Camping by the Gila River by: Izabella

April 2010

TRIP INFORMATION

Vehicle:  3 (2 Discos and 1 Dormobile) and 1 pop-up camper

Divas:     Izabella, Sydney, Samantha and Grace

Diva Dogs:  Jäger, Fossy, Rascal and Kiwi

Location:  Gila River, Arizona  (north of Winkelman)

GPS/Map:  

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=105632636342591632466.0004840c928f36839e041&t=h&z=13

     In April, three Rover families got together to explore an area near the Gila River.  The Gila River starts in New Mexico and winds through Arizona and ends in at the California border at the Colorado River.  It is 649 miles long.  This was the Rover Diva's first camping trip together.  It was so much fun to 4WD and camp with other girls my age, which is nine.  We all communicated on our pink Diva radios.  It kind of drove our parents a little nuts with all the noise, especially when we were going over a rough spot.  On the way in the scenery was amazing, we saw orange poppies, and blue and yellow wildflowers.  It was so green and lush.  We saw one mountain that had bands like on a map.

   

     We drove through a couple of washes, down some steep hills, over some ruts and even almost slid sideways one time.  When we finally came to a stop, we were at the banks of the Gila River.  It looked like a perfect campsite, but not a very safe spot for kids and dogs.  Our parents decided to set up further away from the river on a more flat and open area, so we could play.

     While our parents set up camp we played card games and made a fort under a mesquite tree.  The day got very hot so we went to the river to play.  When we got to the river, Samantha's Westie, Rascal, jumped into the fast flowing water.  Then Samantha's other dog Fossy jumped in.  They both started floating down the stream.  Chuck, (Samantha's dad)  went in after the two dogs.  Then her third dog, Kiwi jumped in after Chuck.  Chuck was able to rescue them all.  It looked like a dog train in the water.    Chuck then used webbing and tow straps to tie them up, and keep them safe.  The water was muddy, cold and fast moving, so we could only go in up to our knees.  In some areas it also dropped off quickly.  It was ok, we just made mud pies and played games, and ran around the little beach.  We found lots of small clam like shells, which I brought home to paint.

  After playing in the water, we dried off and went to play in the fort, until... the dogs came and wrecked part of it.  We were mad at the time, but it was actually funny.  Then we went to my pop up to play until dinner was ready.  The campsite had a lot of soft dirt on the ground and it was pretty dusty, so Grace and I sat on my Disco roof to eat our dinners.  All the families made there own dinners, but we all had the same desert; SMORES!!.  After dark, we saw  many bright stars. The sky was amazing.  Grace pointed out a few constellations to Samantha and  I.  She knows a lot about astronomy.  The adults sat around the campfire and talked while we played more card games until bed time.

  The next day we went for a long walk to find a safer swimming spot.  We never found one, so we went back to the original spot.  It was really hot again that day.  My mom said it had to be in the nineties, one of the first hot days this spring.  We waited til later in the day to drive out because it would be cooler then.  The dormobile doesn't have air conditioning, and its gets very hot in there.  Along the way, we stopped to explore a rocky area, and take some pictures.  There was lots of limestone with fossils.  My dad found a large centipede under one rock and a scorpion under another.  The adults decided it was a good idea to keep moving, and to get back on the paved road by sunset.  We ended the trip at a very good Mexican restaurant, La Casita, in Mammoth.  I am pretty sure we will stopping there again on the next trip to the area.