Arizona White Mountains Monsoon adventure...
The Monsoon has arrived in Arizona, definitely our favorite time of year. As summer highs hit triple digits nearly every day it is time to head for the high country and enjoy the show. One of our favorite CG's is Rainbow at Big Lake.
The 225 mile drive is spectacular and with our site sitting at 9,230' summer heat is no longer an issue with no need for AC. We even used the furnace on our last morning as the temps were down into the low 50's.
We spent our mornings riding my motorcycle throughout the area enjoying some of the finest bike roads in America. Breakfast at the Bear Wallow Cafe in Alpine on highway 191 is always a highlight of our trip. The run down to Eager/Springerville is awesome and a side trip into Greer makes another great breakfast ride.
Almost every afternoon around 3 the clouds begin to stack up and darken and soon the lightning and torrential rains sweep through putting on an amazing show which usually subsides around sunset (1930). We pass this time with our own private Happy hour enjoying the show, a cocktail {or two}, and some music from our Class C before having a leisurely dinner. When the rains passes it is time for a campfire which we repeat over coffee the next morning.
The large CG is heavily wooded with Aspen, Spruce and Pines with very large, well spread out sites. No hook ups but there are water spigots {NOT for filling RV's}, and restrooms with flush toilets throughout the CG. They also have a shower facility.
Down the road is a full dump station and a mile away is a campground offering full hook ups though absent the need for air conditioning {daytime highs were in the low 70's}, AC is hardly a requirement. The large lake offers excellent fishing and kayaking/canoeing are also popular.
The site, a 66' long pull through, was $10 a night with our Geezer cards. Our only complaint was the serious problem with morons speeding through the campground which is posted at 10 mph max. Being off of the main road on a side loop helped but the thin air seems to intensify the idiot factor. :S
The 225 mile drive is spectacular and with our site sitting at 9,230' summer heat is no longer an issue with no need for AC. We even used the furnace on our last morning as the temps were down into the low 50's.
We spent our mornings riding my motorcycle throughout the area enjoying some of the finest bike roads in America. Breakfast at the Bear Wallow Cafe in Alpine on highway 191 is always a highlight of our trip. The run down to Eager/Springerville is awesome and a side trip into Greer makes another great breakfast ride.
Almost every afternoon around 3 the clouds begin to stack up and darken and soon the lightning and torrential rains sweep through putting on an amazing show which usually subsides around sunset (1930). We pass this time with our own private Happy hour enjoying the show, a cocktail {or two}, and some music from our Class C before having a leisurely dinner. When the rains passes it is time for a campfire which we repeat over coffee the next morning.
The large CG is heavily wooded with Aspen, Spruce and Pines with very large, well spread out sites. No hook ups but there are water spigots {NOT for filling RV's}, and restrooms with flush toilets throughout the CG. They also have a shower facility.
Down the road is a full dump station and a mile away is a campground offering full hook ups though absent the need for air conditioning {daytime highs were in the low 70's}, AC is hardly a requirement. The large lake offers excellent fishing and kayaking/canoeing are also popular.
The site, a 66' long pull through, was $10 a night with our Geezer cards. Our only complaint was the serious problem with morons speeding through the campground which is posted at 10 mph max. Being off of the main road on a side loop helped but the thin air seems to intensify the idiot factor. :S
