Whenever I drive through the desert, the drab hills cover the horizon and my mind gets lost in the endless browns as they pass by for hours. Yet this spring, I ended up in Arizona in the short period that the browns segued to greens and life exploded out of the least expected places. At the same time, I found a lake which almost seems oxymoronic. In fact it is oxymoronic as this lake is man-made lake formed by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River. Being the oldest lake on the Salt River, it provides recreation areas surrounded by saguaro cacti and the ambience seems as if it was taken out of a dream.
Most of the roads are dirt in this area. I don’t know about you, but that’s how I like it. It gives a certain ambience that makes everything seem more desolate. In an area like this, that leads to feelings of a Mad Max dystopia. A never ending wasteland. Suddenly the lake will appear, almost as if it is a mirage. Birds will be flying overhead and the sound of crickets fills the air. A sense of tranquility covers the entire lake area, impossible to escape from. My mind wanders thinking about old comics that I read where the character is lost in a desert. They always seem to be out of water, needing to discover how cacti store theirs. They wouldn’t have that problem here. As I drove the back roads eager to get away from people, I came over a hill, faced with the mountains in the distance and couldn’t help but think about how not all man made things are bad.
Closest Supercharger Payson AZ 50.2 mi
201 N Beeline Hwy, Payson, AZ 85541
Lake Roosevelt
Gila County AZ
