JAVELINAS AT OUR GATE & A DRIVE TO THE LAKE

TODAY, WE WENT TO THE LAKE
No need to build a fire when I got up this morning.  Temps only went down to 48F overnight so not like the previous mornings 32F.  Sure can see the inefficiency of an old fireplace with the majority of the heat going up the chimney though.  We do have a couple electric base board heaters (living room & dining room) but they use up a lot electricity so we are hesitant about using them.
Again today, I had problems with the exposure settings on my Nikon D90.  Second time in a week so don’t know what’s going on with the camera.
 
When Kelly opened the dining room curtains about 7:30 this morning we had 7 Javelinas outside plus 2 small baby Javelinas.  Outside our fence that is.  What a relief to see our chain link fence had kept them out.  They had come down the laneway south of our house along our older stretch of fence.  When they reached Ghost Town Road they all turned left in single file & headed north.  Babies were cute trying to keep up with & stay close to their Mother.  No doubt had we not had our fence in place those Javelinas would have cut right through our property.  We were fortunate not to be heading out on our morning walk just at that time. 

JAVALENA’S CROSSING OUR DRIVEWAY

MOM & THE KIDS

GLAD THEY WERE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE FENCE & NOT THE INSIDE
We had first heard of Arizona’s Alamo Lake while boondocked in Quartzsite a few years back.  We knew it would make a good day trip so the three of us were on the road headed west by 9 a.m. this morning.  Picking up highway 60 coming out of Wickenburg we stopped in the small town of Aguila (Agee-a) along the way while Kelly browsed some roadside vendors.  From there it was past Harquahala Mountain to the dusty little town of Wenden.  Here in the south-west…..all little towns are dusty.

AT THE ALAMO DAM
It’s a 33 mile drive from Wenden to Alamo Lake State Park.  We never met a single vehicle all the way there or all the way back.  Just sat back, relaxed, took our time & enjoyed all the great Arizona scenery along the way.

Quick stop along the way in the Harquvar Mountains for a tailgate egg salad sandwich, some chips, & some pickles.  From there it was north across the Butler Valley skirting around the eastern end of the Buckskin Mountains.  Paved road all the way:))

For some whacky reason I had got it in my head at some point that Alamo Lake was at a higher altitude, large, & in a Pine Forest.  Well, I couldn’t have been more imaginatively wrong.  Alamo Lake turned out to be smaller than I thought & there wasn’t a Pine tree around for miles.  Ringed by distant mountain ranges, Alamo Lake is the result of the Alamo Lake dam stretching across the Bill Williams River.  And, it’s rugged desert country. 

OH OH….END OF THE ROAD

 
Nice viewpoint of the Lake & Dam from a viewpoint about a mile past the Park’s Ranger station.
  
Must be about half a dozen camping areas scattered over a large area complete with boat launches & for sure this must be a very popular summer destination for Arizonians.  The few RV’s we saw at campsites today probably belonged to a construction crew working on a few projects there.  Nice time of year to visit Alamo Lake for sure……nobody there:))
 
A FEW RV SITES
Northeast of the Alamo State Park gates we could maybe 15 or 20 RV’s scattered about in the distance just west of a little trailer & mobile home park by the name of Wayside.  Looked like boondockers for sure with each one having lots of room around them.  Wayside itself was a curious little place.  Lots of ATV’s & we wondered if maybe a lot of folks there were prospectors.  For the small size of it, Wayside even has it own store, gas, & propane.  
 
WAYSIDE ARIZONA
On our way back to Wenden we came across a curious place on the west side of the road.  Big sign out front with a Motorhome picture on it.  Building looked empty & we could see roads dozed into the hillside.  Nobody around so we drove in to see if we could put a little logic into whatever this place is/was.

 
 
VIEW FROM ONE OF THE LOTS, FRONT & BACK
Called ‘Saguaro Acres’ it reminded me of a grand venture gone bust.  A lot of ground work has been done here at some point.  On one of the sites we came across an old abandoned mining site with a shaft leading into the hillside.  No attempt to seal up the shaft & the mining timbers are still in place.  With a little research on the internet tonight, Kelly just found out the developer of Saguaro Acres died.  I’m guessing the whole thing is tied up in litigation now but according to the sign, it looks like RV’ers are welcome to boondock on the property for a couple nights.

 
AN OLD MINE SHAFT ON ONE OF THE ‘SAGUARO ACRES’ SITES
All & all, just another great Arizona day out exploring different places, seeing new things, & just getting to know our area.  Pheebs had a blast at every stop doing lots of exploring of her own.  Nose to the ground, lots of new smells. 

We traveled 82 miles & were home by 3:30.  As I flopped into my recliner late this afternoon I was again reminded of why it is we so much love the great American Southwest:))   
 
PLANET MERCURY LOWER LEFT & PLANET VENUS ABOVE THE MOON…TAKEN FROM OUR FRONT YARD THIS MORNING…300mm    

GROANER’S CORNER:(( My mind works like lightning,...........one brilliant 'Flash' and it is gone!!
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