Thursday, September 20, 2012

What a wonderful place to camp!


N: 35.24977 W: 112.21346   Elevation: 6800

Lake Cataract Campground site #5: Williams, AZ

          What a wonderful place to camp! 

          I packed up my van except for Herbette and was ready to leave Lake Havasu City after the free breakfast where I totally embarrassed myself making the complimentary waffle, as the machine instantly started beeping at me in the most obnoxious tones, causing most to stare in my direction as I tried to figure out what I had done wrong.

          I had sprayed the waffle iron with the non-stick spray, I poured the allotted premeasured waffle mix onto the machine and then I innocently closed the lid when the beeping began.  Apparently, once the lid closes you must flip the machine over and the three minute timer begins; I found this out as a couple of people came to rescue for the sake of quiet at the 0615 hour.  With that over with, if I ever see one of those waffle machines again, I will be in the know.

          I pulled out of the hotel and drove the three blocks over to see and drive across the London Bridge.  I sang the sad fire song and then laughed all the way across it only to find out I just had to turn around and go back over it again, which only made me sing and laugh louder.

          I filled the tank on Matilda, drove seven miles out of town to the Wal-Mart where I bought a bunch of toiletries that had ran out or were low, before heading north on Highway 95 for the next twenty miles where I hung a right at Interstate 40 and proceeded to drive the next 160 miles without stopping, arriving in Williams at about 1100 AM, after crossing the Mohave Desert and then climbing to the high desert.  What a contrast.

          I had done my homework at the hotel with the internet and had decided on checking three places I might want to camp, but the minute I pulled into the first one, at Lake Cataract, I knew I would be staying here.  Paying for two nights, I have now decided I will be staying for another one also, as this place is far too pretty to leave just yet.

         


The place is lush in wildflowers of purple and yellow, dappled with the occasional orange blossom all growing thick in eight to ten inches of green grass that surround the pine trees that cover the campground.  The lake is small and used for paddle boating and fishing, not swimming, and the breeze that blows across it is so cooling on these warmer days.

          Williams is known for the milder temperatures, ranging between ten to twenty degrees cooler than most places in the state of Arizona and keeping me from wanting to wander much further than these comfortable 75 degree days.  Of course, with the good comes the bad, as being I am up in elevation, the evenings and nights are down-right chilly at 38 to 40 degrees, so I have been wearing fleece at night and capris in the day.
         Found this guy the minute I pulled in...my first since leaving home.  Of course, this is only a garder snake, next time I hope I am as lucky again.
 
         I am 60 miles from the Grand Canyon and have decided that since I was here in January for my birthday to see the sight, I will be saving myself $25 now and maybe later on my way to the Hopi Reservation I might stop.

 I will descending down 1500 feet in elevation to Oak Creek Canyon where I want to stay at Slide Rock State Park, another first for me as I have been by Slide Rock State Park six times in my lifetime and not once have I been able to stop and experience sliding down the natural rock gully.  With the hotter temperatures, the cool water should be pleasant, besides I sure could use a shower and luckily for me, the state parks usually offer them. 
 I feel the closer I get to my destination the slower I want to go.  I don’t want my road trip to end just yet, so I am doing a few of the things around the area before I head out into the dry, flat, hot dessert where my time no longer will be mine.   Selfish as that may sound, it was always the ‘journey’ of getting here, not just getting here, that I want to continue.

          Last night I went into town to see a showdown gun slinging shootout that Williams offer each night at seven, so I wandered throughout the various shops and admired the wares without spending a dime (nice) before I went to the original 1939 Route 66 Roadside Café where I ate a huge pulled BBQ pork sandwich and listened to the live entertainment waiting for the big ‘showdown’ to begin.

          Around 7:15 I asked my waiter about the gun show and he said that he didn’t think it continued after Labor Day and he went and checked on it for me, only to return with my wonderful food and the bad news that the showdowns were seasonal and no longer running.  I finished my meal and drove the one mile back to my camp and had a small and unsatisfactory camp fire.

          Let me tell you about wood differences and a good fire.  I wrote that my very first bundle of wood sucked.  It smelled like chemical wood, burned slow and smoky, while basically gave out little flame but alright heat and coals.  It was so bad, I left a small pile of it at one of my campsites because it was so horrible smelling.
Since then I check the wood and most of it has been ponderosa pine which burns brightly and leaves hot coals and a warm fire to take the chill off, and the first night here in Williams I had some leftover wood from Pine Cove, CA which was the ponderosa type and it burned wonderfully.

          Last night though, that was the beginning of a new stack I bought from the campground host and the minute it started to burn, I knew. There was that odor and there was that smoke again and I rolled my eyes and made a mental note to ask the guy in the morning which type of wood he sold me, for in the future, I will ask before I buy.

          I have been having issues with my refrigerator for about two weeks now.  I thought I was out of propane because I could not get the refrigerator to stay lit once I got the pilot light going.  I didn’t even bother with it the whole time I was at my childhood friends place nor while camping up by Idyllwild because I had nothing to keep cool.  So, yesterday while in town I went to a place with propane and all she could get into the tank was one gallon, so after paying for my regular fuel and the propane, I returned to camp and was finally successful in getting the refrigerator to function and my newly purchased fruits stayed cool.

          When I returned from town last night though, I had a very hard time trying to get it start up, once again lighting the pilot light but the continued running of the fridge would stop once I released the starter button.  Three attempts at different times finally got it running and this morning I would have had Ice had I put water in the ice cube tray (yes, it has this little, itty, bitty, teeny, tiny, ice cube tray that came with the fridge) and could have added it to my Newman’s Own lemonade. So, twice now I have been fooled into thinking I was out of propane and I have not, both times had to do with the refrigerator.  If it wasn’t for the fact I want to eat my own cooked meals where I need a fridge to keep my veggies and fruits fresh for more than an hour in this heat, I would just get a cooler with ice and try that, but again, it is just as complicated as the keeping the refrigerator going. 

          Oh, the woes of camping; fire and ice. It makes me have a greater appreciation for the true caveman of the past who fought to become one with these two elements that make up a good part of the modern human’s existence.  Where would the average American be without cooked meals and cold drinks?
       Well, today is doing nothing but play day.  I am off for a bike ride around the lake and to take some pictures of this beautiful place.  Off to enjoy the day… ‘Traveling Thru The Tonda Zone!’

~Peace~

         
sites in Williams...
         

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