Munds Park RV Resort and Flagstaff AZ

With only staying one night at Homolovi  State Park we didn't even have to hook up the car the next morning before we hit the road.  Our next stop was only 84 miles in distance but up several thousand feet in elevation.

It wasn't too long before we pulled into Munds Park RV Resort. We have stayed here before so we asked for a site under the trees. The sites are very tight but people come for the location, not for large sites 

With the RV park being only 3 hours from Phoenix it's a very popular spot in the summer, especially with temperatures in the Phoenix valley reaching in the 110's this time of year. I tried to book a week but there's no way to book on short notice a weekend spot. During our stay the highs were in the upper '70s to low '80s with overnight lows in the '50s... perfect.

We decided to make the most of our time with lots of outdoors time. We played disc golf at the nearby Ft Tuthill course, about 15 minutes away. By dodging afternoon showers we were able to slip in a couple of rounds on two different days. 

 

We also took a couple of hikes at the Kachina Wetlands Preserve. It's nice walking there because of the beautiful views of the mountains just outside of Flagstaff. Also, this is a great birding site even in the summer. 

 

Of course, we had to drive into Flagstaff to check out Northern Arizona University. We returned to our favorite Flagstaff brewery called Lumberyard. Not only do they have a great happy hour but they have tasty IPAs and an excellent Porter. We were also intrigued with their very popular $10 mason jar drinks...maybe next time

Alas, before we knew it, time was up again. Unfortunately, that meant we're headed down the mountain and into the heat. We will arrive in Phoenix 5 days earlier than planned but fortunately for us the excess heatwave has diminished and thankfully we don't expect temperatures in the 110s.

Wish us luck...

El Morro National Monument and a check engine cod

I almost forgot to mention a trip we took to El Morro National Monument. What a cool place this turned out to be. It was a good 45 minute drive from the casino we stayed at. Upon our arrival we were in awe of the huge sandstone bluff that is the El Morro, a beautiful historic landmark! 

I found a hike that short and very popular we decided to do. As we began the hike it was clear we were to climb atop the El Morro on one side and descend it on the other side. We followed the well marked trail consisting of lots of stairsteps.

Even more surprising, was that the trail was not really designed for those with a fear of heights, like Sharon . Nonetheless Sharon gutted it out and after we descended she was really happy to have conquered the trek across the top of El Morro 

At the tail end of the hike we added the 1/2 mile trail taking us by inception rock. Here are numerous inscriptions carved into the rock by early explorers, as well as some petroglyphs carved into the sandstone by the native Americans.

What a great hike this was. We had a good two days at the casino campground but It was time again to roll. Our next stop would be down the highway some 180 mi to Homolovi State Park near Winslow, Arizona.

This was just a one-night stop because we wanted to get to the higher country to escape the heat. It was 100° the day we arrived at Homolovi State Park and thankfully we've visited before so we didn't feel the need to hike the ruins.

We set up and walked around the park before one of those little thunderstorms which blow up in the desert this time of year during the so-called monsoonal season dropped some rain on us. It did leave the remnants of a rainbow behind so it was enjoyable. And oh how I love watching a good thunderstorm.

The next morning we took our time to head to our next destination because it was only a little over 80 miles away. We broke camp and about 30 miles down the road we had a check engine light flashing. I noticed it alerted me to a scan code that suggested our ERG cooler or valve was malfunctioning, code 412.

Those who don't know what the ERG valve is, it is the exhaust gas recirculation valve which basically is a component of the pollution control system. It helps reduce the NO2 which helps reduce emissions. 

It sure was nice having my scan gauge to pick up the code and have Sharon read about it to me while we were driving down the road to discern if it was something urgent or not. Discovering it wasn't urgent we had already had a plan to stop and get diesel at a casino travel center some 40 mi down the road from where we started.

As we filled up with diesel, we decided on a whim to go over and check out the casino. This would also allow the engine to cool a bit so I could check the radiator fluid. At the casino we received a little bit of free play from Sharon being a new member and me being a veteran.

After playing a little bit and taking some of their money (not very much), we went out to check on the motorhome. It started up just fine, didn't give me any codes and didn't act funny so we headed on down the road to our next stop at Monds Park RV Resort.

We set up and I did a little more research on the code suggesting the ERG valve was defective. After reading everything, I'm guessing that the valve was sticking just a bit. This I'm not too worried about making it on to Mesa after we leave Munds Park but will check it another day after we get settled in there.

Until then...