Don Senneville and Jim White
We got the urge to look into “camp coffee” while sitting on the patio at the Grotto recently.
We went through the line, talked with the friendly and efficient baristas, and stepped out into the great weather. For some reason, Don kept looking things up on his phone. He discovered that the Dutch Bros are indeed of Dutch descent and are from up in Grants Pass, Oregon, something like Starbucks’s original garage location. There, everybody must know about camp coffee. Starbucks, on the other hand, may not. Don (still on his phone) noted that Starbucks has 35,711 stores. We pondered the idea that if there was a contest between the Grotto and Starbucks the odds would be 35,711 to 1. We don’t think the owners of the Grotto are worried. The Grotto does not have a Union.
If you’re wondering about camp coffee, we thought Lake Bartlett would be perfect for morning campfire coffee by the water while watching the sun rise. We would find happy families enjoying the great outdoors. So with great anticipation we decided to get a coffee to “go” on the way. We proceeded to the Seed Cafe at Cirvana, which is the antithesis of “camping” coffee.
The barista at the Seed was entertaining, and the coffee was perfecto! Jim ordered a 3-pack of date balls to go with his macchiato. Don, although skeptical of the date balls, ate one.
What a wonderful morning place the Seed Cafe is!
With coffees secured, we headed to the lake. Morning shadows and 65 degrees followed us to the Lake Bartlett Marina. This place has everything for lake people; bait, party boats, snacks, and a nice little cafe, The Cove. One fisherperson was spreading the Sonoran News on a large table. He was reading and wrapping up his fish. They would not give us a refill on our Seed Cafe “to go” cups, so we headed 3 miles down a dirt road (USFS#19) to Riverside Campground. We knew we were living right when a huge water truck drove in front of us for several miles. There had to be camping coffee with this kind of luck. But no, empty campsites dotted the river banks with deserted campfire rock rings that surely once heated coffee for morning campers. Not today. We thought maybe the big party boat back at the Marina would have an espresso machine. It didn’t.
Up and out of the beautiful Verde River Valley and back to “civilization”, we recouped at the Raven’s View Cafe. Sitting on the deck overlooking our route, we enjoyed a great drip coffee and sandwich. This spot has so much pre-Columbian history found in several ruins, like Sears Kay and Apache Peak and out to Seven Springs. There is also a very puzzling Totem Pole at the Tonto Hills entrance. We looked around for theLone Ranger. We will have to take a large thermos of coffee on our next trip, unless there is a Starbucks at Camp Creek or Sheeps’ Crossing. See you next week, and please let us know of your outdoor caffeine adventures.
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