It's day 214.....It's also December 4, 2019....and we're on Two Cow Road....in Arizona

It's day 214.....It's also December 4, 2019....and we're on Two Cow Road....in Arizona

Yep....you heard me right....Two Cow Road....and you know us.....if we come across a road called Two Cow Road.....we're gonna see where it goes!

But lets start with how we got here.....

Leaving Scottsdale....we were told of a back way out of the city......a road that would get us out of the town....and back into the wide open of the desert. It wasn't long before we found ourselves not far from that Tonto National Forest that we had admired from afar during our stay outside New River......it was time to go check it out that forest.....up close

We would get just 50 miles out of Scottsdale ....and were already in the Tonto National Forest when we found an entrance to the Four Peaks Wilderness Area...and since the entrance was a graveled road....we knew immediately... it was our kind of place.

The Tonto National Forest....

A forest that covers approximately 2.9 million acres....it's massive..... the largest National Forest in Arizona.....and the 9th largest in the whole country.

Reading that we were in the 9th largest National Forest in the US......made me curious.....where's the largest......so I just asked the internet....to tell me the top ten.

Wasn't really a surprise to read that the two largest National Forests in the country are both in Alaska....

The Tongass National Forest encompasses a mind blowing 17 million acres. Alaska has a National Forests that covers more land.....than each of the 10 smallest states in the country.....Besides being the largest National Forest in the US....it's also the Northern most rain forest in the world and his home to over 30,000 species of Bear....and the largest Bald Eagle population in the world.

And the second. largest....The Chugach National Forest with 6.9 million acres

Idaho, also claims two spots in the top ten with the Salmon-Challis National Forest....Approximately 4.3 million acres.....and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest claiming Around 3.3 million acres.

Wyoming is the third...of only three states claiming two on the list.....

Bridger-Teton National Forest (Wyoming) - Roughly 3.4 million acres.

And the Shoshone National Forest (Wyoming) - Around 2.4 million acres

And rounding out the top ten.....

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (Nevada and California) encompassing 6.3 million acre

The Gila National Forest (New Mexico) - About 3.3 million acres.

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (Montana) - Also coming in at Approximately 3.3 million acres.

When we spent that night in Dillon Montana.......I had no idea we were in the foothills of one of the nations largest national forests......Nor did I know , just last night....that the Tonto National also held this distinction. Can't wait to see more of the National Forests that are the biggest in the country.....although those two in Alaska might be a bit of a stretch......we'll definitely get there one day.....but for now.....we'll save that 2200 mile....and 40 hour drive through Canada to get there......for another time. Sounds like a summer long adventure of it's own!

And a quick side note.....and another example of how a click on more video....can lead to a whole bunch more learning.....earlier today....I was scanning YouTube in search of a couple things.....one....proper pronunciation of Hila....that name spelled Gila.....but pronounced Hila.....and a little more about this reptile called a Hila Monster.....It was then...when I came across a video on the YouTube channel ..... Brave Wildnerness.....the title of the video is Gila Monster Bite....I'll put a link in the show notes.......

This is the first place that we had been.....where I had seen the name Gila monster on the list of critters all around us.....which is why this video caught my eye......what I wasn't expecting ..... was to learn

That the Gila Monster....which is a lizard by the way.....can be found only in this part of the north American Continent.....The Sonoran desert region. It's also .... one big lizard.....these guys can grow to nearly 2 feet long and weigh 4 lbs or more. But most fascinating......the Gila Monster is one of very few Lizards in the world known to be venomous...it's the only one in the US....The other only known venomous lizards......

Mexican beaded lizard ....named for presence primarily in Mexico....but can also be found in Guatemala

Komodo dragon....native only to a few Indonesian islands

Guatemalan beaded lizard....These guys can only be found in a specific region of Guatamala.....and are extremely endangered.....it is believed that there are less that 200 currently living in that part the wild.

Now....the Hila Monsters venom is designed to subdue prey...If a human is bit.....while extremely painful....with equally unpleasant side effects such as swelling, nausea, and dizziness....it is not known to be fatal in humans. But here's a bizarre twist.....in the last century....the only reported human fatality ....was an incident that occurred in Colorado....when a man died from complications after being bitten by his pet Gila monster.....

Here's the most important thing heard.....during a 5 minute video....I'm going to quote the Host of the show....Coyote:

When referring the Arizona's Sonoran Desert.....he stated....."This environment is incredibly hostile....and if the heat doesn't get you....watch your step.....the biological landmines....just might. close quote

He then goes on to show his Gila Monster bite.....along with random encounters with rattlesnakes and scorpions....you know....circling back around to that incredibly hostile environment thing......

For anyone out there watching the video version of this podcast on Spotify....or YouTube.....and at the risk of a copyright strike.....here's a clip of that video.....so you can see for yourself.

Insert clip of video....

We' ve spent weeks now....if not months exploring and enjoying the desert....considering it...rugged....beautiful....expansive....different....warm....I mean...it's December......endless......but never once hostile....let alone.....incredibly hostile.

But just as I'd learned back in Lake Havasu.....that there is a scenario in which a hungry horned owl might carry Billie off into the night sky for a late night snack.....if given the opportunity......there are even more scenarios.....that could be equally terrifying.

I now had an even more heightened awareness.....and was thankful that walks with Dougie had already evolved from allowing him to run wild and freely checking out his new desert backyard each morning......to leashed walks.....and we stick to the roads and trails.....when there are roads and trails.....

One final lesson would be that we are actually here at the right time.....if one want's to avoid any of the venomous critters in the area.....those rattle snakes, scorpions, brown recluse spiders and tarantula's.......they all tend to be more dormant....less active.....and stick to their burrows and nests to conserve energy and body heat during the colder months.......and last note to self ....... avoid boondocking in the Sonoran Desert during late spring and early summer....when just the opposite is true of these desert dwellers....

And back to this Tonto National forest......and it's nearly 3 million acres.....

Given it's size.....it's no surprise that The forest spans across 4 counties in Arizona ......Gila, Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal.

The forest features a wide range of elevations, from about 1,400 feet in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet in the ponderosa pine forests of the Mogollon Rim. (Mugeon rim)......another example of that pronunciation thing we keep running into around here.....I read the name MOGOLLON.....and fumbled around a bit with ( fill in)....I resorted to YouTube and learned muggeeoon....hmmm....so there ya have it....in thousand years.....I don't feel like i'd have come up with Mugeon while looking at that word.

Much the same as the Prescott National Forest....where we had camped a couple nights in Groom Greek.......the characteristics of this forest change rapidly.....as you increase in elevation.

Like each of the countries National Forests.....the Tonto National Forest offers numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, fishing, and boating. Some of the most Popular spots include the Salt River, Roosevelt Lake, and the Superstition Wilderness.....the Superstition Wilderness is just one of 8 federally designated Wilderness Area's within the Forest. .... and reading about it....and the legends....stories told of the area.....It’s famous for legends of lost gold mines, particularly the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, which continues to attract treasure hunters to this day.....easy to see why it is one of the most popular areas within the Forest.

And also....just like every National Forest we've seen.....and read about.....The forest is home to a variety of wildlife,.....beyond the reptilian characters we had just learned about.....you'll also find bald eagles, black bears, bobcats, mountain lions, ringed tailed cats, javelinas, coyote's, deer and elk.....so yep.....another popular hunting area.

It's always surprising to me as I read of the abundance of wild life in these areas......that we see so little of it. Guess they're all pretty good at avoiding us pesky humans.....and after what I had just read....and watched......fingers crossed they keep avoiding us.

Oh....and why the name Tonto? The Tonto National Forest gets its name from the Tonto Basin, which lies at the forest’s core. ..... The name itself.....appears to have been born of an Apache word referring to the "tough wild people"....The Tonto Apache that inhabited the area for hundreds of years....earliest presence dates back to the 1300's.....

In the Spanish language....the term was used to mean fool....or silly.....and was most often used derogatorily when referring to those Tonto Apache.

And when America culture got ahold of the term....and applied it to a character in 1940's The lone ranger...... The name Tonto...would become universally recognized, accepted and characterized as trustworthy and a loyal companion....

Sitting alongside a dirt road for the night....in the Four Peaks Wilderness Area......we'd learn that this wilderness alone covers over 60,740 acres and is most known for its dramatic elevation changes, ranging from 1,900 feet near Apache Lake to 7,657 feet at Brown’s Peak, the highest of the Four Peaks......for which this wilderness area is named.....

Also interesting to read that a significant portion of this wilderness was devastated by fire in 1996....we saw little evidence of this....not sure if that is because we were not in the affected area....or if we were unknowingly observing the resilience of nature.

It would also be while sitting here....surrounded by all this raw, and rugged beauty that I would stumble across a piece of disheartening info....

I'd read that in recent years.....and increasingly....authorities were struggling to combat the illegal use of these public lands....and protect it from certain segments of the population. Illegal encampments have popped up all across this wilderness.....Tonto National Law Enforcement officers, in an attempt to patrol millions of acres.....are finding hundreds of tents and trailers, even RV's .... campers illegally living on these public lands.....for weeks, months, and even years. In doing so they leave behind tons, literally, tons of abandoned trash and junked vehicles. In many cases ..... drug paraphernalia can be found amongst the debris left behind......reinforcing law enforcements claims that a wide variety of illegal activity takes place...takes place....out here in this wilderness.....miles away from.....and unknown....to the rest of civilization. Law enforcement state that they come across many different types of campers.....some claim homelessness....and no choice.....while others simply claim to enjoy the lifestyle......and then of course.....the individual avoiding law enforcement for many reasons. The challenge of law enforcement is that they simply do not have the resources.....to physically remove folks that have illegally surpassed the 14 day camping rules in the National Forests. The issue.....it seems persists within many of our National Forests....but is more prevalent here in the southwest....and across the south.....as the weather is much more forgiving during the winter months....allowing illegal camping in a more year round setting.....and while it appears many do it....I personally cannot imagine hangin out in a tent when it's 115 degrees outside.

As I read all this.....I wondered why I had not yet seen any of these encampments.... Perhaps had I gone just a bit deeper into any of the forests.....or deserts....on which we had camped in these last few months I'd have seen it with my owns eyes.....but at the same time.....being fairly grateful that I hadn't.... I also wondered....how long ....those Gila monsters, rattlesnakes and scorpions.....would put up with all this human silliness....

For us.....it had been but a day trip.....we'd found our way to Cabin Creek Road.....then graveled our way up to around 3200 feet where we found the Cottonwood Trail Head staging area. The road continued here in the Four Peaks Wilderness area…and we likely could have gone much further but the recent wet weather and forecasts including more rain indicated this was a good spot to call it good for now. We spent the afternoon and evening watching tour companies take adventure seekers up into the ooooo here we go again)......Mazatzal Mountains on ATV’s. By sunset the staging area was empty and we had watched the last of the tail lights trail back down to that gravel road towards pavement…and had the place to ourselves until the next morning.,,,when the fun started up again.....just shortly after dawn

From Four Peaks.....we'd wander our way back down out of those mountains.....when we would come across the Lake Pleasant regional recreation center. I wondered if this was part of the same complex we had read about while just outside New River.....and it was.....the recreation center spans some 22,000 acres.....and we had been on the other side of it just a few days back.

From the north entrance there are large open areas just off the road where you can pull in and Boondock right alongside the northern shores of the lake. At the south end of the lake there is a Marina and RV resort that folks frequent all year round.

We spent the night here.....just about 50 yards from the lake shore listening..... to the wild donkeys braying in the distance. .....we hadn't hear them since Beatty Nevada.

A boat launch just up the road from us was busy nearly all night long…I guess folks in Arizona take their fishing seriously Not many photo ops here as we arrived just before sunset and awoke to an overcast and rainy morning....signaling that perhaps we should move on.....find a spot perhaps a bit further from the shores of a lake.....should that rain persist.

It would be in meandering our way out of the Lake Pleasant Regional Park…when we couldn’t resist the Castle Hot Springs dirt road that promised to take us further, and higher into the desert…which it did. Following the road a few miles, enjoying scenic vistas of Lake Pleasant .....well that's when we saw the sign...Two Cow Road. A right turn…some careful navigation through a few muddy ruts in the road and we found ourselves on a wide...apparently well maintained .....or well traveled anyways......dirt road. We wandered thru valleys....and then up again into the mountains. After several miles we would find a large block of BLM land with a staging area for OHV’s. There were RV’s scattered everywhere....clearly, a popular boondocking area......and another clear sign that we had found yet another perfect spot to spend a few more days in the quiet of Arizona’s desert in December.

Searching the internet for how a road comes to be called Two Cow Road.....doesn't reveal much. What it does state....is that Two Cow Road is located in Maricopa County, and within the Lake Pleasant Regional Park.....which was interesting because I thought we had long since left the park. It also states that the area is a popular spot for visitors, camping, and hiking....which explained the RV's that peppered the landscape around us. So as far as how it got its name....likely having something to do with the agricultural and ranching history in the area......but I guess best left to ones own imagination.....but on second thought.....we'd also passed a road named....Half Horse Road.....so maybe leaving it up to ones imagination....hmmm.....not the way to go

After finding our spot....a perfect spot at the base of a set of rolling hills.....seeming to wander endlessly into the horizon....we'd level up the RV.....and settle in.....

Then it was back to our usual desert habits....long walks during the day......and reading of the place we've found ourselves. ....and the places around us.

For example.....how many dams there are around here. We had not actually seen any of these dams....not since Parker anyway.....although .... we've probably driven passed by many lakes that are the result of them.

That Roosevelt Dam we had read about Located on the Salt River built way back in 1911....This dam would actually be added to in the 90's to increase it's catchment area and capacity.

And there's the Granite Reef Diversion Dam..... actually constructed even before the Roosevelt....completed in 1906....This dam was built specifically to divert water from the Salt River into canals that supply the city of Phoenix

Bartlett Dam....also on the salt river was added for flood control in 1930's

And just upstream from the Bartlett dam.....the Horseshoe Dam...added in the 1940's for the same reason. This dam sorta sticks out on the list for me because if offer sa unique experience with its walkway under the flow of water. into the river....a feature....or experience that is actually quite rare.....in fact....if any others exist.....I didn't find them in the limited search I did. But I did learn that the Grand Coulee dam in Washington States offers lazer light shows as well as tours through the massive power generating plant within the dam....I had'nt even read that when I actually learned of the dam...during our stay in Quincy Washington.

And as recently as 1994.....the New Waddell Dam: This dam would be installed to expand Lake Pleasant and is vital to water storage in the area

All this water management in such a specific part of Arizona had made me think of that great Hohokan Civilization.....how it had grown and prospered in the Deserts of Arizona....for all those years......they built that extensive canal system ...... but eventually.....the limits of technology at the time would force them to move on.....the most common held theory for why they would "mysteriously" dissapear from the area.....

And then some 500 years later.....American settlers......equipped with the engineering know how of a different time.....would create a water supply system that would eventually support millions of humans.....in that very same Arizona desert.

And to be honest.....I was surprised to read that there are over 500 dams in Arizona! At first....I thought that was a lot....until I read that Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Georgia....even Oklahoma each have over 4 to 5000 dams....Over 7000 in Texas! Pretty impressive.....how the us government.....along with state agencies had figured out so skillfully how to get natures liquid life.....from where is....to where we need it....or want it.....and most of it was accomplished in just the last 100 years.

One evening....while drifting off to sleep.....I remembered that during conversation in Scottsdale.....I'd learned of a place called Bisby.....Arizona...and hearing slogans applied to the town like...."keep Bisby Weird"......or the city in a bowl.......and even "Mayberry on Acid".....

Hmmmm......with nicknames like that......maybe we'd head that direction next.....check out this place called Bisby......

I wonder what we'll learn there...