Verde Hot Springs

The campground near Verde Hot Springs, on the Verde River n north-central Arizona, late April 2007. I camped up here during my research on the Ressurection of Fossil Creek for Inside /outside magazine, which covers the Four Corners area.

That's a Hammock Bliss mosquito hammock - exactly one step up from the Byer my son has [see previous post below]. It's a little easier to rig, but it's chief virtue was that it was in stock in at the Glendale Cabela's the day before I left for this trip.

The stove Trail Stove pictured boils water in about ten minutes using basically garbage and wood chips, but it doesn't meet fire restrictions in AZ, so it's useless to me most of the summer.
I had to buy a Pocket Rocket for Buckskin Gulch. It works great, but you have to get to a sporting goods store to get more fuel.

Later on I'll tells the tale of how I rescued by hippies near this very spot a couple of years ago - and more about the hot springs.

Group Camp site

Bongo, at the Moqui Group Camp site in the Coconino National Forest, not far from Blue Ridge Reservoir, and across the street from the Blue Ridge campground. Neither of these campgrounds, though, has direct access to the reservoir - just so you don't repeat our mistakes.

The occasion was my son's 10th birthday party and/or HAM radio field day. The combined attendance required a group site. Coconino National Forest gets $50/night on the weekend for this site, which will comfortably accommodate up to 50 people (we capped out at 18 - not counting dogs). There is drinking water and vault toilets.

The entire forest, however, was under campfire restrictions, so we had to do all the cooking with propane, and substituted lanterns for campfires late at night.

This is a picnic table in the center area of the Spooner Pod.
The date is June 21, 2007.