Lollygagging as an art form

We lollygagged and fiddle-faddled to a fare-thee-well up to a leisurely setting out yesterday, influenced by the knowledge that we had but a relatively short drive to our space at Roper Lake State Park.  That unhurried gait to the day continued, so much so that the approximate five-hour journey expanded monumentally, due in large part to numerous stops, especially as we first climbed up to the 6,000+ feet of elevation along the Mogollon Rim and then dropped spectacularly into the upper Salt River Canyon.

We utilized every pullout for the scenic vistas as I snapped away with my camera.  It is a truly spectacular sight, and one that should be admired to its fullest, and so we did.

When we changed our focus from those distant vistas, we noticed an unusual rock up close - bizarrely covered with random extrusions.  We decided it must be some sort of fossil, but what?

I got a shot of one section of the road climbing up from the river.  I'm still wondering why all the pull-outs are at the outside of blind curves - perhaps one doesn't deserve to enjoy the views unless one is willing to risk one's life by darting across traffic lanes without a clear view of what might be approaching.

At one point before heading back out of the canyon, we walked out over the river on the old auto bridge for a closer-up view of the Salt in a particularly rocky section where it has spread out wide and shallow . . .

 

 

. . .  and peered straight down to the riffled water below.

The first palm trees of the trip, but they won't be the last as we head south.

 

Our final Salt River Canyon traverse stop had the bonus of meeting an Apache family — Mom, Pop & near-adult son - who were selling jewelry and making fry bread.  We ordered up a fry bread with powdered sugar each, and slowly savored the perfectly prepared treat while chatting with the delightful family.

They live nearby and are long-time vendors at that place, with numerous stories of the adventures and misadventures of travelers unaccustomed to precipitous winding mountain roads.

The morning's lollygagging . . .

. . . delivered us fairly late in the day to our destination at Roper just in time to be awed by stunning sunset storm clouds and rain squalls here & there around us.

The majestic Mount Graham, at nearly 11,000 feet, dramatically backdrops Roper Lake.