Sophie's Flat Trailhead, Wickenburg, Arizona

usbackroads destination--Sophie's Flat Trailhead, Wickenburg, Arizona

The reason for today's trip to Wickenburg was to fix the KEY FOB from hell.  The truck is at 35820 miles so I called up Dodge to make they knew I still had a problem with KEY FOB.   They told me to head for the Dodge dealer in Wickenburg and make sure he enters it into Chrysler's national computer system.

I am a great fan of Arizona weather in winter.  There is nothing like sitting outside typing this blog in 75 degree weather in early December.  I guess I am not a desert rat.

At first, I thought it was just that I did not understand the desert.  Having a degree in Forestry means that you can pretty much figure out how landscapes function be they forested or grass.  However, desert landscapes have always been difficult for me to decipher.  Seems parts of the landscapes respond to elevation and others to soils.   So I have bought some books on desert ecology and hopefully will be getting a better understanding of the various deserts in the southwest and their vegetation.

For right now, the weather is the draw.  Susie likes the desert sunsets.  I must admit that they do put the mountain sunsets to shame.   Every once in awhile you get a spectacular mountain sunset, but it seems to be a daily event in the desert.

Just east of Wickenburg, just a few miles out of town is a trailhead on BLM that allows overnight camping.  The name is Sophie's Flat.  The trails in the area are interesting.  There is a very large area for camping that will fit just about any size RV.  The access road is paved except for the last mile or so.

It looks the area is popular with various trail users including horseback riders.  You might have some company on weekends.

The area also hosts a small astronomy group on the new moon weekends.  They set up in the day use area by the SST (Sweet Smelling Toilet) provided by BLM.

Nice area well worth spending some time exploring and very close to the town of Wickenburg.

Just outside of town at the rodeo grounds there is dry camping available for $5/night with a seven day limit.  There is no charge for camping on Sophie's Flat Trailhead and I assume the 14 day  national BLM limit applies.

Here are some pictures of the camping area at the rodeo grounds.

As always, click on the picture to enlarge.  You might even be able to read the regulations on the sign!


Book Read:  Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer.  A book about Joe Dimaggio's life.  Much more than a baseball book.  The baseball portions are here because baseball was so much a part of his life.  So it is worth reading if your not a baseball fan.  The most interesting parts to me were the early years in San Francisco and the chapters that covered his relationship with Marilyn Monroe.  Not the type of book that you cannot put down once you start, but interesting enough that you will finish it.