Where are Cheryl and Dennis?: Apache Junction - Truck problems and Ancient Dwellings

03/05/2019 – 03/15/2019

Tuesday – 3/05/2019 Before we left Yuma, Dennis had contacted a Ford dealer in Apache Junction to get our check engine light checked out. Today Dennis took the truck over and they gave him a ride back to the park. We did not hear from them til the end of the day. It was something with the EGR valve and they also said our shocks were leaking. The total was going to be around $3000. Bummer! Oh well, the truck has over 111,000 miles on it and we have not had any major issues with it.

Wednesday – 3/06/2019 Dennis received a call this morning from the Ford dealer. In the process of taking the truck apart they broke a bolt. They said it was going to be an additional $1500 to fix it. Dennis was quit irate and they agreed to split the cost. But it was going to be another day before we get it back.

Thursday – Since we did not have the truck back yet I hopped on my bike and rode to Frys to pick up a few groceries. It is really pleasant riding bike here as there are no hills! In the evening we attended happy hour at the pool where one of the park residents sang and played guitar. It has been really nice here the last few days and was especially nice that evening as it was warm and the sunset was gorgeous. Dennis got a call from the Ford dealer that the truck was finally ready but he told them it could wait until tomorrow.

Friday 3/08/2019 – Dennis was picked up here at the park around 9:00. We had planned to take a drive today so as soon as he was back we took off. We headed north and took the N Bush Hwy to Hwy 87 up to Payson. At Payson we continued north and west toward Camp Verde. Along this route we reached elevations close to 6000 feet and it became quite chilly with snow still remaining in the higher elevations. We also encountered a few rain showers but the combination of the mountains, clouds and bit of sun was really breathtaking.

At Camp Verde we visited Montezuma Castle. Montezuma Castle is a 5 story cliff dwelling built in the limestone cliffs above Dry Beaver Creek. The creek was not dry as it was almost overflowing its banks from the snow melt from the higher elevations. From there we went to Sedona. The scenery is breathtaking in Sedona as it is surrounded by red rock buttes and mountains. The town is very touristy and EXPENSIVE. We had lunch in a Mexican restaurant we each had water to drink and the bill was over $30. We could get the same meal in Yuma for less than $15. We also stopped in the Bonanza Flute and Jewelry to look at there selection of Native American Flutes.

From Sedona we continued north and drove through Oak Creek Canyon and up the windy section of Hwy 89. We connected with I-17 just south of Flagstaff and headed home. It was a 2.5 hour drive back to Apache Junction and we arrived about 8:00.

Sunday 3/10/2019 – We were visited by our friends Bill and Sue. I used to work with Bill at Kohler. Ten years or so ago they retired and moved to Surprise AZ. Surprise is way on the other side of Pheonx from Apache Junction but they agreed to come to our park. They arrived about 11:15. We visited at the park for a while then went to get some lunch. Bonnie had mentioned a sandwich shop a few days ago so we went to check it out. The Meat Slicer is a mom and pop type place, nothing fancy, that serves gianormous sandwiches as well as take and bake pizzas. As advertised the sandwiches were very large, too large to get your mouth around. We had a great meal and a great visit.

We took in two shows this week. Tickets were purchased at a discount at the park activities office. On Monday we went to a dinner show at Barleens. It was a variety show with all types of music and even a little comedy. I liked the steel drum performance the best. The meal of roast beef, potatoes, gravy and salad was good. Even came with chocolate cake. On Wednesday night we attended a Beach Boys Tribute concert at the Apache Junction PAC. The group was very good and it certainly brought back memories. They even played Kokomo which was Sheila's favorite song when she was little.

Thursday afternoon I went to another flute circle. This one was at a another RV Resort just a couple of miles away. I met some more great flutists and learned some new techniques. Now I just have to practice.

Friday 3/15/2019 Dennis has been wanting to drive Apache Trail to Roosevelt Dam ever since we have been here so today was the day. We left around 9:30. We made a few stops along the way including Tortilla Flat, Apache Lake and a few of the scenic view sights. The road was paved from Apache Junction to just beyond Tortilla Flat then it turned to gravel. It was bumpy and slow driving, not much more than 10 to 15 miles an hour. I think it took us about three hours to cover 43 miles but the scenery was spectacular. Lots of desert wildflowers including desert poppy and lupine.

Once at the dam we stopped at the Roosevelt Dam overviews as well as the Roosevelt Lake Visitor Center. The original dam was completed in 1911 as part of the Salt River Project, one of the first projects authorized under the Reclamation Act of 1902. A masonry arch dam was constructed on the Salt River to mitigate flooding as well as provide a steady source of water to the Phoenix area.

Early in 1980 it was determined that the existing dam would not be able to handle a probable maximum flood and did not meet the standards for a maximum credible earthquake. In 1989 a project was started to strengthen the dam and raise it an additional 77 feet. As part of this project a new bridge was constructed to divert traffic on Highway 188 off of the dam. The modifications were completed in 1996. The modified masonry gravity arch dam is 357 feet high. It is 21.6 feet wide at the top and 196 feet wide at the bottom and in addition to storing much needed water for the Phoenix valley it also produces 36 megawatts of electricity.

From the dam we continued our trip on Highway 188 toward Globe. We stopped to check out a couple of the recreation area campgrounds. We also stopped at the Tonto National Monument. This is a another site of early native American cliff dwellings. The dwellings are estimated to be 700 years old and were occupied by the Salado people. It is thought that this site was a permanent settlement and that this was a farming community growing corn, beans, squash and cotton.

Access to the lower cliff dwelling is 350 feet up a steep, paved path. It was quite a climb but the dwelling is very interesting and the view was spectacular. The walk back down was much easier.

We continued east on Highway 188 toward Globe. It was getting late so we did not stop in Globe but turned onto Highway 60 and headed home.

Where we are parked: – Sunrise RV Resort Site 238– 500 sites – heated swimming pool, hot tub, shuffle board, horseshoe pits, pickle ball and tennis courts. RV site rates: We paid $804.40 which included a referral discount. There are other rates for extended and fall only stays.