February 1st! Wow, where does the time go? We’ve been here at the Phon D Sutton Recreation Area for 10 days already. It’s hard to believe. I’ve been busy most days with various projects. I’ve only taken time out to hike around the area on a couple of occasions. Donna has been busy working on her book and either running, biking or hiking.

One more day here and then we’ll move a few miles away to Usery Mountain Regional Park. I rode the scooter there on Thursday to look it over. It’s always nice to see what I’m getting into before I pull in with a 40′ motorhome and trailer. Many state, county and regional parks were laid out decades ago. Large motorhomes weren’t common back then. The layout of these parks can be tight by today’s standards.

Usery Mountain Regional Park has a good, paved road system. But there are issues. Positioning our rig at their dump station will be tricky. If I go through the dump station when we enter the park, I’ll have to pull through a narrow, curved area of pavement. There are trees on the right and curbs on the left. I might wait until we leave to dump the tanks as that will allow me to enter the station from the opposite direction, which looks to be easier. Our site, which is described as a pullthrough is really just a clearing on the side of the road.

Most RVs have the water and power connections on the driver’s side. If I pull into this site with the water and power facing the hookups, our door and awning will be on the street side. I think I’ll loop through the park and pull into the site from the opposite direction. This means I’ll have to run our fresh water hose and 50amp electrical cord under the coach to hook up. But, we’ll have our door and awning facing the picnic table with a view of Pass Mountain.

After I previewed Usery Mountain Regional Park, I went for a hike down the river. I saw waterfowl and found a nice fishing hole. I could see the trout in the water. Many were coming to the surface to feed on insects. Rails were tip-toeing along the shallow water, dipping their beaks in the mud to feed. I took a few photos with my Samsung Galaxy S4. One of these days, I should get serious and take a real camera with me.

Salt River – Four Peaks in the background

I found the confluence of the Salt River and the Verde River. The Verde flows much faster than the Salt at this point. Once they join forces, the Lower Salt River widens and flows quickly.

Verde River empties into the Salt River

A cold front came into the area yesterday. It was cloudy with the high temperature for the day in the mid 60s. The forecast calls for the cool weather to continue into next week, but we should remain dry.

Today, I’m expecting a visitor. Peter Swingle, the son of John and Bonnie Swingle, is planning to stop by around 1pm. I haven’t seen Peter since 1975 or 1976. It will be fun to chat over a cold beer with him. Then, I’ll start organizing the trailer in preparation for our move. I would like to be set up tomorrow by noon so I can relax and enjoy the Superbowl.

Red Mountain at sunrise this morning