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I returned to the Arizonian a little earlier than planned. I simply ran out of interesting things to do in the Show Low area and was getting bored. Fortunately, the temperature here in the valley had dropped down to a balmy 105. The forecast for next week is in the 90s with a reasonable chance of rain which is greatly needed. July is typically the "monsoon season", but they did not have one last year which contributed to the area's severe drought. 

My next eye injection is the middle of this month which will give me plenty of time to prepare for my trip to Colorado in August and Utah in September where I am looking forward to some off-road adventures with friends...

Government Closing Campgrounds

As if it was not tough enough finding available campsites this summer, the U.S. Forest Service and Arizona State Land Department have started closing public campgrounds here in the Southwest due to wildfires. It is a frustrating time to be a RVer.

Petrified Forest

About 40 years ago I visited the Petrified Forest National Park with my parents. I figure the park probably depends upon repeat customers like myself so I plan to return in another 40 years.

My older cousin, Chris, used to wrestle these things

Petrified tree trunk

Can you spot the old fossil in this photo

Sections of the park remind me of the Badlands in South Dakota

There is a path that allows you to hike around the these mounds

Fool Hollow Lake

Although Show Low is a nice town with great summer weather, there is not much in the way of outdoor activities that I find interesting. If you do an Internet search for "things to do in Show Low", the Fool Hollow Lake Recreational Area is generally the number one pick, so I checked it out.

It's a small lake (particularly, with the severe drought we are having here in the southwest) that allows swimming, boating, fishing, hiking and camping (92 hookup sites and 31 non-hookup sites all of which were full). It is a great place for families and friends to gather on the weekends. 

In looking at a map, everything I think I would like to see will require a long drive out of the area. One of the reasons I chose to spend a month in Show Low was to see if this might be my future summer home to escape the heat down in the valley. Now, I am not sure I want to spend 3-4 months here.

Now Hiring

Everywhere I have gone the last month, there have been "Now Hiring" signs at most businesses. Here in Show Low the situation is so bad that all of the restaurants I have frequented have had to reduce days and/or hours that they are open. It's a sad time in this country when our own government makes it more attractive to be on the dole than work for a living.

Update (6/10/2021): Out of curiosity, I looked up unemployment compensation for Arizona and found it to be $47,396/year. At this rate a couple would collect $94,792/year for sitting home doing nothing! No wonder people do not want to go back to work.

Mogollon Rim

About 60 miles west of Show Low is the Mogollon Rim, a rugged escarpment that forms the southern limit of the Colorado Plateau. The trail along the rim is known as Forest Road 300 and although it offers some great views of the valley below, it is a rough, bone-jarring, gravel road that takes its toll on you and your machine. In my opinion, there are not enough interesting things along the way to justify the long, grueling drive unless you just want to say "been there, done that".

Show Low, AZ

I am spending the month of June in Show Low, a small town about 3 hours northeast of Phoenix. At an elevation of 6345 feet, it is generally 20-25 degrees cooler than down in the valley. The forecast for the next week is 80s during the day and 50s at night (great sleeping weather). I am looking forward to the cooler temperatures and doing some exploring in the Jeep.

Knowing available RV sites would be hard to find this summer, I made my reservation at the K-Bar RV Resort back in February based solely on comments at Campground Reviews. It's a little early to say for sure but so far, I like the park. The staff was extremely friendly and guided me right to my pull-through site. There are lots of trees in the park and they even have cable tv with movie channels. 😀

My RV had been in storage for the last six months and although I start the engine and generator every month, I wondered if everything was still working as it should. The only problem I encountered was the propane igniter for the refrigerator did not ignite. The solution was to unplug the refrigerator and then plug it back in again; it works just fine now. If I ever quit breathing, unplug/plug me to see if I reboot.