Arizona-Family Time-State 13 of 49 on our Adventure-Part 2

Today we head to Mesa, Arizona. This is another deviation from our trip. The weather in Mesa is supposed to be unseasonable cooler for the next few days. Our original plan was to stay about 1 ½ hours from Chandler, AZ where my sister Jocelyn and Family live. The temperature closer to Phoenix is normally in the 90°F and above in May. The cold front was to keep the temperatures below 90°F.

We found through Passport America a Cal-Am property. Cal-Am is the leading name in Arizona for RV Resorts designed for the 55+ years of age. We selected Mesa Regal RV Resort, 4700 E Main St, Mesa, AZ. The distance from Sun Valley RV Resort to Mesa Regal RV Resort is 3 h 9 min (183 mi) via AZ-277 W and AZ-87.

The drive was absolutely amazing going from 4,000 - 5,000 feet elevation desert, down to mountains and forest, to the desert at around 1,000 feet elevation. The temperature swings were 10°F+ from top to bottom.

Mesa and the surrounding area is very clean and the road sides are decorated with red stone and designs on the over passes. Our reservation is from May 1st to May 4th. Mesa Regal RV resort is one of Arizona’s largest RV Resorts with over 2,000 sites. Amenities include full hook-ups for motor homes, travel trailers and 5th wheels, four outdoor pools, two spas, and state of the art computer and fitness centers. They also house a full-service beauty salon, and massage therapy with two excellent therapists.

Be ready to play at Mesa Regal! They offer six lighted tennis courts, batting, and golf driving cages, water volleyball, table tennis, billiards, shuffleboard, Rolle Bolle and the ever popular bocce ball and pickle ball. Meet the friendly folks in our woodworking shop, lapidary, silversmithing, stained glass, ceramics, porcelain/China painting, or scrapbooking labs. Do just about anything you want with over 100 different clubs and classes to choose from.

Jocelyn and Family visited the campground. We walked around the resort to the sports complex. The resort is amazing. There is so many options to play in the sports complex and activities at the main pool. They have a computer center, massage center, spa, billiards room, 3 pools, hot tub, 2 outdoor bars, ballroom, and more.

This evening was Cinco De Mayo pre-party. They have a mariachi band playing. The margaritas and Corona beer are .25 Cents. We ending the evening as the wind began to pickup. The camper was rocking from the strong wind. We had no one on either side of us so I moved the truck to the back of the camper to block the wind. The next morning there were grapefruit and limes all over the ground. Our fake palm tree was blown to the ground. A camper down from us had its cover ripped off and a car cover was also blown off. Some neighbors down the street put the cover back on the car.

After getting cleaned up, we set off to Apache Trail Highway and Roosevelt Dam.

Highway 88 is the most scenic portion of the drive. It’s a real challenging road and a true test of your vehicle and your stamina because the road abounds in twists and turns with wheels sometimes hanging above the precipice. The road was named after the Apache Indians who originally used this trail. A drive on the Apache Trail is one of the most scenic drives near the Phoenix area. This well-traveled road affords visitors an incredible view of canyons, geologic formations, desert plants and trees, desert and lake views, and wildflowers in season. The narrow, winding road is unpaved from just east of the town of Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Dam; there are steep cliff drops and little in the way of safety barriers. It's 40 miles (64 km) long. There are many excellent photo opportunities.

We even captured some vehicles down cliffs in just one section and another car towards the end of the drive. All looked like they have been there for some time.

There was a lot of construction on the paved section of Hwy 88 because of new pavement being placed. The dirt road section appears to have been bulldozed recently because the roads had ruts from the dozer tracks. This made the road very bumpy.

The historic Roosevelt Dam is at the end of the 42 mile journey. After a series of flooding and drought, Arizona decided to take on the massive and dangerous undertaking of damming the Salt River. The project took 6 years to build and claimed 42 lives. It was at one time the largest masonry dam in the world. The lake it created held it's own records being the largest artificial lake in 1911. In 1989, the dam was raised 77 feet (23 m) to 357 feet (107 m) and the Roosevelt Bridge was also added.

From here you have essentially two options; you can head back the way you came or turn the trip into a larger circle route by driving southeast towards Globe. The Globe route goes through mining towns and great views along the highway.

We returned to the campground by 5:07 pm. We feed Bella Bee and quickly cleaned up. We were expected at Jocelyn and Gerard by 5:45 pm and the trip was just a tad over 30 minutes. We were glad to take Bella Bee with us today, she slept most of the way and had a chance to walk at some of the stops.

We made it to my sisters at few minutes late. We were blown away by their home and neighborhood. They have done so well for themselves. We toured the park nearby. There is so much to do at the park and the schools are right there as well. We are so proud of her and Gerard. Ryan, McGuire, and Emma are all doing so well. Ryan graduates this year from high school too. We got home after 11:00 pm. We stayed up past 1:00 am.

The next day I got up the regular time because of Bella Bee of course. Lora got up late. I got my haircut at Great Clips while Lora got ready. We were going to get the truck washed, visit Wal-Mart, and get a sub from Subway. We got back to the camper, I got to lay out in the sun for a couple of hours.

At 5:00 pm Mesa Regal was having a DJ at the main building. Lora and I went up at 5:30 pm. The crowd was small. They were dancing and living the retired life. The party ended at 7:00 pm, so we headed back and finished the day watching TV. This region is a definite come back and even snowbird if we desire.

The next day we are headed North to Williams, Arizona. Williams is west of Flagstaff.

If you want to follow us as we travel across America, please subscribe to our blog. The posting is our own opinions and experiences.