Bermuda Flats

After the war was concluded at Picacho Peak, we headed for Lake Roosevelt to meet up with friends that we've known for years. They were in a dispersed camping area at the north end of Lake Roosevelt.

The entrance to the area is clearly labeled Bermuda Flat, but...

The entrance makes it clear that a Tonto Pass is required. If you buy the half price ($3) scratch & sniff Tonto Pass, it is supposed to be displayed along with your National Lands pass, BUT

to make things more confusing, once you pass the entrance sign you'll see another sign pointing to the left to North Horse Pasture. According to the Tonto NF website, an Annual Pass is acceptable at Horse Pasture for camping.

We headed left to meet up with our friends. With the right camera angle, it looks like we had the whole place to ourselves. We did, depending on how you define "whole place."

There were tight groups of rigs parked all along the shoreline to our south.

The Tonto website says the area is limited to trailers under 32' but there wasn't any physical reason for that limitation. We spotted quite a few rigs that were longer.

There weren't many kayaks or canoes on the water. We didn't bring our boats, but wish we had.

There were quite a few power boats, either out fishing, or nosed in to shore at various camps. I suspect that a few weeks later in the year, the lake would be noisy with water skiers, but at least a week ago, boat traffic was just fishing.

Turk enjoyed a chance to cool off,

and we enjoyed the chance to dig out the dutch oven and play with fire.

Much of the time there was some breeze which was appreciated since it kept the mosquitoes at bay. Daytime temps were in the mid 80's with overnight temps dropping to the mid 40's - apparently ideal temps for mosquitoes.

The pot roast turned out wonderful

and we had a chance to enjoy a fire and watch the stars.

Although it is only 75 miles from home, this is the first time we've camped at Lake Roosevelt. It's certainly not a solitary experience this time of year, but it was very enjoyable and we'll definitely be back.