From Gunsight Wash February 26th 2017

My coach has an Aqua-hot heating system which can heat the interior, heat the hot water or even heat the engine, depending on how one sets it.

With night-time temps at or about the freezing mark e few times during the winter (only 27 one morning), I would set the thermostat at 48 during the night, just in case it got really cold and the water pipes needed a little thawing (not the case unless much cooler). During the day, after a morning heat-up, I turned the system off, because, by then, sun is coming through the big front windows to warm the coach. Aqua-Hot also heats the water except I rarely use it for that unless having one of my occasional navy showers. Dishes get washed once a day if they're lucky, from water heated in a pot on the stove and supplied from my 5 gal jug that can be refilled from time to time. Overall, I would say the Aqua-Hot system is excellent even though I don't use it to full potential. In addition to heating water it will run in reverse to heat the engine (acting as a block heater) and can run in conjunction with the regular coach heater while in transit during cold weather (rarely, if at all this year).

Early in February, cousin David Asquin and wife Louise came to visit for a night. They were the first couple to test the new “sleeper couch” and proclaimed it acceptable. I had been worried that 48” of width might not be wide enough. Their itinerary brought them from Scottsdale and saw them headed off to San Diego to visit the zoo and Marineland with stops at various golf courses as they travel.

Gunsight was great for about three weeks after which I pulled up stakes, went back to the nearby Casino at Hickiwan to dump tanks again, and did more laundry. Then it was off to Apache Junction to visit Darch and Catherine Oborne. Their driveway is just big enough for me to navigate – one or two cacti had to be consoled after I nicked them with the rear tires but no lasting damage was done. The CC has picked up a few scratches, firstly by threading through the narrow, creosote bush-lined access trails at Gunsight wash, and also because I tried to squeeze into an RV site at Hickiwan Trails where a mesquite tree branch somehow leapt out and caught me.

At Apache Junction, I went to look at an e-bike that Darch had found at his local bike shop. E-bikes would be a good fit for me as they can assist the pedals, or just move the bike along on the throttle setting. This particular bike, I didn’t get but have now ordered a different one to be shipped to me at Apache Junction from Seattle. If anyone wishes to look at it and read some information, then check out Radpowerbikes.com. Mine is the Rad Rover model – looks like a mountain bike but has 4” wide tires and can help push me up hills with minimum effort, depending on where I set the “assist” mode.

From Apache Junction, I followed Darch in his “rig” to a free-camping site at the Picket Post horse encampment.

Darchmobile at Picket Post camp
 

Along with his biking friends Dave and Donna Morter, we were surrounded by people with horses, mules and donkeys. From this spot, a section of the Arizona Trail goes in both directions. I rode it for about a mile and a half while the others rode further and suspect that my days of riding narrow single-track trails are coming to an end. Balance (and stamina) have disappeared to the extent that I am no longer very confident riding along narrow tracks.  When my e-bike arrives, it will stay on reasonably wide surfaces.

Just down the road is the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. This is a very informative outdoor desert museum that displays local plant life and has a self-guided hiking trail of about 1½ miles. That same day, I visited the local Walmart in Claypool/Globe for supplies. Across the highway was an interesting sight. Cattle were grazing on the bank of an old mine tailings slope that had grassed over. This slope must have been at least 50°

and every time one of the cows tried to move, it staggered and nearly fell down the hill. I’m sure no one told those cows to eat there, so they must have had a meeting at which it was decided to ignore the risk in order to get the good grass.

cattle on slope at Globe

From Picket Post, we went north for about 2 hours to Roosevelt Lake, where I camped last year. The price is still $8 per night for a very attractive campground overlooking the lake (Windy Hill – Coati Loop) with hot showers and bathrooms (run from solar).  Scattered throughout are isolated water taps, including one near me from which I was able to fill and refill my 20 litre jug to use for dishes once per day. There is no power and generators are allowed though I haven’t really been bothered much by them. Also, there are a couple of sewer dumps up the road that open each for 2 days per week. This place is ideal for me as I have plenty of water on board (probably 2 months worth) and the waste and sewage tanks can probably hold out for the same amount of time. Power, I don’t need because, by this time of year, the days are getting longer and the sun is high enough to give me all the solar I can use, plus, hopefully, enough extra to charge the e-bike battery when that gets added to the fleet. I now plan to go back to the Oborne’s back yard to await my e-bike arrival.

While here at Roosevelt, I have been on a few short rides and hikes, volunteering once to shuttle the other bikers up to the top of a trail at Mills Ridge Trailhead. 

Sunset
 at Roosevelt

I have also bounced around the countryside in the Jeep, exploring different tracks on my own.  Trailheads visited include Thule, Campaign Creek and Cottonwood (roads 449 449-A, and 83). On the last of these jaunts, I followed Mike Quinn, a new acquaintance, on his dirt bike above the actual trailhead to a ridge from which there was a great view of the surrounding countryside. Mike and his wife, Sissie, volunteer with the Tonto Forest Reserve to do trail work throughout the Park, so they are very knowledgeable about the local terrain. This particular trail was quite steep, rough and worn from erosion but the Jeep handled it all with aplomb.