Having stopped in Prescott to have Adventure Trailers install a fridge slide and drawer set up in my vehicle, I was off to Mogollon Rim with my girlfriend. (pictures actually start from Phoenix since I had to make a trip to the airport.) Here's a cell phone pic of the new set up- kind of hard to see it with all the stuff packed in there but as I've since refreshed some gear with lighter weight backpacking gear, it's a lot less cluttered now.
Random picture of an old barn
Roads were well maintained; 2WD friendly at this point. Really no need for 4WD but as some of the puddles were of unknown depth and iced over, I played it safe and used 4WD a few times.
Here's a panoramic shot from the Rim:
We located a site a friend shared which is about 25 miles from Rim Road and took some pictures. Words do not do this place justice. There were some earlier primitive camping spots further back but with 4 or 5 vehicles all within close proximity of one another, I'm glad I followed the map Martyn of AT provided. Trust me when I say that the scenery from this spot is better than the other.
Here's where we camped for the night:
My favorite picture- same spot as previous but with more interesting lighting:
Getting the campfire started- not exactly macgyver but hey, it works.
First sunset:
Worth mentioning were the temperatures. During the day, the temperature was about 28-34F. By nightfall, the temperature would slowly drop such that by early morning, it would be closer to 17-18F. Once temps drop to the low 30s, I like to wear a balaclava. Rothco makes a nice one and I'm familiar with their gear. To me, it's more convenient than a shemagh. This particular week, the winds were pretty fierce. Lots of wind advisories with gusts upwards of 45-50mph but being as close to the rim as we were, the winds went right over us.
Next morning, we decided to take a short walk to a nearby cliff
Last pic of the campsite before heading off to do some exploring for another campsite
There's a nearby lake too (Knoll Lake):
The second spot wasn't quite as scenic as the first but it was a great spot nonetheless- nestled between trees with plenty of space to set up camp
And then, the the drive back to Tampa...
Random picture of an old barn
Roads were well maintained; 2WD friendly at this point. Really no need for 4WD but as some of the puddles were of unknown depth and iced over, I played it safe and used 4WD a few times.
Here's a panoramic shot from the Rim:
We located a site a friend shared which is about 25 miles from Rim Road and took some pictures. Words do not do this place justice. There were some earlier primitive camping spots further back but with 4 or 5 vehicles all within close proximity of one another, I'm glad I followed the map Martyn of AT provided. Trust me when I say that the scenery from this spot is better than the other.
Here's where we camped for the night:
My favorite picture- same spot as previous but with more interesting lighting:
Getting the campfire started- not exactly macgyver but hey, it works.
First sunset:
Worth mentioning were the temperatures. During the day, the temperature was about 28-34F. By nightfall, the temperature would slowly drop such that by early morning, it would be closer to 17-18F. Once temps drop to the low 30s, I like to wear a balaclava. Rothco makes a nice one and I'm familiar with their gear. To me, it's more convenient than a shemagh. This particular week, the winds were pretty fierce. Lots of wind advisories with gusts upwards of 45-50mph but being as close to the rim as we were, the winds went right over us.
Next morning, we decided to take a short walk to a nearby cliff
Last pic of the campsite before heading off to do some exploring for another campsite
There's a nearby lake too (Knoll Lake):
The second spot wasn't quite as scenic as the first but it was a great spot nonetheless- nestled between trees with plenty of space to set up camp
And then, the the drive back to Tampa...
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