Location: Lake Roper State Park, AZ
We slept in this morning and then headed to the "Desert View" private soaking area. I thought the soaking area last night couldn't be beat, but this morning's hot spring's tub was pretty awesome. Below are some pictures from this area. We spent a good hour soaking in both the hot springs and the picturesque view of Saddleback Mountain in the distance. I could have spent the day here just lounging around and alternating between the hot springs and cool shower. Even with the slightly funky hippie factor (or maybe because of it) this place gets top rating so far.
The drive to and thru Phoenix was pretty blasé, mainly flat arid desert. However, once we turned on highway 60 and headed over the Pinal Mountain range we were treated with lots of Saguaro cacti, majestic hoodoos and spectacular long distance views of the red mountains. Our drive took us thru the Apache Reservation and small beat up copper mining towns. We didn't have high expectations for Roper Lake State because it is in a very flat arid area, but it's a really nice campground. The hot tub, fed by natural springs, is close by and you can't beat the 80 degree weather. It definitely feels like summer here and we're on vacation. Ned and I took a ride on our bikes thru the state park and also checked out the hot tub. Good news there are no time constraints on when you can use it. We're thinking of a late night soak when the weather cools off. The other good news is that very few people are here. We weren't too sure what to expect since it's a Friday. The handful of "snowbirds" that are here are quite friendly. It kinda reminds us of North Dakota when all the folks sit in front of their 5th wheels and wave as you bike by. They also don't seem too interested in using the hot tub...yeah!
