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Tag: lake

24 April 2024

Back on the road again

RV sunset reflection Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Felicity CAWasn’t sure I’d ever get back on the road again, especially with three RVs.  But here I am, solo* and on the road again traveling in the new RV revisiting places and exploring new spaces while thinking about summer and what to do.

sunrise moon Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Felicity CAOnce the 5th-wheel and shuttle bus were sold I was free to get back on the road again, and I was more than ready to leave Quartzsite drama behind.  I had nothing on my calendar until an early April wedding in Ajo, southern Arizona. 

Say's Phoebe bird on side mirror Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Feliity CASay’s Phoebe

During early March, I set up camp just west of Yuma, across the border into California, at Pilot Knob LTVA BLM (Long Term Visitor Area permitted by Bureau of Land Management). 

yellow Desert Marigold & purple Sand Verbena flowers Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Felicity CADesert Marigold & Sand Verbena

Only 20 minutes on the road from Joann’s place so we got in a lot of visiting. 

sunset Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Felicity CAMy timing was constantly off there because California was still on daylight savings time.  I literally had to ask Google “What time is it in Arizona?”  Solved problem with a clock/thermometer I bought at a thrift store, about a week before stupid savings time ended. 

white Desert Lily & yellow Creosote flowers Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Felicity CADesert Lily in Creosote bush

bumper rocks Pilot Knob BLM LTVA Felicity CABumper rock collection

You’ll find more of this story, and others, on my YouTube channel.  I know, not everybody wants to go there.  That’s OK by me.  But I do want to share that I made it past 1000 subscribers and want to thank those of you that helped make that happen.  I’m not really monetized, yet.  However I’ll have some big news about it all very soon.

sunset Mittry Lake Yuma AZStill staying nearby Yuma, I got on the road and went for a total change of scenery at Mittry Lake, actually a reservoir along the dammed Colorado River.  I camped there last winter and loved it. 

storm clouds Mittry Lake Yuma AZ

sunset Mittry Lake Yuma AZMaybe rising Spring temperatures and rain brought the mosquitoes that descended every evening at dusk. 

Great-tailed Grackle birds Mittry Lake Yuma AZGreat-tailed Grackles

Yet bugs bring birds. 

Osprey bird Mittry Lake Yuma AZ

Osprey bird Mittry Lake Yuma AZPlus I spent much time watching the Osprey soar, stoop, and hopefully catch a fish when I heard a splash that was out of sight. 

boat Mittry Lake Yuma AZPeople who launch small boats and fished sometimes caught a decent sized bass or two. 

sunset Mittry Lake Yuma AZ

sunset Mittry Lake Yuma AZIf nothing else, sunsets reflected on water where worth the stay even if I sometimes had to shoot through the screen door. 

Space X Falcon 9 launch Mittry Lake Yuma AZAnd then I got lucky and saw SpaceX Falcon 9 fly cross the sky. 

clouds reflection Mittry Lake Yuma AZ

bees bearding Mittry Lake Yuma AZOne afternoon, I heard a large swarm of honey bees that clustered on a bush in what is called “bearding”, a resting practice that a swarm of bees will do when searching for a new hive site.  Got video and shared as a SHORT.

Imperial Sand Dunes CA

Gaelyn Imperial Sand Dunes CA by JoannMarch 26th, time for something different, because IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!  OK, it’s over now.  I returned to Pilot Knob for a night and Joann and I went on the road for a reconnaissance trip in her minivan to check out my next possible camp.  With fudge brownies for on the road we headed west on Interstate 8. 

Plank Rd Imperial Sand dunes CA

Plank Rd CAFirst stop, the Plank Road, original way to drive your 1915 Model-T across the Imperial Sand Dunes.  Would you do that? 

Imperial Sand Dunes CAIt’s mind boggling to think of building an Interstate highway and an irrigation canal across five miles of shifting sand. 

Old Fogey hot spring Holtville CA

Old Fogey Hotspring Holtville CAThen less than 20 miles further on the road, in a dry Mojave desert, we found a cluster of palm trees shading the semi-developed Holtville hot spring located on BLM with nearby boondocking.

Old Fogey Hotspring Holtville CA

Gaelyn Old Fogey HotspringI got on the road and returned the next day, set up camp, and soaked in Old Fogey hot spring while waiting for friends to join me for a couple days. 

Old Fogey Hotspring Holtville CA

Gaelyn soaking Old Fogey Hotspring Holtville CAA nice place to stay that will be on my list for next winter, though it’s a little close to the noisy interstate. 

Space X Old Fogey hotspring BLM LTVA Holtville CASpace X Old Fogey hotspring BLM LTVA Holtville CA

Saw SpaceX again. 

I just posted a video about the hot springs, so you should check that out.

sunset Old Fogey hotspring BLM LTVA Holtville CASunset from Old Fogey hot spring camp

Early April, I got on the road southeast to Ajo and beyond to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument where I attended a Park Rangers’ wedding, watched—and photographed—the partial eclipse, then stayed for another couple weeks boondocking in the Sonoran Desert I so love.  More coming about all that. 

fish Holtville hotspring CA

10in fish pond Holtville CAFish in natural pond where there’s no swimming

And because it’s getting hot in the desert, I’m also thinking about a summer plan.  Northwestward, is about all I can say at this time.  I’d like to get to Cape Flattery Washington, the most northwest location in the lower 48 states.  Just have to see. 

mapsmaps route

If you’re in this area let me know.  I have no direct routes and don’t like interstates.  See ya’ on the road.

*As of the beginning of March I am once again a solo nomad.  Seems it’s what I do best.  No hard feelings and life goes on.  I’m sure to cross paths with the caravan nomads somewhere again.

 

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Arizona, California, Mittry Lake, Places I've been, RV life, Yuma birds, hot spring, lake, RV life 27 Comments
26 February 2019

Enjoyable Lake Pleasant day visit exploring with a friend

Lake Pleasant lived up to its name with a satisfying experience walking and driving through contrasting landscapes in a remote location I need to spend more time exploring.

Saguaro desert lake mountains clouds Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaJoann has been inviting me on outings for months and I usually decline with some unworthy or stupid reason, like I just don’t feel like going out.  I’m not a very spontaneous person unless it’s my decision and schedule.  Also not the most willing morning person.  However, if I know before hand I’m going somewhere and leaving at a specific time, I’m all over it and ready early with excitement.  So when she texted me Monday evening about going for a drive to Lake Pleasant the next day and look for flowers, or whatever else we might find, it only took a few minutes for me to respond “Yes!”  Picking me up at 10:30am might have been the clincher as mornings are frosty and cold right now.

Joann balancing rock Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaLet me introduce Joann.  Last winter I heard Berta talk about a new gal in town who I should meet, an artist, puppeteer, storyteller, and more.  But you know me, not all that sociable, and I never got up to her recently opened store, Station of Imagination, where she displays her art and offers classes about story telling, puppetry, slop painting, and more.  I finally met Joann shortly after Berta passed away and we clicked.  She’s a hoot and lives for fun.

bushes cliffs Hassayampa River bridge RR mountains SR60 Morristown ArizonaOur first photo-op stop out of many throughout the day, along US60 just south of Wickenburg for this railroad bridge over the Hassayampa River which still had some water flowing.

lichen rock tree sun SR60 Morristown ArizonaWith all this winter’s rain the lichen are happy and colorful.

Lake Pleasant Regional Park is about an 1 1/2 hour drive south from Yarnell and only 30 miles north of Phoenix.  We turned off State Route 74 and headed north on Castle Hot Springs Road on the west side of the lake, which of course is actually a reservoir.  A $7 day use fee allowed access to the water along South Park Road.  An annual Maricopa County regional park pass currently costs $85.  Almost immediately we saw the first burros but far away.

saguaros balanced rock lake mountains clouds Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaWe parked in a vacant site at Desert Tortoise campground with a water view of Sunset Cove.  With reservations, the electric and water sites cost $32/night and no hookups $22/night.  All offer shade covered picnic table and dump station nearby.  I found it exciting just to be near water even though I never touched it.  It was windy making the otherwise sunny day chilly.  So glad I dressed in layers and brought a hat.

desert island lake sailboat mountains clouds Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaThe landscape screams contrast with a full, blue lake lapping at the base of Sonoran Desert saguaros, cholla, and other desert plants.  Plus a low patchy carpet of green grass and the tiniest of flowers thanks to recent rain.

Lake Pleasant Regional Park Junior BadgeMade a brief visit to the Discovery Center for a map, information, toilet, and of course a Junior Ranger badge.  Looks like their Ranger activities happen mostly on weekends.  I hadn’t thought about applying for county park ranger jobs.

Saguaro desert lake butte snowy mountains clouds Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaBack on the paved Castle Hot Springs Road north moves away from the lake offering distant views.  A delightfully cloudy day threw patches of light and shadow across the landscape, changing faster than we could take photos.

blue Lupine flowers Castle Hot Springs Road ArizonaFlowers were few.  Brittlebush wore a spotty crown of yellow daisy-like flowers.  Clusters of lupine along the road got us talking about seeing some species only along the road.  My theory on that: sometimes those are not native species I believe could have been brought in by our vehicles.  I’ve often noticed invasive species growing along roads especially after a fire which means lots of traffic.

desert mountains clouds Castle Hot Springs Road Arizona

saguaros clouds Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaWe followed good enough for a Toyota car gravel road towards the newly renovated Castle Hot Springs Resort, where we could not possibly afford to stay, before reluctantly turning around.

mail boxes Castle Hot Springs Road Arizona

Seems to be a patchwork of land ownership, county, private, and federal out in the middle of nowhere.  My kind of place.

desert Cow Creek Road Table Mesa snowy mountains clouds Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaYet another gravel side road, Cow Creek Road, beckoned exploration taking us once again out of the park and onto BLM (Bureau of Land Management) where we found some accessible boondock sites.

burros Cow Creek Road Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaMight have neighbors.

red Owl's eye clover flowers BLM Cow Creek Road ArizonaI believe we did as much stopping as driving with one of us spotting a worthy flower or view.  We watched hawks surveying the land for hungry rodents taking advantage of the land’s bounty.  A coyote crossed the road not far in front of us.

desert snowy mountains clouds BLM Cow Creek Road ArizonaSo much contrast, desert and mountains dusted with snow probably a whole lot whiter after the most recent Arizona snowstorm.

Saguaro desert Table Mesa snow Bradshaw Mountains clouds Castle Hot Springs Road ArizonaI’m thinking that’s what is called Table Mesa, Joann wants to paint the scene from a secret camp spot.

desert mountains clouds BLM Cow Creek Road ArizonaThe road kept beckoning.  Joann said I’ll turn around after that next hill, curve, mountain, cactus…

Saguaro desert Table Mesa snowy mountains clouds BLM Cow Creek Road ArizonaEventually our growling stomachs told us snacks were not enough and once again, we reluctantly turned around.

wild burros Lake Pleasant Regional Park ArizonaOnce back on pavement, movement caught my eye and sure enough more charming burros watched us pass by while contentedly grazing.  Which is what we did for dinner at Anita’s Cocina in Wickenburg.  I had a rather good chili rellenos casserole and margarita as I wasn’t driving.

cactus mountains clouds Castle Hot Springs Road ArizonaI think we should return in a couple weeks for a camp-out, and maybe more flowers.

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Arizona, Lake Pleasant, Places I've been, United States day drive, desert, lake 30 Comments

Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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