It was some other beautiful twenty-four hr menses of weather condition yesterday. I could acquire used to these warm temperatures. But fourth dimension marches on, together with nosotros are northward outflow at this point. For today, we'll hold upwards heading over to Desert Hot Springs, nigh Joshua Tree National Park, where nosotros were before on this trip. There's something nosotros desire to run into there, but I'll salve that for a time to come post. As for yesterday's wanderings, nosotros visited Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge together with Parker Dam. I ask hold a lot of pictures to exhibit you, together with therefore I'll merely acquire correct to it. But first...kitties. It's a practiced identify to start, don't y'all think?
Smitty was getting cook for his morning time nap, together with I was disturbing him. Later...
He loves that morning time sunshine. Sadie likes it too, but she also likes existence cocooned inward a quilt.
With them tucked in, nosotros took off downwards the route virtually fifteen miles to cheque out the wild fauna refuge. We weren't expecting much, but I'd read in that location was an auto tour together with some hiking trails.
The visitor pump was supposed to hold upwards opened upwards from 10-2 on Sundays, but the door was locked when nosotros arrived. No affair because in that location were maps of the trails together with the auto tour at the front end door. There was also a path leading out to the river, together with therefore nosotros started there. Walking out to a gazebo, nosotros institute this sign that explained the existence of this place.
The trail was paved, together with therefore nosotros followed it. It ran parallel to the river.
We didn't run into a lot of birds at this fourth dimension of the year, but nosotros watched these guys come upwards inward for a landing.They mightiness hold upwards mergansers, but it's difficult to tell from this distance.
As nosotros walked along, this guy below scurried ahead of us.
We were examining a shrub, when nosotros scared this guy below out of his hiding place. He was hiding amidst the branches, but ran to the Earth when nosotros started messing around his hidey hole. He was twice equally large equally the initiative off one...long together with fat.
The birdsong was beautiful equally nosotros stood here. We genuinely couldn't run into whatever birds. They were all hidden inward the bushes together with trees, together with specially along the water's edge. But plough upwards your volume, together with hear to them singing! If y'all can't run into the video, together with therefore click correct here.
We weren't certain what nosotros were hearing, but it could ask hold been this guy here.
Walking on...we passed past times this desert lavender. It doesn't exhibit good inward this image, but it had merely the beginnings of some flowers.
Also, nosotros passed past times a lot of Beavertail cactus. Some were blooming.
Now, sentry out! This is how y'all could decease today.
In fairness to the rattlesnakes (and many of y'all ask hold warned us virtually snakes), we've been RVing together with hiking for decades. In all that time, we've exclusively seen i snake. Digging through the archives, I institute these adjacent images from a trip nosotros took to Mesa Verde National Park inward 2006. We were hiking along the Knife Edge Trail below.
I'd walked correct past times him, but Mike nearly brutal over the loma trying non to footstep on him. He was i of those shifty characters who takes on the appearance of a venomous serpent inward social club to avoid having predatory critters bother him. He was genuinely nonvenomous together with harmless. After getting our wits virtually us, nosotros watched him slither away. You tin dismiss run into him inward the paradigm below.
Nevertheless, nosotros create pay attention, specially inward warm climates. But all of that to tell they are non equally menacing equally they mightiness seem. And, honestly, they genuinely desire to hap upon us fifty-fifty less than nosotros desire to run into them.
So moving on, the trail was longer than nosotros expected, but a prissy length...about 2 miles inward together with out...and nosotros learned some things along the way. Bill Williams River is a tributary of the Colorado River, together with this purpose of the river is broad together with slow. Just around the curvature from where nosotros were, it dumps into the Colorado River below Parker Dam. Here was some information virtually the Central Arizona Project.
You tin dismiss run into the pumping flora inward the paradigm below. Mike believes some of the pipe runs through the terraced area. eventually, it passes through some tunnels 7 miles long.
The wild fauna refuge seems to hold upwards a articulation endeavor of Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program together with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service.
Here's i of the angling areas discussed inward the sign above. Fishing is allowed 24/7 together with some of these platforms are lighted at night.
Eventually, the paved path turned to dirt, together with in that location was a sign informing us that this percentage of the path is non maintained. One mightiness think it is in all probability laid for paving equally budgets allow.
We were on a form of narrow peninsula amongst H2O on both sides of us. When we'd walked to the end, nosotros institute this "patio" amongst a bench. The stones had names together with numbers carved into them, but no explanation virtually what it all meant.
And this one...no idea.
By then, our shadow selves were exhausted, together with therefore they had a topographic point on the bench patch nosotros waited closed by.
Looking straightaway ahead nosotros could run into this.
To our right, nosotros saw this.
When our shadow selves were ready, nosotros hiked dorsum the way nosotros came. Taking a incorrect plough away from the parking lot, nosotros came upon an enclosure where a desert tortoise was holed up. We were lucky to become far merely a volunteer came amongst a plate of lovely lettuce for the tortoise . She (the tortoise) was exclusively merely barely making her way out of her burrow. The volunteer explained she had a difficult fourth dimension getting upwards inward the mornings. I definitely know the feeling. I couldn't acquire a rattling practiced pic of her, but y'all tin dismiss run into her inward the lower left quadrant of the paradigm below.
From there, nosotros drove on to run into Parker Dam. There are a serial of dams on the Colorado River. You mightiness scream back our see to Davis Dam, before this trip. That's Davis Dam inward the paradigm below.
Yesterday's tour took us to Parker Dam.
Approaching on the Arizona side, nosotros could run into this from the road.
We drove through some barriers strategically placed to brand a rattling narrow lane that prevented large trucks, motorhomes, together with trailers from passing through. Our dually fenders could barely fit, but nosotros made it, together with drove across to the California side. Once on the dam, no stopping is allowed. Interestingly, y'all may drive across, but y'all may non walk across. The whole surface area is pretty locked downwards amongst a guard posted.
There, nosotros institute some interesting informational signs. Parker Dam is the deepest dam inward the world. Who knew? And who cared? Well...Mike stance it was interesting, therefore there's that. Parker Dam was built virtually the same fourth dimension menses equally Hoover Dam.
Here's a diagram of how this all industrial plant showing the H2O levels.
It seems equally if something inaccurate (or offensive) was scratched off the sign there. Turning around, nosotros got a practiced expression at the dam.
Now...don't hold upwards similar this guy. Watch your step.
To our left was this large turbine. The lettering in that location at the bottom says it weighs 116,000 lbs. (I was going to brand a joke hither virtually weight, but never mind.)
Over our heads were ability transmission lines leading into California together with across the river into Arizona.
The xanthous construction below is used to heighten together with lower the blue spillway gates to its right. This is how the lake marker is controlled. The xanthous construction is on a track therefore that it tin dismiss motility from gate to gate.
And that was virtually everything in that location was to run into at the dam. We got dorsum inward our truck, had some lunch, together with and therefore did our grocery shopping. After that...we relaxed for the balance of the day. Smitty led the way. This is what I could run into over my caput equally I told y'all virtually the quilt store inward yesterday's post.
Today we'll hold upwards moving on to Desert Hot Springs. We'll hold upwards visiting the Whitewater Preserve. It's an particular I institute inward my California folder, together with it's on the way dorsum home. These are 2 characteristics that pretty much guarantee a visit. We'll ask hold 3 days there, together with we'll hold upwards inward closed plenty proximity to Joshua Tree National Park nosotros mightiness brand some other trip in that location too.
From hither until nosotros acquire home, I ask hold a route mapped out, but it volition hold upwards weather condition dependent. Already we've crossed King's Canyon together with Sequoia National Parks off the list. It's merely besides mutual coldness there. Each fourth dimension nosotros go south, nosotros promise we'll hold upwards able to visit, together with nosotros check. So far...no dice. We'll proceed trying.