As you all likely read on Facebook a few weeks ago, this maniac's school schedule has been keeping us close to home lately; since he's finally done with his MBA, it was more than time to take a trip to celebrate!
Woo hoo!
We'll be heading out on our first properly epic trip with the travel trailer in late May (going all the way up to see Yellowstone, with several neat stops - Arches, SLC, Zion - along the way), so both to commemorate Chris' achievement and to test out a few modifications we've made to Arlene (such as a bigger, better battery) before that time, we figured a shorter, closer camping excursion was in order. After looking around to see where we could get in a few hours that had interesting things to do and better weather than Phoenix right now (not that hard), we picked the Verde Valley, and we booked a campsite for three nights at the Lo Lo Mai Springs RV Resort, in Cornville. On Friday morning, we dropped the dogs off for boarding, ate a quick lunch at home, and then hit the road, just before noon.
It was only about 100 miles from home to Lo Lo Mai Springs, and we made it there in two hours flat, not needing to stop for breaks, bathrooms, and the like (I know! Aren't you guys amazed?). Check in went smoothly, and the resort had a gentleman in a golf cart (clearly a runner, judging by the "Dam Good Run" shirt he was wearing the first time we saw him and his other attire throughout our stay) escort us to our site, #29, a back-in, full-hookup spot directly across from a wooded area. We had neighbors for two of our three nights on one side (turns out they were from Lakeland, Florida, because of course they were), and since spot #30 was vacant the entire time, we could park the truck there.
The map of Lo Lo Mai Springs
Spot #29 is on the right side of the road,
about halfway through the park.
As you can see, the resort had a pool, playground, horseshoes,
as well a natural spring and creek that flowed through the property.
It was a great location, and it was super quiet,
despite the large number of families staying there.
Arlene, all set up and ready for relaxing!
After getting settled (and re-learning how to plug everything in/hook everything up - it's been a few months since the last time we camped in Arlene), we chilled out in the shade and a had a quick snack.
Chris grabbed a shot of this robin,
hanging out in the trees across from our site
Time for snacks!
Before too long, we finished up snack time and headed out for some afternoon wine tasting.
The property next to the resort had three young alpacas,
and they loved laying in the cool dirt under this tree,
near the entrance to our park.
You'll see that I grabbed a few shots of them
throughout the weekend.
Our first tasting spot was at Javelina Leap Winery, just about five minutes away from the resort. Chris went up to the outside bar and grabbed us a tasting flight, while I secured seating in the shade in the nearby green area.
Javelina Leap wasn't our favorite wine,
but their grounds were so pretty...
The outside bar also had the wine bottles in the sun,
so most of the wines were warmer
than they should have been.
Doin' a leap!
Selfie time!
Everyone's roses were going crazy in bloom
when we were in this area,
and they were gorgeous.
We made a giant "leap" (ha!) to our next tasting location, right next door, at Oak Creek Winery. We enjoyed our tasting more there, and ended up bringing home a few bottles of their whites (the Phoenix heat during the summer makes us want whites more than reds, so we stocked up on this trip).
During our time at Javelina Leap, we learned about the presence of a fish hatchery nearby, which sadly, you could not currently tour due to COVID related closures. As we drove past it, Chris went, "we've been to that fish hatchery!" which was absolutely correct. On an earlier wine tasting adventure up this way (maybe 10 years ago), we were waiting for a winery to open, and so we wandered around the fish hatchery for a bit; turns out the winery in question was Oak Creek. Small world, this (also, we have the weirdest hobbies).
#tipsysquirrel
We also made quick work of their hummus platter
Needing a bit of a wine break after Oak Creek, we drove around for 30 minutes or so, checking out the area, filling up the gas tank in the truck, and scouting out downtown Cottonwood, where we'd be heading the next morning. Our final stop for the afternoon/evening was at Page Springs Cellars, also just a short hop from Lo Lo Mai Springs (about five minutes in the other direction). Page Springs is one of the big guys in this area of the state, and while we've enjoyed their wine before, this was our first visit to their vineyards. They have a great setup - areas for wine tasting as well as spirits (they make their own) - and a bistro with seating where we ate dinner.
Looking out over the vineyards at Page Springs.
The Verde Valley is around 3500-4000 feet in elevation,
and while the wineries in this area sometimes source
from vineyards in places like Willcox or Sonoita,
they also grow several varieties in this location.
We had a great time at Page Springs, trying all sorts of delicious wines and feasting on their burrata focaccia and "Easy Rider" panini (we also took home a piece of their caramel pistachio cheesecake, which was outstanding). Upon settling up, we had a huge shock when our sommelier noticed Chris' USAA card and, due to his service, comped our tasting fees AND gave us a 20% discount on the bottles we'd purchased (don't worry, we left her a really good tip)!
Full of wine and food and whatnot, we trundled back to Arlene and set up outside around our site's fire pit, telling stories and watching the stars come out until we fell asleep.
Cell service was nonexistent at Lo Lo Mai,
which we expected,
but they did have pretty decent WiFi.
Watching the blue fade to black
On the next blog, we do some hiking and some more - can you guess - wine tasting!
Later!
Amy
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