73 replies to this topic

[chnlisle]

Excellent pix and story and not so much as a phone call. Hmph

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

After coffee, shower etc. we packed a lunch and took a short hike to an old ranch and into the hills. We stopped at one of the ranch buildings for lunch.



Susan did some exploring in full snowbird migratory plumage.



A little further up the trail there was a little flowing water in the wash we had been following and just past that was an old cistern.



Past the old ranch the trail led up a valley into the hills and we did a short day hike. It looked like a good spot for a backpack trip too. I’d check with the BP/Park Rangers before backpacking overnight in this area though.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

Baked potatoes and steaks in/on the grill again that night for dinner and after a pleasant shower in the morning we broke camp and headed to Ajo to do laundry.




We decided to head into California to see that side of the Colorado after the laundry was done and left Ajo around noon. We stopped at the Roadrunner short term area at around milepost 99 on AZ 95 and we spent the night under a saguaro there.



Next day we crossed the Colorado on I-10 and drove the west side of the Colorado to Las Vegas on US 95.

BLM’s Red Rock Canyon campground tent area, where we spent the night, was very close in to Las Vegas but still isolated from the urban areas. We had more camera brain damage and didn’t take pictures. The BLM site has a good write-up on the campground at: http://www.blm.gov/n...campground.html

After dinner at Terrible’s Casino in ‘Vegas that night and after picking up a laptop and a few bottles of Crown Royal next morning, we headed back south to Lake Havasu City (LHC) via Hoover Dam and US 93.

We got a motel with Wi-Fi and spent the evening getting cleaned up, setting up the new laptop, taking care of correspondence and paying bills.

Next day we discovered LHC Library has outstanding computer facilities with probably 40 public use computers available as well as free Wi-Fi.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

Next morning we went to Cattail Cove State Park and got a spot next to the mother and step father of a friend who had lived in Juneau for several years. It really is a small world.

Cattail is expensive by our standards (around $25/night). It’s very well maintained and there seems to be a real camaraderie among the folks staying there as well as with the rangers and hosts. Restrooms are sanitary with good showers and there is a boat launch and beach area.

We did a short walk to the summit of the knob that overlooks Cattail Cove and enjoyed the lake views from there.



Another day we did a little longer (2-3 mile round trip) walk to BLM (?) boat-in camp area. Cactus (spell check says I should say “cacti” for plural but I just can’t do it) were just starting to bloom along the lakeside trail and Susan was very excited that she got to see them.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

There are a lot of “grottos” along the trail. In the clear water we could see fish in spots…at least one was a good largemouth bass.



The boat-in camp area had a covered picnic table and pit toilet, both appreciated by old snowbirds in this more populated area.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

We tried wading but even with the 80 degree weather the water was cold enough to hurt.



Good views of the lake on the way back.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

We heard good comments about Alamo Lake State Park while we were at Cattail Cove and took a trip to visit there and see friends in Salome on the way back.

We were camera brain dead again but the Arizona State Parks site for Alamo Lake has some good information and flicks at: http://www.azparks.g...gallery_01.html

Alamo was a good area for us but the campgrounds didn’t impress us much for some reason. We’ll stay on the BLM/State lands around the lake next time, there’s a lot of it.

On the way back to Salome, on March 1st, we saw three burros and one of the three was colored like a buckskin horse.

In Salome we spent a great day with friends riding 4-wheelers in the desert and just “settin’ and talkin’”. We went back to the area where we rode 4-wheelers that day and spent the night on a spot with a great view of Salome and the surrounding area. It was one of our favorite camp spots of the trip.



We did some star gazing after watching a Salome sunset.



Next morning I watched the sun rise over coffee while Snowbird Susan was snoozin’.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

Then the Paha Que went up and it was showers all ‘round.



Life is good!

On the way out of Salome we stopped to say good bye and thank our friends then headed out to complete the loop back to LHC by way of Wickenburg and Kingman.

We found a ridge on BLM land just south of Havasu that night. It was FWC habitat, with a view of mountain and lake.






The next day we went back to Cattail Cove to see the friends we made there and relax a bit. I did spuds and steak in/on the grill again and went to a sing along and presentation on the Sonoran Desert put on by the Cattail Cove rangers and friends.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

After a couple nights at Cattail Cove we went visiting in Yuma again.

We planned on spending the night at the Imperial Dam Rec. Area but got there late after dinner in Yuma and ended up at the Squaw Lake parking area, which we didn’t care for much except the hot showers ($1 for plenty of shower).

After we set camp we met Sam, our double Ranger (FWC and Ford) neighbor and enjoyed talking to Sam and his lovely wife. They’d had their FWC for about 10 years and looked very comfortable in it.

We did a short nature walk next day with our Alaska friends.



The cactus (cacti) and shrubs/flowers were starting to get serious about blooming.

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

Senator Wash is just across the dam/road from Squaw Lake. We’ll investigate it as a camp spot next time.