflection, not your car.

40 miles east of Phoenix is Lost Dutchman State Park.

This is a newer park, opening in December 1977. While Alamo is geared towards the boater, this park has plenty of great trails for the hiker. Free maps are available. There are 72 sites – 38 with water and electricity. In the cooler months reservations are a must. I set up camp and rested my feet.

I was lucky enough to reserve site 38. Several people told me this is the best site in the campground. It has unobstructed views of the the Superstition Mountains. They are called this because as the sun moves across the sky, different shapes appear. In the picture below I see a snake jutting out of the ground on the right and some kind of scary warrior on the left holding a sword and a shield and staring at me.

20 minutes later they were gone. The setting sun cast a warm glow over the mountain.

Almost matches the color of the campfire.

That is an Arizona postcard shot!

I literally turned around to watch the sunset.

As I headed out the next morning I said goodbye to my cactus buddy and stopped at an old ghost and mining town about 1 mile from the park.

Whereas the Bodie Ghost Town near Bridgeport, CA. is basically untouched, this one has some places to eat and shop.

I like the cactus in the middle of the street.

There is even a train that you can ride on that encircles the town.

On the way out I pass one last building.

What’s that sign say?

I am not in that big of a hurry…

Regards, Park Ranger