CDT 2024 - Day 4 In Transit to New Mexico

Moab, UT to Lyman Lake State Park, Arizona

Arches National Park was spectacular! It was the first time I visited. And it was again this time. We got an early start with the plan of only doing about 300 miles today and then making it a shorter drive to arrive in Lordsburg in early afternoon tomorrow. We researched and found the town of St. Johns, AZ would fit. But there really wasn't much of anything in St. Johns so we pushed on a little bit further to Lyman Lake Reservoir just before the town of Springerville would work. It was a nice drive, as nice as it could get driving through desert like conditions in southern Arizona. The road was two-lane for the most part, rolling hills, and fairl quite traffic-wise. The continuation of Treasure Island made it even nicer. The territory we were driving through was mostly Apache Nation land. Lots of wild horses, sheep, homes built in the round-house fashion, and lots of open spaces.

Lyman Lake and the campground are situated near pretty much nothing and amongst rolling hills at about 5-6000 feet. Only a handful of campers are here and spaces were paved, level, and well-spaced apart. The big draw here must be fishing as the campground loops are called "Walleye" and "Bass" and there is a fish cleaning sink by the bathroom and the first ever fish-gut pulverizing machine I have ever seen. Complete with a sign warning to keep hands and arms clear. Our campsite has an electrical hookup but the water was still turned off and the bathrooms still secured from the winter. We had a lovely view out the back window of the lake and Beau had plenty of room to run around and Peggy took him down for a swim in the lake. And to let him roll around in the goose poop and red clay dirt. There went to bath! The Park Ranger was really nice and she doubled as the cashier for the lake store. The evening was cool and clear and if it hadn't of been for the full moon the stars would have been spectacular here.