After leaving Tucson, we headed back to northern Arizona and were ready to camp again. We entered the friendly town of Payson to find that it had most modern amenities and an adjacent beautiful National Forest campground at Houston Mesa. Being wintertime, the campground was cold, but we had a nice fire, and we made a delicious meal over the open flame that was especially tasty under the stars. 

There were elk along the road as we came into town. This was a majestic sight to see, as were the canyons and mesas along the way.

On our way out of town, we tried to get to Verde Hot Springs, but were turned back by USFS roads that had been closed due to washouts. So, we continued on north.

Roosevelt Lake

Roosevelt Lake

Houston Mesa Campsite

Houston Mesa