Escaping the heat

Week one of my summer 2023 flee from the Valley of the Sun is in the books, and boy am I glad to be out of that oven. With record temperatures hitting 116° for several days in a row, and nary a drop of rain on the horizon, my home sweet home is sizzling. So I loaded up my Minnie and hit the road north to higher elevations and lower temperatures.

Dale was camped in FR171 dispersed campground northeast of Payson, where we spent a rainy week last September. I drove up to join him there, and settled into site 13, across the yard from him. It was a pretty sunny site because Dale needs open skies for his Starlink and 12 solar panels. I was able to find a bit more shade, but still suffered through warm afternoons. There was a little too much wind to put out my brand new awning, so the sun shone directly on my front door. 

After four days there and daily temps climbing into the high 80s, we packed up and headed east to higher elevations in the White Mountains. We were in search of even cooler weather, and we found it. We had to go up to 9280 feet elevation, but there it was! Neither Dale nor I have been to the White Mountains since our childhood, but we both remember Dad liked to camp and fish at Big Lake. We looked for free dispersed camping areas around there, and decided to check out Carnero Lake, about 25 miles north of Big Lake. We figured we could set up near there, then scout out the neighboring forest and see if we found campsites we liked better. 

We have been in a nice spot along FS117 since last Monday and it is suiting us very well. We found a site alongside a meadow with trees on two sides, so Dale parked near the open area, and I tucked into a little grove of pines. The temperatures were in the high 60s when we got here. 

We had rain for the next four afternoons and evenings, so we had to retreat inside each day. It finally let up by Friday, and the sun came out and stayed out. We made a trip into Springerville one day to break up the routine, and had lunch at a wonderful pizza place (Dale’s treat!) and then drove by an auto salvage sculpture yard that I found on my Roadside America app. 

Yesterday, we drove down to Sunrise Lake and ski resort area and drove through a couple campgrounds. From there, we made our way over to Greer, and drove the main road through town. Hard to call it a town, since it’s mostly just cabins, lodges, RV parks, and restaurants. No stores, no gas stations, nor any other businesses. We plan to drive down to Big Lake in a day or two and check out the campgrounds there. We likely won’t stay in a developed campground at the lake, but we like to drive through them and look for amenities. (I will need to dump in a week or so.) 

We gained some neighbors over the weekend, as the working folks escaped the heat for a few days. The mother & father just across from our site came over the first evening to chat for a few minutes. Both Dale & I took note of their handguns on their hips, and politely chatted with them. We have no idea why they need to display their guns in a campground, especially as they had two little girls with them, but we tried to be good neighbors and mind our own business. Hopefully they will be gone today.  

The high altitude is keeping us both a little short of breath, and Dale has suffered with daily headaches. But the nice temperatures and quiet nights make it worthwhile. Hanna and I are enjoying walks each morning and evening either up the road or through the woods. 

We think we will stay here another week until our 14 day limit is up, then maybe head a little closer to the Valley, with upcoming doctor appts in mind.