Camping With Beautiful Views of the Desert, Lake and Mountains in Tonto National Forest

Tonto national Forest has almost 3,000,000 acres and is the largest of the six national Forests in arizona. Landscapes range from Saguaro cactus deserts to lakes and pine-forested mountains. Elevations range from 1,400 feet in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet in the Mogollon Rim. Much of the area is covered by cacti (primarily giant Saguaro). The cactus colonies merge with bushes, chaparral and grasslands above 4,000 feet, while the higher hills to the north support varied woodland habitats including juniper, mixed fir and ponderosa pine.

Besides desert and mountains, Tonto national Forest contains lakes/reservoirs, river valleys, canyons and flat plains. It also contains eight separate national wilderness areas with limited access. The land in these wilderness areas is generally steep and rough, without many trails, and has harsh weather for most of the year.

To the southwest, Tonto national Forest is bordered by the edge of the Superstition Wilderness and New River Mountains. To the north, it's bordered by three other national Forests - Prescott, Coconino and Apache national Forests. And to the east, it's bordered by the fort Apache and san Carlos Indian Reservations. The northern boundary is defined by the Mogollon Rim, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, that forms the southern edge of the great Colorado Plateau, which stretches for over 100 miles across central arizona.

Two campgrounds that have beautiful views of just a few of the diverse landscapes of Tonto national Forest are Tortilla and Cholla campgrounds. While both of these campgrounds are located in beautiful desert areas, Tortilla campground has beautiful views of the bluffs and mountains of the Superstition Wilderness and Cholla campground overlooks Theodore Roosevelt lake.

Tortilla campground is on a ridge along Tortilla Creek next to Apache Trail Scenic Byway. With 77 RV and tent camp sites in the middle of a beautiful desert landscape, you would think that this campground, like so many national Forest campgrounds, would not provide any sort of RV hook up. Well, surprisingly, all sites have water and sewer hook up - a much appreciated desert campground amenity!

In addition to the beautiful views of the native desert vegetation, at an elevation of 1,870 feet, the campground has excellent views of the rugged bluffs in the Superstition Wilderness from most camp sites. Getting to Tortilla campground via The Apache Trail, or AZ 88 as it is officially known, also provides magnificent views of the Superstition Mountains and Wilderness. Desert vegetation provides good separation between camp sites at Tortilla.

Cholla campground, like Tortilla, is surrounded by desert vegetation. It overlooks Roosevelt lake, with many sites having direct but distant views of the lake. Beware that because the campground is a distance away from the lake, if the water is low, you may not be able to see it. Water levels are dependent on the weather and the need for water in phoenix.

This campground is at an elevation of 2,200 feet and is much larger than Tortilla with 206 RV and tent camp sites. No hook ups are available at this campground. Roosevelt lake is the one of the largest in the state and like other lakes in this area, summer water temperatures can exceed 90 degrees F. The last few years has seen a dramatic reduction in the water level, largely due to the need to maintain supply to the other lakes on the Salt River downstream. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of boating and swimming opportunities for much of the year.

Tortilla and Cholla campgrounds are like two oases in the desert for campers looking for campgrounds with beautiful views of a few of the varied natural landscapes of Tonto national Forest. Camping with beautiful views of desert landscapes, a lake and rugged mountainous terrain of the Superstitious Wilderness area is just a small part of what Arizona's largest national forest has to offer.

Carl Zimmerman is dedicated to finding campgrounds with beautiful views. For more information, visit http://www.campingwithaview.com/NF/AZ/TontoNF.htm for Tonto national Forest and visit http://www.campingwithaview.com/NF/NF.htm for all national Forests campgrounds with beautiful views.

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Arcade Games

arcade games are typically coin-operated games found in restaurants, pubs, video arcades, and other public spaces. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines or redemption (rewarding the player per their score) games. These machines are programmed and equipped for a specific game, and consist of a video display, a set of controls (joystick, buttons, light guns or pressure-sensitive pads on the ground), and the coin slot.

arcade games usually have very short levels, simple controllers, iconic characters, and increasing levels of complexity. They are designed as short adrenaline-driven thrillers compared to most console games, which have more complex play and stronger storylines. One reason for this is that since the game is coin-operated, the player rents the game for as long as their game avatar survives on the field. Any game on a console or a PC can be referred to as arcade game if it has these attributes.

The history of arcade games dates back to the early 20th century amusement park games like shooting galleries, mechanical fortune-tellers or jukeboxes.

Today, there are 4,926 known arcade games, and these modern avatars are based on pure electronics and integrated circuits. The modern arcade games were developed in the 1970s, and one of the most famous of these early games is Pong, a simple game simulating Ping Pong.

Ralph Baer, who is now known as the creator of video games, created the first known home video game consoles in the 1970s. Improvements were brought to home consoles from late 1970s to early 1980s, the time during which Atari 2600, Intellivision and Colecovision were released. The video game slump of 1983 was not filled until the nintendo Entertainment system (NES) reached North America in 1985. This was when games like Mario Bros. and many others of today's popular nintendo games were launched.

The last two decades of gaming history have witnessed the creation of separate markets for games on video game consoles, home PCs and handheld devices.

The latest generation of arcade video games also has interactivity as part of the game design, making the game player feel more involved in the game. A radical form of interactivity, virtual reality, has not really taken off in the arcade game genre, but this is due to the technical limitations of truly being able to achieve real virtual reality by any means.

Visual Meditation For Yoga

Getting Hearts and Hands Ready for the Holidays

"At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year." -Thomas Tusser

OK. Thanksgiving was wonderful, visiting with family and sharingfun stories and adventures; laughing around the dining roomtable, enjoying favorite stuffing and pies; watching parades andfootball games; and counting your many blessings.

It is now time to turn our attention to the many preparations for Christmas. Coming from a Christian perspective, I can speak for the anticipation which we all feel to celebrate the birth of the Christ-child. It brings us wonder each and every year, and the time and energy we put into its celebration never wanes. As I watch my jewish friends prepare for Hanukkah, I sense, too, the joy with which they prepare celebrations with loved ones.

The gift of sacrificial love is the true essence of Christmas.

Teaching your children to give generously and to give cheerfullymodels the life of Christ. Our God, who created each one of uswith more love than we can imagine, desires this same outpouringof love to others, and it is at Christmas that we likewise shareour love through gift-giving and through acts of generosity andhospitality. We are buoyed by the "Christmas spirit" because itis through giving--rather than receiving--that we receive themost joy. Pausing to think about others, about their needs anddesires, and extending yourselves to their benefit, brings deepinner satisfaction not found any other way.

Have you made your list of those people with whom you want toshare the Christmas spirit?

Consider giving small, inexpensive gifts to a large list, rather than more extravagant gifts to a very few loved ones.

When Ithink of the model of giving I want to pattern for my own family, I cannot exclude from the list those folks who cross my path on a daily basis--in one way or another--who may or may not have yet reached into close friendship with me. And so I am always thoughtful for small yet kind ways in which I might extend generosity.

Extend your circle of concern.

Think not only of what members of your own family would appreciate at Christmas. Think of cousins and aunts and uncles, and of closest friends. And don't stop there. Extend your circle. Think of your mail carrier, pet groomer, your pediatrician's office staff, the folks at your gym, your neighbors, friends of your children, office workers at youor your spouse's place of work, your manicurist, thelandscaper....think through the flow of your typical week andthose people who enter your life on a regular basis. If they areserving you in some capacity, isn't it kind to remember them now?

Many people refrain from practicing generosity to those outsidetheir small circle of concern because of the lack of money withwhich to do so. But inexpensive gifts can be handmade for pennies if we will only stretch our imaginations and put our hands--and those of our children--to good use.

look to nature and to materials right outside your front door

Free for the asking and the picking: a fresh bouquet of greens--evergreens, magnolia leaves, and berries, tied with a gorgeoussilk ribbon--would be cherished by any receiver.

Tiny bird nest ornaments fashioned from spanish moss, filled with speckled beans and a silk butterfly, and with a wooden clothespin glued from underneath, make delightful gifts for children and adults alike. My own tree is filled with them.

Collect pinecones and make an arrangement with them. Yourthoughtfulness will be appreciated and it will have cost nothingmore than a walk in the woods.

Homemade candies or cookies wrapped in inexpensive cellophanebags look elegant tied with ribbon and make perfect gifts forvirtually anyone on your list.

miniature baskets filled with one tiny, simple gift, are perfect for your children's friends.

Remember: children love exaggeration; anything diminutive (or enormous!) appeals to their sense of wonder.

Homemade "snow globes" make our list every single year

Simply use a baby food or other small jar and fill it with water and a small bit of glycerin (found at your local drug store) and white glitter; add a few plastic toys--Legos, Barbie doll shoes, jacks and balls, plastic bugs--and then squeeze a think line of silicone sealant around the lid before screwing it on to prevent leakage.

Homemade glycerin soaps filled with tiny plastic toys areadorable

They'll delight your children as well, for they'll have created happy memories making them with you for all of their friends.

Consider making homemade wrapping paper or handmade gift tags.

I buy inexpensive tags at office supply stores by the hundreds.They cost about a penny apiece. I also use twine instead ofexpensive ribbon. One bolt lasts several years and costs a couple of dollars.

And mail those out-of-state gifts early to avoid long lines atthe post office as well as the extra expense of priority mail.

Model a generous life...at Christmas and throughout the year.Give faithfully and give cheerfully. You will be blessedbeyond measure.

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