My wife Denise and I decided to head east for an extended weekend of camping. This was our first time visiting this part of AZ and we were delighted with what we saw. The forest was more diverse than the Prescott area. We noticed fir, aspen, spruce, and pine. Also, the White Mountains feature rolling meadows of grass and numerous lakes. We camped near Big Lake in a developed campground. In 2011, a large wildfire devastated sections of forest in this area. We could see how beautiful the area must have been before the fire and were excited to see new trees and ferns taking the burned sections place. It was quite windy and fire smoke drifted through the area each afternoon from a wildfire in New Mexico (not sure on what fire the smoke was actually from). We biked and hiked, and did not fish. I completed a couple oil paintings done on location. We relaxed and enjoyed the slow, quiet pace. The following pictures represent 10 percent of my total photographs captured and are some of my favs. Enjoy!
 |
| Morning light at Big Lake |
 |
| Windy day |
 |
| late afternoon at Big Lake |
 |
| Big Lake |
 |
| view of our campsite minus our tent (set up further to the right) |
 |
| part of the burned out area seen on the West Fork of the Black River Trail |
 |
| new life |
 |
| lots of competition for pollen |
 |
| The West Fork of the Black River |
 |
| smoky haze made for interesting lighting |
 |
| re-growth |
 |
| view from Big Lake lookout, the lookout tower was burned out too |
 |
| just below Big Lake Lookout |
 |
| thick Aspen grove from the Escullida Lookout Trail, another burned out area, this grove was mostly preserved |
 |
| Escullida LO trail |
 |
| our view from the Escullida LO trail |
 |
| Aspen tree growing around this sign, and bear markings on the tree to the left |
 |
| at Big Lake |
 |
| sailboat at Big Lake |
 |
| sunset at Big Lake |
 |
| Grayling Campground at Big Lake |
