With gas holding at just under $5 a gallon we have been taking shorter trips this spring/summer. We just returned from another this time to Hawley Lake in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. Just 125 miles from our home in Payson, Hawley is the most beautiful alpine lake we have ever visited.Tthe weather was awesome with temps in the low 70's during the day with lows in the lower 50's. The Monsoon has commenced and heavy thunderstorm activity is a very real possibility on a daily basis {which we love}. Most of Arizona is under a Stage Two fire restriction so no campfires were permitted which is a shame as there is all the firewood you could ever want just lying all over the CG.
Our site overlooking the lake sat at 8,300':
Here is a shot down along the lake:
While only 125 miles it is a 2.5 hour drive as the entire route, not surprisingly is all mountains mostly between 6 and 8,000'. We average about 55 -60 mph with a ton of climbing getting there and of course a nice mostly downhill run on the return. The lake and CG lie within the Apache reservation and UTV/ATV's are not permitted so we left ours {and the cargo trailer} at home and just drove our 24'Nexus Class C with the 6.8 V-10 lightly loaded with just my bride and I.
Going up we got a solid 10+ mpg and the return trip netted us 13+ for an average of 11.5 running 87 octane. Over the last 9+ years {and 66K+ miles} I have averaged right at 9.5 when not towing or loading heavy. I attribute the mellow pace combined with the elevation where we always seem to do better for the mileage. Also not long ago I had the fuel system cleaned along with changing the oil, trans and differential fluids {always with pure synthetic} and a new air filter. Since the service the coach has been running noticeably better but this mileage improvement really got my attention. :B
Be advised that AZ 260 from Payson to and through Show Low, Lakeside and Pine Top is subject to some serious road repairs just east of the Canyon point CG on the top of the Mogollon Rim. Expect to spend 10 to 30 minutes just sitting where they have narrowed 260 down to a single lane and no, it won't be done for a while. The 4th of July weekend will prove quite a challenge so if you are headed this way be prepared for the delays.
:C
Our site overlooking the lake sat at 8,300':
Here is a shot down along the lake:
While only 125 miles it is a 2.5 hour drive as the entire route, not surprisingly is all mountains mostly between 6 and 8,000'. We average about 55 -60 mph with a ton of climbing getting there and of course a nice mostly downhill run on the return. The lake and CG lie within the Apache reservation and UTV/ATV's are not permitted so we left ours {and the cargo trailer} at home and just drove our 24'Nexus Class C with the 6.8 V-10 lightly loaded with just my bride and I.
Going up we got a solid 10+ mpg and the return trip netted us 13+ for an average of 11.5 running 87 octane. Over the last 9+ years {and 66K+ miles} I have averaged right at 9.5 when not towing or loading heavy. I attribute the mellow pace combined with the elevation where we always seem to do better for the mileage. Also not long ago I had the fuel system cleaned along with changing the oil, trans and differential fluids {always with pure synthetic} and a new air filter. Since the service the coach has been running noticeably better but this mileage improvement really got my attention. :B
Be advised that AZ 260 from Payson to and through Show Low, Lakeside and Pine Top is subject to some serious road repairs just east of the Canyon point CG on the top of the Mogollon Rim. Expect to spend 10 to 30 minutes just sitting where they have narrowed 260 down to a single lane and no, it won't be done for a while. The 4th of July weekend will prove quite a challenge so if you are headed this way be prepared for the delays.
:C
Great post Phil. The one time I had to use the idle option was not for battery charging but to run the dash AC. We were trapped in a tiny RV park notched out of the cornfields of southern Illinois in mid June.. Tornado warnings were up, the temp was 100 with matching humidity. The roof air struggled to get the temp down to the high 80's and the humidity was miserable.
I let the V -10 idle and fired up the dash air with our windshield cover in place. It was still warm and humid but far more comfortable. I let the dash AC run for about 90 minutes after which the roof air seemed better able to deal with the heat. Just another option/difference between a coach with a large gasser vs the MB diesels... just sayin.
\When we checked into the park to just get off the road and hide out until the storms passed they explained their shelter situation... Down the road in either direction were a couple of farms that had large basement shelters. They urged us to immediately flee to one or other if the sirens went off. It was a long night but by morning the skies had cleared and we continued on to Missouri and Arkansas before returning to Tucson. This was our third, but not our last close call with tornados on that 2 month cross country trip.
Here is another shot from our site at Hawley Lake where my bride captured a nice sunset:
I let the V -10 idle and fired up the dash air with our windshield cover in place. It was still warm and humid but far more comfortable. I let the dash AC run for about 90 minutes after which the roof air seemed better able to deal with the heat. Just another option/difference between a coach with a large gasser vs the MB diesels... just sayin.
\When we checked into the park to just get off the road and hide out until the storms passed they explained their shelter situation... Down the road in either direction were a couple of farms that had large basement shelters. They urged us to immediately flee to one or other if the sirens went off. It was a long night but by morning the skies had cleared and we continued on to Missouri and Arkansas before returning to Tucson. This was our third, but not our last close call with tornados on that 2 month cross country trip.
Here is another shot from our site at Hawley Lake where my bride captured a nice sunset:
