Ahhhh….. Much Better!

You’d think, after more than 3 years on the road that travel days would not elicit that sleepless night syndrome, the one where we each wake up several times wondering if it’s time to go yet.  But, no, we both had it last night.  Do you think we were just ready to get outa Phoenix?

Bright and early this morning we were up, drinking our coffee and were pulling out of Desert Shadows RV Resort by 8:00 this morning – for a travel day of less than 100 miles!  We knew that this is a busy weekend at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, with a Birding Festival, so we wanted to make sure we got here early enough to get a site.

There are some beautiful flowers blooming along I-17:

We had an easy drive with some beautiful scenery as we left the Valley of the Sun and climbed up and then started our descent into the Verde Valley:

And soon, we found our destination just outside Cottonwood, Arizona:

We were successful in arriving early enough to get a site, and a good one at that.  We’re on the end of a row, so we only have a neighbor on one side, and we’re on the highest level of the campground, so we have a view, too. 

From my spot on the living room sofa, I can look out the window and watch the endless changing of the scenery with the movement of the clouds across the valley towards the little town of Jerome, perched on the side of the mountain:

 

On the park’s web page is a quote about how the park was named: “The story of the park's name begins with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked the best. The kids said, “the one with the dead horse, Dad!” The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale.”  Dead horse or not, this is a beautiful spot!

Even though the weather today is cloudy, chilly and blustery, we’re enjoying the peace and quiet – no planes, helicopters, or freeway noises, just the wind.  I think the Castle looks much nicer in this setting:

Flowers are just starting to bloom here, we’re a bit higher in elevation than Phoenix:

Yes, this is more like it!