Verde River RV Resort and Cottages March 22-24

Days 54, 55, 56   Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday   March 22, 23, 24   Verde River RV Resort and Cottages   Camp Verde, AZ

After a morning walk around the Lake Pleasant area, we headed up to Cottonwood area, unhooking Tuzi for the climb up Highway 17 to Camp Verde.  We like this campground along the Verde River, with a country feel, chickens and goats at a little farm next to the park!  And they have given it a new, more elegant name, changing it from Camp Verde RV Park to the name you see above!  We had time to walk around the campground, down along the river, and give Sarah a little exercise before dinner.

Our campsite, trees beginning to leaf out.

Wednesday morning we headed up toward Sedona to hike Boynton Canyon, shown on the Forest Service schematic map as 5 miles round trip.  As we parked, we were surrounded by red cliffs, beautiful country, and also surprised at the number of other cars parked at the trailheads!  The trail at the upper end was very rough, climbing up rocks, and it ended up being a 7 mile hike.  So we may have gone a mile beyond the official end of the trail!  There was a couple and their daughter up at the end, and he had a drone he was flying to take a video of the canyon.  Jim really enjoyed visiting with him!  We took so many pictures that it was very tough to narrow down the ones to post!  It was very difficult for Sarah, she was a tired girlie at the end.

These homes are in the Enchantment Resort in Boynton Canyon.

The resort is on the other side of these trees.

Alligator Juniper

Rough Trail

We saw lots of people on the trail, but at the end there were just
five of us.  This fellow was flying his drone.

Jim spotted a birdie on a tree.

A White-Breasted Nuthatch, like I have on my birdfeeder at home!

A photograph of the photographer

White wood violets!  At home they are yellow.

Thirsty girlie!

Blooming manzanita

The sun was getting low as we hiked out!

Indian Paintbrush

Carrying a tired girlie!

Thursday we relaxed in the morning, until the temperature warmed up a bit, then drove over to the birding area by Page Springs Fish Hatchery and walked the loop there.  Because it was the middle of the day, we did not see a lot of birds, did see House Finches, a Say’s Phoebe, and a pair of Black Hawks.  On the way back to the campground we stopped at the grocery store and stocked up.  Again!

Black Hawk at the Page Springs Birding area