Oak Flat Campground

After leaving our hilltop camp we did not really have a destination in mind, just some new scenery and a good place to boondock.  We hung a right at Superior and just up the hill was the Oak Flat forest service campground. 

I had looked at it a year or two ago and was not too impressed with some of the ‘campers’ who looked like they lived there full time.  That time I had driven back onto the back roads and found my own spot.  But this time the place looked better, and there was no indication that a ‘Tonto Pass’ or any other sort of pass was required.  So I pulled in and found a decent spot at the very back.

There are some pretty impressive rock formations all around this area.

There was lots of wild life in the campsite to keep Hailey interested for hours.  The critters on the tree bark were perfectly camouflaged, but the ones on the rock or concrete were more visible.

A first here; concrete picnic tables with a built in compass!

And another mystery solved.  Anyone who has camped in a number of areas down here will have at one time or another encountered these nasty little ‘burrs’ that are laying all over the ground.  I have had them flatten bike tires on occasion, and poke through cheap sandals etc.

I finally found the type of bush where they originate, not that it helps you to avoid them.

In spite of the campground generally having a bit of a run-down look that you would expect in a free location, the outhouse I checked out was incredibly clean; no spider webs or dirt anywhere.  A few days later, I found out why. When the forest service crew arrived, they used a portable pressure washer to clean it up to the highest standard.  I also saw them trimming some overhanging branches on the roadways, something a lot of park campgrounds could use.

Touring around the backroads of the area, I found some balancing rocks.

I also found it mildly amusing to see a power pole with who knows how many thousand volts coursing through it;

using a solar panel to power a box near it’s base!

Then, a minor tragedy struck again.  Another burned out headlight!  But this time it was on the passenger side, so I only had to remove the air cleaner assembly to gain access to it, unlike the major overhaul for the driver’s side one.

The helicopter did lots of flying in these scenic locations, but was mostly taking video, which seems to be still in waiting on the editors desk.  I will hopefully get more of it posted in the blog or on Youtube sometime in the future.