Camp Verde, AZ May 5-7

We did have one more "bloggable" event before we left Palm Creek.  The night before we left, our good friend Larry Marik headlined the Central Arizona Jazz Group concert at the college.  It was just a fantastic performance and Larry is amazingly talented.  We know he is looking forward to his next gig, opening for The Beach Boys!





Our first stop was in Camp Verde, Arizona.  Not a normal stopping point, but the AZ Tech Canyoneering group had scheduled their annual "rendezvous" in the nearby canyons.  The rest of the groups camped out in tents but we did our camping RV style.  Here is Mark's group's photo.  Mark is second from the left.

 Here is a shot of Mark at the bottom of the canyon.  Yup, this one had water at the bottom.  With the canyon blocking the sun the water was frozen not too long before this.  Mark was wearing a wet suit and neoprene socks and he still got quite the shock on entering the water.  At one spot (too bad I don't have a photo) the water was 8 feet deep so they literally took the "plunge" and jumped from the height of the canyon into the chilly pool-brrr!!

 We were not in this area for very long but there was an interesting golf course nearby - Stoneridge.  Here is the view from the tee box.  Every hole has lots of rough before you get to the scenic greens.

And, here is the official distance of Mark's tee shot, 307 yards!!! It was a long one - not much wind, but the higher elevation didn't hurt.  We birdied the hole!

I mainly chipped and putted, but I did take out the driver for a few shots.  I have to admit, all the rough in front of every hole is quite intimidating!  Yes, it is the beginning of May, the temperatures in Casa Grande when we left were in the high 90's and here I was breaking out the long pants just hours away from Palm Creek. 

Its time to leave Distant Drums, the campground in Camp Verde.  We enjoyed the cooler temperatures so much we spent our last evening relaxing outside enjoying the beautiful sunset.




This was just a quick stop so now we're on our way to Page, Arizona and Glen Canyon National Park.