Our Journey date: 2023-08-22

Located in Apache County, Arizona a quick 5-minute drive SE of Alpine is the 75 acre Luna Lake! This little beauty is where I spend a lot of my down time myself fishing and several times have spotted bald eagles and blue herons! It is stocked with rainbow and cutthroat trout and yep I've caught off the shore before.

I've spent a lot of time beside the shore with my beloved dog Buddy and we spent his last week here before he passed.

I usually get up early in the morning and head to the lake to catch the bald eagles catching their breakfast and the great blue herons who sit on the shore.

Watching them play what I would call chicken on the ice one morning was hilarious. It looked like they were seeing who could walk the farthest without falling in and when they did they would go back to shore and the other would take a turn. Or so it seemed!

An gal pulled up and got out her binoculars to see what was going on - cute!

The area is 4 seasons and I enjoy being up here in the wintertime and seeing it frozen over just as much as I do during the summertime with its cool nights!

Alpine sits at 8050' in the eastern end of the White Mountains and is surrounded by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. It's a popular destination for hunting, fishing, and camping and a visit to the local restaurants finds you amongst guides and hunters talking about their adventures! Or hang out at the Sportsmans Lodge while there's a snowstorm and put a puzzle together!

I describe Alpine as the playground for the Texans and Arizonans who come to the area to hunt and fish. The area is filled with elk walking around as if they own the place and they certainly do! One time a herd showed up in a yard during a birthday party I attended!

Many of the hunters stay in Alpine for the night as there's not a lot of choices in Reserve which is the big hunting spot just across the border in NM. It's such great food and entertainment for a one light town with a few businesses! You can also pick up a fishing license and lures at the gas station at the light and their pumps are open even when they aren't!

In October 2022, I ran into a group of young hunters dressed in camo at the Bear Wallow Café in Alpine, AZ and asked if they had any luck - they grinned big and one pulled out his phone and shared this photo with me of their hunt over by Reserve. A picture is worth 1000 words and they were so proud to show off their trophy - HUGE!