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Summer Vacation 2022 - Listing of Campgrounds Visited

JamesDowJamesDow Member Posts: 661
edited August 2022 in Camping & Travel

████  SUMMER VACATION 2022 - PHOTOS  ████
 
Did a three-week June trip in Arizona with my wife and dog.
No significant problems, with just reattachment of the propane regulator back to the front of my T@G required.
Left San Diego around 4:30AM heading east on HWY8.
The first two camping spots were reserved, since I knew we would need shore power for air conditioning.

First stop was Lake Pleasant, Roadrunner Campground. Temp on the Rav4 read 122°.
Naturally I had to get in the water and get my tires cooled off.

Roadrunner Campground is located around 43 miles north of Phoenix.
Weekdays are calm with a nice atmosphere. Weekends bring the city day use folks.
A few were real asses.

A lot of day use users. Most just wanted to cool off in the water.
Luckily we found dog friendly Scorpion Bay Grill to indulged.
Our next planned stop was Lake Powell. Driving through Flagstaff, we had to stop for breakfast at the Toasted Owl. A well know dog friendly establishment. As we were parking the car and trailer, we noticed smoke and wind.
Sitting down on the patio, we noticed more. Asked the service personnel which way was north and they pointed directly at the area of smoke.
My wife started to panic and we quickly finished up and got back on the road heading north.

We made it through on Hwy 89 before it was closed for four days.
Made it past the smoke and fire only to run into blowing sand. Visibility dropped down to just feet.
Made it to our next planned stop at Lake Powell, Wahweap RV and Campground.
An extremely expensive campground, but we needed shore power once again for the dog.
We were at Lone Rock in 2019 and it was sad to see how low the water was.


Wahweap Marina nearly reaches across the lake.
Lone Rock no longer sits in water. It is dry.
 
We did get to go to Antelope Canyon (Upper) and got to see some amazing slot canyon formations. Our tour was hosted by a Navajo guide. Not a cheap event ($100 each), but well worth it. We went at around 10:30AM and saved $20 each from our original booked time of 11:30AM. If you go, be aware of the various time zones (Arizona, Utah and Navaho)

The next day we went to Horseshoe Bend. $10 for parking. The short hike was worth the effort.

Back to the lake and once again the low water level was striking. House boats are limited to where they can go.
Antelope Point Launch Ramp ends about 45 feet above the water. Only ramp open is the Stateline Ramp.
After a five day stay at Lake Powell, we drove to Desert View Campground at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
I highly recommend this campground. Reservations as of 2022 are now required. Desert View offers 49 sites which can accommodate tents and smaller RV's. It is possible to make same day call-in and/or online reservations. No electric hookups, two locations to fill up water containers. With my lifetime National Parks Senior Pass, the cost was $9 per night. Five-minute easy walk on a service road to the canyon edge. No people. Drive to Grand Canyon Village (all within the park boundry) takes about 40 minutes (25 miles) where you can mingle with the crowds and take a shower if so desired.
Let me tell you Desert View Campground is a much nicer experience than Grand Canyon Village area.


After some days we headed off to our next destination. "End of the World" Arizona. this site sits in the Coconino National Forest just southwest of Flagstaff. Hwy 89 had recently reopened, so back down the road we went.
End of the World (also known as the Edge of the World) overlooks the Sedona valley. The dirt forest service roads are noted to be about 26 miles. No permit required. We got a little lost, (ok a lot) and traveled on some rough dirt roads. We took the ride very slowly and carefully. My T@G is not a boondock edition and thus has very little suspension. My wife was very concerned taking the trip because of the recent forest fires. The trip was worth it. Even though I was very careful, the roads made a huge mess of everything in the trailer. Everything in the cabinets fell out and all the cabinet doors reclosed themselves. This is where the propane regulator came detached.


Our next stay was 12 miles north of Sedona. We got lucky to find a spot at Pine Flat Campground (Coconino National Forest). This campsite is in Oak Creek Canyon with unmatched scenery. Eighteen out of 56 campsites can be reserved. No electricity. $22 per night. I highly recommend the non-reserved sites on the east side of 89A. We drove into Sedona on a daily basis. Driving south of town for some of the views and to Airport Mesa for more views. We had some good food and beer twice at 89Agave Cantina. Dog friendly outside patio with cooling misters.



Next stop was in Clarkdale Arizona to visit the brother of my wife. That was a great visit.
Clarkdale is around three miles east of Jerome and 3 miles west of Cottonwood.

Our final stop was Mayflower County Park, north of Blythe CA. This park is on the Colorado River, but water access is somewhat limited. During the day, the wind picked up and kept the air feeling cooler. This was an ok site except for mosquitoes. I mean lots and lots of mosquitoes. They were not a problem until late evening, night and morning. They were so bad we got up the next morning, hurried to the car and left.

I love traveling. Home is also good. Now to plan the next trip.

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