Okay, okay, the title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. A misleader. A trickster. No, we haven't hopped on a plane to Mexico or Disney World like our neighbors. No, we didn't buy a travel van and go camping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for 10 days like our other neighbors. No, we didn't buy a truck and camp trailer and go camping at Lake Powell for a week like our other neighbors. No, we didn't rent a motor home like a lot of Americans and go ANYWHERE! But we did get the Covid-itches, and have been doing some day-trips with a theme.
You'll remember last August I wrote about a day-trip we did to Kinnikinnick Lake.
Kinnikinnick Lake
We had a delightful time there, and it got us thinking that it might be fun to look at a Forest Service map and discover other lakes and water features in the area. A plan was born!
Our first trip was a 4-fer. All in the same area: Ashurst Lake, Cow Lake, Indian Spring, and Ashurst Spring. Ashurst Lake, named after one of the founding Flagstaff families, is another popular fishing lake with a couple of very nice campgrounds. A few birds in the water were all the wildlife we saw.
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| Ashurst Lake |
When we saw Coconino Lake, we realized the term "lake" would need to be generously interpreted. For example, what's the difference between a "lake" that looks like this and a muddy tank??? Inquiring minds want to know!
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| Coconino Lake |
On the walk to Ashurst Spring, we encountered Indian Spring and again expanded our interpretation.
Ashurst Spring, on the other hands, was the real deal. There was an actual spring, and this lovely riparian area.
Ashurst Spring
Our next day-trip was also a 4-fer: Mormon, Morton, Cow & Mud Lakes. Mormon Lake, as you may recall, is one of only two naturally occurring lakes in Arizona, though it turns out Ashurst also has that designation in some sources. Guess it depends on who you ask. This view of Mormon Lake has some water, and if you look closely, or double click to open it up, you'll see what Ron's sharp eye spotted!
Mormon Lake. See that line in the bottom half???
Cow Lake was next and brought up the next phenomenon: does a lake have to have water in it? Actually, in Arizona, not so much!
Cow Lake
Mud Lake did have water, as well as mud, as well as COWS! That almost makes it seem like a TANK since tanks are man-made for the specific purpose of watering cattle....
Mud Lake
Finally, we revisited Morton Lake, which you may remember is across the dam from Kinnikinnick. It was our intention to walk around it, but the day was a little warm and we'd had to walk to Cow Lake, so we just enjoyed the view.
Morton Lake
Next we decided to visit Stoneman Lake to knock off the last of the naturally occurring lakes. There are a few cabins around this lake. I'll bet they were built when there was a lake view that included water! It's filled with dried grasses and reeds now.
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| Stoneman Lake |
Domingo Tank was part of a drive we did at the base of the Peaks. Properly named, finally!
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| Domingo Tank |
Whitehorse Lake. What a beauty! Ron had been decades ago, I'd never been. It's my FAVORITE! It's another popular fishing lake with a great campground; seasonally closed the day we went. We did walk around this one.
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| Whitehorse Lake |
We decided to expand our distance and definition of water features and made a trip south to Montezuma's Well. This is a naturally occurring year-round spring in a sinkhole. It has been enjoyed by people both prehistoric and present day. You can see the cliff dwellings in the upper part of the picture. Now a National Monument, there were a fair number of tourists enjoying the area the day we went.
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| Montezuma's Well |
The Verde River called us next. The Verde River is a designated Wild and Scenic River. We went to Beasley Flats, where river adventurers typically take out before the river gets TOO wild. There was a large sign with plenty of "know what you're doing" information and warnings. It's deceptively mild here.
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| Verde River |
Our most recent trip was to Sycamore Canyon, where we meant to visit Sycamore Falls. We parked at the Sycamore Falls trailhead and followed the trail....not a fall to be found! Neither of us knew what the falls area looked like, and with no running water, no clue that way. So instead we drove a couple more miles and found Pomeroy Tanks. These tanks are year-round; with the drought you can see they're scanty enough to freeze over.
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| Pomeroy Tanks |
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| Pomeroy Tanks |
Pomeroy Tanks
We've enjoyed these day-trips so much! With the Covid-19 forecast not looking to clear up any time soon, we'll be continuing this delightful way to explore the area.
