For Memorial Day weekend we loaded up our 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee and headed East from Phoenix. Brandi's Brother and dad joined us and we went old school overlanding by throwing an air mattress in the back of the jeep in place of our Rooftop Tent. We left late Friday night and took the 60 to Globe AZ. We ate a hearty and wholesome meal at McDonalds and then hit the trail. About 20 miles north of Globe we turned off onto a dirt road. We were entering Indian Reservations (make sure you pre-purchase passes). We traveled until we reached the black river were we made camp for the night.
The Black intercedes with the White River to form the Salt River (not sure why its not called the Pepper River).
We parked on the river bank and set up camp near the bridge that crosses the river. The stars were out and the night was cool. The next morning we woke up to Kyle, Brandi's brother, saying he thinks he sees bear tracks by the river. We went down to take a look and sure enough, a bear was in the river about 50 yards up stream. He took off running up the hill and we made it back to camp to grab a camera and tell Brandi and the dog to stay in the Jeep. We went to check out the new bear tracks and while we were inspecting the ground Kyle pointed out that the bear was on the ridge watching us. He was about 250-300 lbs and just under 6' tall. He ran off before we could get a picture and we headed back to camp to pack up. We left camp and kept our eyes peeled for bears or any other wildlife. On this trip we saw: a bear, elk, deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, squirrels, wild horses, and we are 99% sure we saw a mountain lion or some kind of wild feline bigger than a bobcat. Of course, as the way it goes when your caught in the moment, we didn't catch many photos of the wildlife.
We continued on the dirt road until we crossed the White river and then we hit pavement. We drove on to Pinetop were we met up with friends and stayed at a cabin. Our busy life makes it hard to get out, but every chance we get we find a dirt road to lead us to new places.
The Black intercedes with the White River to form the Salt River (not sure why its not called the Pepper River).
We parked on the river bank and set up camp near the bridge that crosses the river. The stars were out and the night was cool. The next morning we woke up to Kyle, Brandi's brother, saying he thinks he sees bear tracks by the river. We went down to take a look and sure enough, a bear was in the river about 50 yards up stream. He took off running up the hill and we made it back to camp to grab a camera and tell Brandi and the dog to stay in the Jeep. We went to check out the new bear tracks and while we were inspecting the ground Kyle pointed out that the bear was on the ridge watching us. He was about 250-300 lbs and just under 6' tall. He ran off before we could get a picture and we headed back to camp to pack up. We left camp and kept our eyes peeled for bears or any other wildlife. On this trip we saw: a bear, elk, deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, squirrels, wild horses, and we are 99% sure we saw a mountain lion or some kind of wild feline bigger than a bobcat. Of course, as the way it goes when your caught in the moment, we didn't catch many photos of the wildlife.
We continued on the dirt road until we crossed the White river and then we hit pavement. We drove on to Pinetop were we met up with friends and stayed at a cabin. Our busy life makes it hard to get out, but every chance we get we find a dirt road to lead us to new places.
