Every new turn on the roads of New Mexico presented a more dramatic backdrop for our camp. Mt Graham and Roper Lake State Park just over the boarder in Arizona did not disappoint as we arrived last Sunday.
The path of getting to this beautiful spot however was our most adventurous wander yet! Once again the weather had a starring role in our Sunday drive from Deming, NM to
Safford, AZ. Avoiding Interstate 10 has been a focus for us, so we took off early (7:05am) to drive the 170 miles before another high wind warning came into effect at 9 am. I received the following text from my father-in-law which both Eric and I felt would not apply to our travels. We dismissed this without much thought.
Feeling confident, we stopped for breakfast in Silver Springs, NM. Although Nancy's Silver Cafe was closed, we found ample food at Adobe Springs Cafe!
Lingering over coffee, we reviewed the route again. There appeared to be a northern route and a southern route. It's 52 degrees, sunny and winds are not too gusty, we decided to go the northern route to Mule Creek, then over 78 West drop into Safford.
The pictures were spectacular as we saw the front coming through.
We were amazed as the rain turned to snow and the temperature fell 23 degrees in 15 minutes as we ascended into the Gila National Forest. The roads went from black top, to totally snowy as we kept driving into the mountains. After inquiring about the upcoming road to a couple of locals stopped on the top of the mountain who were just "Enjoying it all" we decided to keep going a bit father. The locals had said the road gets a bit steep on the backside and could be a bit slippery, but we were 45 miles away. We had gone 75% of our journey, the snow had subsided some and the winds were blowing.
It is at this point, we saw Black Jack campground and pulled in to take a moment to contemplate our decision to keep going. We were 21 miles into the mountains, the roads had 3 inches of wet snow on them, there were unknown steep curvy roads ahead. We could wait it out in the campground, turn around, or keep going.
Our mature selves decided to turn around. We had no cell coverage, no idea what the next few hours of weather looked like, it was 29 degrees. As we descended back to Mule Creek and then onward to Silver City, Eric told me over and over that we had made the right decision and I totally agree with him. We have looked at Topo maps that demonstrated that indeed there was the Needle's Pass that we would have had to maneuver if we went down the backside of the range as it went from 6,000 feet to 2,000 feet above sea level. Definitely NOT something either one of us wanted to do pulling a 26ft trailer on snow covered roads!
So our 2 hour trip became a 5.5 hr trip with plenty of wind and snow as we retraced our journey back to Silver City, then on to Lordsburg and finally Safford. We were so grateful to arrive at Roper Lake late afternoon with the sun shining and beautiful Mt Graham in the distance.
Our campsite on the water's edge gave Eric lots of great nature sightings. From the Vermillion Flycatcher to the Cinnamon teal, this state park was truly spectacular. We decided to extend our stay here in order to enjoy the views and rest up before the last push to Phoenix. Pictures don't do it justice, but I will try.
See you on the road!
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