Short drive today to Las Vegas, NV

We were watching the weather forecast between Buckskin Mtn SP & Las Vegas and we had a small window to travel and miss high winds.  For a change we decided to get up early to try and get on the road in time to miss the wind near Las Vegas.  Early for us wound up being 6:00AM and getting on the road a few minutes after 8:00AM.  Oh, the pain of moving around that early.  Even getting on the road so early, we were one of the last to leave. I guess everyone wanted to avoid the heat and wind.

We passed the Old Trails Arch Bridge over the Colorado River in Topock, California which formerly carried US 66.  It was converted to carry a natural gas pipeline circa 1947. 

Once we got on the road it was non-stop to Las Vegas except for a few stop lights.  The Sonoran Desert has a certain beauty about it, however the Mojave Desert along I-40 in CA and RT 95 in Nevada doesn't have much going for it.  The GPS showed streets in the desert but they weren't there and all we saw was scrub brush and a few cacti.

Sandie, we kept the Cal-Nev-Ari campground in mind in case we had to pull over early.  It looked like it would be a nice stopover campground.

RT 95 in Nevada is mostly a 4 lane divided highway except when it goes through the small town of Searchlight.  The speed drops down to 25mph (speed trap?) through town and they seem to enforce it vigorously.  I wonder why they just didn't bypass the town and not have such a low speed out in the middle of nowhere.  Oh, wait, who lives in Searchlight?  Somebody by the last name of Reid who is an elected official.

We almost made it to Las Vegas before the winds picked up, but the last 20-30 miles were a little rough.  I saw on the news tonight that the winds were in the 25-35mph range.  The only good thing about it was that it was wind at the rear of the motorhome for the most part.

We are settled in at a Passport America RV park on the Boulder Highway called Duck Creek RV Resort.  The sites are very close together and in order to handle a rig our size we take up two campsites.  We only pay for one site, so that is fine with us.

That was our exciting 170 mile drive today.  Did you have a nice day?

Hanging out along the Colorado River

We took a vote today to see if should take it easy or go geocaching once again in the 103 degree heat.  The vote was 2-0 against doing this, so we took a drive in the area to enjoy some of the great views.  

Parker Dam is about 5 miles up the road and it is quite impressive.  No trucks or RVs can cross the dam, but cars can during certain hours.  It is closed to all traffic from 11pm to 6am and if you miss that time and need to be on the California side of the river, then you have to drive down to Parker, cross the bridge and back up the river for 15-20 miles.  

Parker Dam's primary purpose is to provide reservoir storage from which water can be pumped into the Colorado River (California) and Central Arizona Project Aqueducts. Lake Havasu, the reservoir behind Parker Dam, is about 45 miles long and covers nearly 20,390 acres. It can store 648,000 acre-feet or nearly 211 billion gallons of water.

Parker Dam

 

Parker Dam is the deepest dam in the world; 73 percent of its structural height of 320 feet is below the original riverbed. Men and machines excavated 235 feet into the Colorado riverbed before concrete was placed for the dam's foundation. About 85 feet of the dam are visible. However, the dam's superstructure rises another 62 feet above the roadway across the top of the dam.

Parker Powerplant is located on the California side of the Colorado River immediately below the dam. It houses four hydroelectric generating units. Each unit can produce 30,000 kilowatts of non-polluting hydroelectric power. Four 22-foot diameter pipes called penstocks can each carry up to 5500 cubic feet of water per second to feed the generating units.

Power plant

 

About 50 percent of the plant's power output is reserved by MWD for pumping water along the Colorado River Aqueduct to the Pacific Coast. The remaining power is marketed by the Western Area Power Administration. 

Under the terms of a contract between Reclamation and MWD, and with funds advanced by the latter, excavation for Parker Dam and Power plant began in October 1934. However, it was not until August 1935 that the Rivers and Harbors Act specifically authorized construction of the dam by the U.S. The dam was completed in September 1938; construction of the power plant began in July 1939 and was substantially completed in 1942. During construction of the plant, transmission lines and substations of the project were also constructed and put into operation. But because of the onset of World War II, certain features were made with temporary materials or were omitted until proper materials could be made available and installed. Postwar work included replacement of temporary wood supporting structures with permanent steel structures in the substations.

Boaters can come up quite close to the base of the dam and then there is a barrier to keep them from coming closer.  The boat below was idling in the water and hanging out near the dam.  The current appears to be quite strong in the area and was rolling along.

Arizona RT 95 runs along the side of the river and there are many scenic overlooks.  The photo below was taken looking south toward Buckskin Mnt. SP vicinity.  There wasn't as much boat traffic as I expected since people had to make the long trek back home.

 The old road called Riverside Drive is closer to the river and also has a number of places to view the river.  The last time we were here in 2009 this road was closed due to rock slides and the area where the photo below was taken was at the center of the problem.

California campground across the river on the left.

Buckskin Mountain SP on the right.

 The last time I went golfing out here in the desert was many years ago and I tried the Emerald Canyon golf course near the La Paz County campground.  It is a beautiful course over 7,000 yards and a very difficult one to play.  I was paired with another golfer who shot in the high 70s or low 80s and I tried to convince him to go ahead of me and not look back.  No, he wanted to golf with me so off we went.  I played one of my better games that day so I wouldn't be embarressed by him.  I think I shot an 89 which was good for me with rented golf clubs.

Gerry went along with us and drove the golf cart and had a great time.  It was her first time driving the golf cart and first time on a golf course.  Even with the golf cart I was worn out by the end of the 18th hole and it was a struggle to finish.  We did have a great time and remember the day very well.

We finally came back to the campground and I worked on photos and Gerry read a book on her Kindle.  I did manage to take one photo from the motorhome window of a boat passing by.  This site is close enough to the river to see, but not so close that the noise is unbearable.

It's time to hit the road on Monday and make the 170 mile drive up to Las Vegas for a week or so.  We need to get an early start so we can avoid the high winds forecast for late afternoon.  

That was our relaxing day, how was yours? 

Lake Havasu & Barley Bros Brewery - No Mint Juleps

We woke up this morning to the sound of large and loud speedboats running up and down the river at breakneck speeds.  Add to that wave runners, pontoon boats and any other water craft you can think of, then you get an idea how busy the Colorado River is on a beautiful Saturday.  I don't have any problem with the above, it's just that I am jealous we don't have a boat.  I checked into renting a boat and when they said rental boats start at $275/day plus fuel.  I was cured of boating for the day.

Today was the day to journey up to Lake Havasu City and check it out along with lunch at a brew pub.  There are a number of pubs in Lake Havasu, but we wanted one on the water and the Barley Bros Brewery fit the bill nicely.  Good beer, nice view, beautiful company for me and next to the London Bridge.

We got there early and walked down to the water's edge to get some pictures.  The London Bridge is on the right and Lake Havasu City is across the channel.  The water police are very strict about speed limits in this area and all the boats were going very slowly.

Gerry in front of London Bridge

Fountain in front of Barley Bros. restaurant

 The London Bridge is the focal point of this area and everything revolves around it.  I imagine every one knows that a land developer bought the bridge in London, had it disassembled and then brought to Lake Havasu.  They reassembled it and then dug the water channel under it and made an island.

 The brewery makes a number of different brews and has a deal where you can taste six samplers to see which beer you like.  The two beers at the bottom of the list for us were the IPA and Stout brews.  I preferred an Amber beer and Gerry liked the Tripleberry Wheat one.  After the samplers ($6), we ordered our two favorites and lunch.  The meals were quite large and fairly good except Gerry's was overcooked a little.  My calzone was huge and fine with me, but I was unable to finish it.

One of the main purposes of going to the brew pub was to see the running of the Kentucky Derby.  Gerry always makes Mint Juleps and we sit around and pick our favorite horses.  Mine came in 4th and Gerry's horse came in 2nd.  The winner was California Chrome and was the overwhelming favorite.  Gerry had to go up to the bar and get a close look at the race.  She does like to watch the ponies run.  No Mint Juleps for us today.

After lunch we drove around and checked out a couple campgrounds in Lake Havasu City and didn't find anything we liked.  The Crazy Horse Campground is right on the Lake, but doesn't have any sewer hookups and the sites are all dirt.  Also, it was expensive for what you got unless you consider the location.

They had speedboat drag races on the lake the past few days and the qualifying runs were today.  We weren't aware of the races and they were almost over by the time we finished lunch.  I'm not so sure we could have sat out in the heat and watched the races anyway.

On the way back to Buckskin Mountain we stopped at the Cattail Cove State Park to check it over.  We've camped there many years ago and thought it was just OK.  They do have a few 50amp sites with sewer and water.  We need 50amps of electric in order to run both a/c and in the 103+ weather we need both running to be comfortable.  If the wind is strong on Monday when we are scheduled to leave Buckskin Mtn, we may move up there and check out Lake Havasu City a little more.

We got back to the park in time for the Happy Hour at the restaurant in the park.  They had margaritas for $1.49 and a pitcher of beer for $3.49.  The pitcher was huge and was 72ozs or more.  Once I ordered the drinks they informed me that they were closing at 7pm.  We had about 45 minutes to finish off our drinks.  Gerry set her margarita aside and helped me with the beer.  Even with that we wound up bringing a glass of beer and her margarita home.

We did enjoy sitting on the patio and watching all the boats going up and down the river.  It is hard to believe the number of boats out here in the desert.  Many of them were quite large, loud and fast.  I would imagine they were in the $60K + range and most likely a lot more than that.

There is a group of bike riders who have been meeting at Buckskin Mountain for the last 36 years in a row in the park.  One member asked if we wanted him to take our picture and this was the result.  Nice guy.

If the above wasn't enough, they had a wedding in the park today and they had a sit down dinner with music.  The view was great with the tables set right on the bend of the river.  It was hot though, but I guess they are used to it out here.
 
Sorry about the length of the blog, but there were a number of pictures taken and I wanted to fit them into the blog.

That was our day, how was yours?

Buckskin Mountain State Park, Parker, AZ

We managed to wear ourselves out yesterday with the geocaching and touring around, so today we took it easy.  We hung around the park and took a short ride to the other side of the river to check out Buckskin Mt SP from the California side.

The park has a small swimming area along side of the Colorado River, however we didn't spend much time there.  I am sure it will be full of people this weekend with all the boaters and campers being here.

We wondered what the view of the park looked like from the California side and managed to drive over the Parker Dam and over to a campground directly across from us.  It is a private campground and as expected the units are packed in there.  We are right behind the small mound at the left center of the park. 

 This is a closeup of the park, but we still couldn't see our unit from there.  You can see how wild the hills are on the Arizona side.  It must have been very expensive to blast a road through this area.

Buckskin Mountain State Park

There is a section of road just below the Parker Dam on the California side of the river where wild burros roam free.  They are always begging for a handout and it was difficult to get a good picture of them.  This one decided to pose for us and was a handsome devil.
 

Wild Burro

We had a beautiful sunset this evening and managed to get a nice shot of it with the clouds and plane contrails in the sky.

It has warmed up around here and they are calling for 100+ temps this weekend.  Since we only have 30 amp service, we can only run one a/c at a time or risk burning one up.  Our coach is all electric and we have a residential refrigerator so it takes a lot of juice to run it.  The water heater runs off electric or diesel, so that isn't a problem.  Hot water is plentiful since it is so hot outside and the water hose is exposed to the sun.

We did receive a bit of bad news today when we checked to see if the Nellie E Desert Bar was open and found out it closed last weekend.  It is a desert bar that runs solely on solar power, so they close for the hot summer months.  Too bad, since we always enjoyed the 6 mile ride along a rough and dusty road to get there.

Nellie E Desert Bar

 
That was our not so exciting day, but we enjoyed taking it easy.  What about you, did you do anything exciting or interesting?
 

Solar Lodge & Vidal, CA - Geocaching day

We went back to 80 geocaches in a row and started to collect some of them.  We managed to find 32 of them and 5 other caches in the area before it became too hot to continue.  The temp climbed over 100 degrees and we went through our 4 bottle water supply really fast.  It was very easy to find the caches and we could almost have found them without the GPS.  Of course, these kind become very boring in a hurry, so it wasn't hard to stop looking.

Gerry picked up this cache 3 ft from the car door.

There must have been some big waves here in the past.

Me with the Big Buddha Cache.  He was just sitting there by himself in the desert.

Torpedo cache along US 95 south of Vidal Junction.

 

No, it's not there, but close by.

The day turned out to be very interesting in that we drove by the Solar Lodge compound near Vidal, CA.  

Solar Lodge was a secret society that was established in 1965 and withdrew into initiatory inactivity in 1972. It was loosely based on ideas from Ordo Templi Orientis and used the curriculum of the Astron Argiron established by Aleister Crowley.

The precursor to Solar Lodge was set in motion by Ray Burlingame ("Frater Aquarius"), when he initiated Georgina "Jean" Brayton ("Soror Capricornus") in 1962. Although Burlingame was a Ninth Degree member of Ordo Templi Orientis, he did not hold a charter to initiate new members or found new bodies, consequently O.T.O. has never accepted Solar Lodge as a valid body of O.T.O.

In 1965, shortly before his death, Burlingame instructed Brayton to initiate other people, which she did, expanding Solar Lodge in the 1960s to include over 50 members. By 1967, the Lodge owned several small mansions, a gas station, a bookstore, and a desert property known as Solar Ranch. In 1969, the Lodge ran a bookstore in Blythe, CA; it operated Solar Ranch near Vidal CA; and it owned a gas station in Vidal with a cafe, motel, bar, house, and grocery store.

In 1969, the members of the lodge were charged with mistreatment of the six-year-old son of one the members in a case that came to be known as "The Boy in the Box". Brayton, her husband, and other officers performed "interstate flight to avoid prosecution," traveled to Mexico and Canada, and eventually engaged in a publicity campaign that alleged a conspiracy against them by law enforcement officers and the courts. Initially, a few members went to jail for 6 months on a felony conviction, a few went to jail for 3 months on a misdemeanor conviction, and a few had their charges dismissed. When Brayton and her husband were arrested, she pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years of probation along with a $500 fine.

The town of Vidal, CA was the winter home of Wyatt Earp and he had mines in the area where he and Josie searched for gold.  His home has been restored and it is about the only nice looking building left in Vidal.  There were a couple of buildings burned down, others with walls falling in and a couple that were interesting to check out.

Old Solar Lodge gas station. ( I think )

J M Heacock bldg

 We continued south on US 95 and crossed a bridge about 15 miles south of Parker, AZ.  The difference between the California side of the river and the Arizona side was startling.  California was desert, scrub trees, rock and not much else, while Arizona had miles of hay fields that were green and being cut.  We saw a number of double trailer trucks hauling hay west into California.  All this was possible because of irrigation, flat and fertile soil.  What a difference the water makes.

 
 By this time we were both worn out and ready to head back to the campground and chill out.  However, we still stopped and picked up 3-4 caches in Parker before calling it a day.  It wound up being a 75 mile round trip and we had a great time.
 
We had an early dinner and sat outside enjoying a glass of wine when neighboring campers stopped by to chat for a while.  They were a nice couple from Bellingham, WA and heading back there after spending the winter in the Southwest.

That was our exciting day, how was yours?

Cousin Al goes in for a shoulder operation on Friday and we wish him a speedy recovery so he can get back on the road again.  Listen to the nurses, Al and behave.