Hello Friends and Family,

Link to this year's index by clicking here.

Canyon Lake, Part 3

Eventually, Dolly reached the far end of Canyon Lake and made a slow, graceful U-turn — the return trip cruising on the other side of the lake so we could get a closer look at additional rock formations. Note that this formation exhibits strata that were laid down in previous eons when Arizona was covered by a shallow inland sea.



There are a number of these small side canyons that are perfect for the boaters and jet-skiers when they want a quiet, peaceful retreat.


Meanwhile, we continued to enjoy magnificent rock formations everywhere.


I was intrigued by a set of holes carved in the rock. I assume they were created by Mother Nature but who knows. They might have offered shelter from the elements to Native Americans before the coming of the Europeans.


As we near the end of our cruise, we could see a park with covered pavilions, a nice beach and, of course, parking.


It is surprising to many of us that Arizona would offer boating opportunities to residents and visitors — but here is the evidence.


And even more.


Approaching the dock, we had a good view of the restaurant. However, we had another luncheon place in mind — more on that in a moment.


We disembarked and spotted a few ducks paddling around in the still green water. They seemed to like it.


I had read about a tiny town, Tortilla Flat, just a short distance further down the road. It's not much more than a restaurant and souvenir shop — but still quite cute.


Johnny was thrilled with the dollar bills glued to the walls — apparently, a Tortilla Flat tradition. He wanted to see if he could peel one off then to pay for lunch. I encouraged him to leave them so other visitors could share the experience we were enjoying.


The interior is very much an eclectic collection of decor items for diners to enjoy while waiting for their meal to be served. They offer burgers (Johnny's favorite) and Mexican food. In only two seconds, I decided on the chimichanga. Yep, put chimichangas on the menu and I am hooked. It was so big, I had to take half home — but that's okay, it was quite tasty and made a very nice lunch the next day.

Well, this concludes our cruise of Canyon Lake on Dolly the Steamboat. If you have not tried it, put it on your To-Do list — it's a lovely way to spend a day away from the press of "civilization".



Life is good.

Aloha,
B. David

P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com