CATAMARAN FAMILY FUN WEEKENDS

Lake Pleasant

 
Ready for some lake sailing ?!?  Lake Pleasant is 100% full, actually has
some cat-friendly shoreline, and is just begging to be sailed.   Getting to some
shoreline for cats and an area big enough for a group is a bit of a challenge,
so we might be a little spread out and split up - but hopefully in the same
area.   Think of it as an adventure, here are the directions:
    Go through the west side entrance of Lake Pleasant (NOT THE EAST/MARINA
SIDE).  The first right turn will be SOUTH PARK ROAD.   Follow this (go past
first left turn which will be Desert Tortoise) - go 1.2 miles from the South
Park Road turn off, slow down, you will see a sign for 35 mph, just after that on
the right-hand side of the road you will see a white sawhorse with a brown
sign that says "Camping" with an arrow pointing LEFT.  Turn a sharp left onto a
gravel road that goes uphill.  At the top of the hill is an open parking area
(this is the back of the overflow dam) and another brown sign "Camping" with
an arrow to the left.  Take this gravel road. 
    Take it slow, lots of ruts on the right side of the road,  steep uphill
incline, and one fairly-sharp turn.   Once you make the sharp turn, you will
see the lake on your left and a spit of land.  If you are the first one to the
lake, claim as much of this spit as you can even if there are a few others
campers !  If it is full, continue on gravel road up a hill to a paved road and
turn left.  Go down the paved road to where it ends in the water and make a
sharp right turn onto a gravel road.  At this point you will see the camping area
and shoreline in front of the overflow dam..  Again, if you are the first one
here, claim as much as possible.  It has been pretty busy both weekends I have
been there, so we may end up as a split group - but, hey ! that is OK because
we will be close enough to watch each other flying hulls  ! !
    I did see motor homes back on the spit and parked at the top of the paved
road.  I DON'T THINK THE ROAD TO THE FRONT OF THE OVERFLOW DAM SHORELINE IS
SUITABLE FOR A MOTOR HOME.   Get out and check it out first.  For the really
big/long rigs or if you are in doubt, drop your boat at the back of the overflow
dam parking area (just at the top of the first hill, which is also available
for self-contained camping) and go check out the road and launching area
first.   We can always have someone came back and tow your boat to the lake side.  
A regular car/truck towing a cat trailer, taking it SLOW, should be ok. 
    This will all be on-shoreline, rough camping.  There were only a couple
of port-a-johns.  This is rocky shoreline (not like Roosevelt) so bring cat
skids or carpet.  NOTE: There is still debris from the flooding in the lake so
keep an eye out as some of it is starting to become waterlogged and is just
barely visible.  I think most of this is in the main channel of the lake.   I was
up there Saturday, 3/26, the wind was ripping, and there were lots of
Monohulls out enjoying the day.
    So, come on up for the day or the weekend !  Potluck Saturday 5:30 p.m.,
please bring a dish to share (we will figure out the site once we get settled)
- probably near Claudia's truck (white Nissan truck, black and white shell,
with black rack).  Bring the whole family and all your water toys.  Experienced
sailors to help you novices or those wanting to learn about cat sailing. 
Hope to see you there !  - Claudia (more information, 623-934-5460 or
antclaudia@aol.com)