Quartzsite to Wikieup, and Blogger screws up again!

 So, I had this post (or a very similar one @#%^&*) done a few days ago, all ready to go live. I aimed it at the internet, but it must have missed and is now no doubt sailing past Mercury or Pluto!  And Blogger happily nuked the draft version, requiring a start from scratch again.  Not a happy blogger here!  I hope it works better this time, or you won't be reading this.)

We were camped south of Quartzsite for about two weeks.  Part of the time, we were on the edge of the big storm that dumped feet of snow in northern Arizona, and lots of rain elsewhere.  Other than some overcast days and a few periods of rain, the flash flood warnings didn't pan out.

During the nicer days, we explored a few of the back roads in the area.  On Google Earth, there appeared to be a couple of isolated buildings way out in the desert.  We went to check it out and found that it was actually a wildlife watering facility.

 

We've found a few of these in the past, in this general area.  They have a large rain collection system, and a covered reservoir area leading to a small water trough. From the air photos, these look like buildings!  We didn't find any obvious wildlife tracks in the area since the rains.

In Quartzsite, we discovered a recycling bin! Yay.  Unlike most, that only want aluminum cans, this one collected newspaper, cardboard, and even plastic milk jugs! It was full to overflowing, but at least I got to donate some of my stash.  If you're looking for it, it's on E Quail St, in front of the Public Works compound, just behind the library.
I noticed a rather weird worn spot on one of my trailer tires when setting up.  Weird, because it was only on one part of the circumference - the rest of the tread all looking fine.  Luckily, I had spotted it while still parking, because when I stopped, the worn area was completely hidden.  So, the next day I jacked up the rig and took it off and had the tire shop in town swap it for my spare, which just happens to match the wear on the rest of the tires.  Tire guy said it had 'separated', and was going to throw it out, but I had him put it back on the spare rim, where it will suffice as a spare till the next tire replacement.  I've had tire shops in the past refuse to inflate a 'damaged' tire, either for liability reasons, or more likely an attempt to sell a new tire.

After a few days of less than wonderful sunshine, it was time to pull out the little Honda 2000, and give it it's monthly exercise.  Don't want that gas to get too stale!
Visitors come by almost every night ...

My spot south of Quartzsite uses a different AT&T tower than the townsfolk and the thousands of LTVA campers during the big show, so when the service there slows to a crawl, mine is still plenty fast.  Loving my $20/month unlimited data plan!

Hailey is always really good about sticking around camp, but even so, I try to watch her carefully.  Inevitably, once in a while she disappears, despite the orange bell she wears when outside.  Mild panic accompanies the search of the area, till as usual, she is found close by, utilizing her camoflage colours to blend in as she soaks up the sun!

After about 2 weeks at Quartzsite it was time to move on.  After some serious debate, we decided to head northeast up Hwy 93 to the Wikieup, Az area.  A short section of I-10, followed by hwy 60 found us in Wickenburg where Safeway and Maverik helped us top off the gas, groceries and cat food.  Then, it was northbound, to 'our' spot just overlooking the cute little Burro Creek campground.  It's very nice little BLM campground, right on the riverbank, complete with water and RV dump, but it suffers a bit on the cell service because of it's location in the deep valley.
 
 The road to my spot is, how shall we say, challenging.  It's on an unmaintained section of old highway, that erodes more with every rainfall!  But it's scenic, and suits me fine. 
Campground lower left, me upper right!
  

On a hike back into the hills I came across a group of wild burros, and some Bighorn sheep.

One of the reasons to visit Burro Creek and the Wikieup area is its proximity to Kaiser Hot springs.  I have visited these springs deep in a wash several times before.  There was a very rough 4x4 road that would get you fairly close, but to me it seemed easier and more pleasant to park under the big bridges on the highway and hike down the wash.

Along the wash is the entrance to an old mine.

Further in I began to see tracks.  BIG TRACKS!

Then I heard beeping, as in heavy equipment beeping, and sure enough, there was a big loader gouging it's way down the wash, pushing boulders aside and filling in the holes to make a crude road.

I made it to the hot pool, luckily undamaged, but there were large signs just before it forbidding entry, claiming it was private land and that 'exploration' was underway.  I suspect you could still go there after hours or on a weekend for a soak!  Maybe the exploration will end and a few good floods will return the wash to being vehicle free?
I gave BLM a call to check on its status, and, after explaining to them where Kaiser Hot spring was (!), they said that they would check up on it, but if it was on private land there was little they could do.

 

Another day I went for a drive on Seventeen Mile road, checking it out for possible camp spots, and to see where it went.

 There were only a few good looking camp spots along the road, but most were more suitable for a truck camper or other small rig, and a wash soon after leaving the highway was full of soft deep sand which might challenge some vehicles.

 

The road is fairly rugged, and steep in places, and I suspect very few cyclists attempt it, but I'm pretty sure the ones that do won't be cuaght off guard (pardon the pun) by a cattle guard sneaking up on them? 

 

After about 13 miles (!) Seventeen Mile road joins Signal road as it curls back towards the highway, through more developed and private lands.  

Then we came to one of the signs I usually ignore, saying 'Do Not Enter When Flooded'!  But the road was clearly flooded, to an undetermined depth, by quite fast current.  I could not see any fresh tracks across it, and saw some large ominous round boulders under water at the edge.

 I waited a while to see if anyone else crossed, but no one came.  So it was time to turn around and try an alternate route.

 Unfortunately, the alternate crossing looked even worse, and it was a long way to dry ground on the far bank.

So, there was nothing to do but turn around a re-trace our route the way we had come.  Not a problem as the road was in pretty good condition, and quite scenic.

 

 These twin bridges along highway 93 (eventually to become Interstate 11) overlook Burro Creek campground.

 Before leaving the area, I thought it would be interesting to send the UAV on a short flight under the bridges.

After this, we headed off to Saddle Mountain, but that will be the next post.

Attempted Break-in in Mojave National Preserve

Fellow camper in the Alabama Hills

After about a week in the Alabama Hills above Lone Pine, Ca, it was time to move on.

But first, a bit more exploration was in order.  There was an old road leading down to Lone Pine creek at the base of the road leading up to Whitney portal.  So we got airborne for a few looks around.

Looking back towards Lone Pine and the Owens valley

It took a long time to decide where to head next, but south was the only given.  We continued down to join highway 58 at the Kramer Jct.  I always hated the section of road from there to Barstow as the road was largely two lane, very rough, and busy with trucks all trying to make a mile.  But now, most of the road has been upgraded, 4-laned, and even fairly smooth with some concrete sections.  More decisions to make in Barstow after another fill up.  We needed some propane as well, and soon found Silver Valley Propane near the new Walmart.  Only problem with Silver Valley Propane, is that they don't fill propane bottles!
After back tracking to U-haul we got one filled, but they wouldn't fill the second one as it has expired!   Most places south of the line don't even check, o well.  Back on the road we headed eastward for an hour on I-15 towards Vegas.  As usual, we exited at Baker and entered the Mojave National Preserve.  The spot I was aiming for was occupied, but it was late in the day, so we just parked nearby and went in search of a more private spot in the morning.  After looking at a couple of previously used spots, we chose a quiet spot a mile away.

Like many areas of the south west, it's previous uses seeemed to include garbage dump, party spot or shooting gallery.  I easily managed to fill a pail with broken glass that was everywhere.  I took it to the transfer station just outside Baker, and also asked about recycling.  Got a pretty much blank look from the attendant there who told me I was welcome to drop off my recycling there - but it would just go into the trash!  Thanks for that, very helpful.  Being a bit of a rebel, I called the 1-800 number on the bottom of the big sign, but the number was 'not available from that area'!  I guess I could give Brad a call?  I always thought that California was a leader in environmental initiatives (letting me know that almost everything I touch is known in Californa to cause cancer), but from the amount of trash I see blowing around, and the fact that not one driver seems to turn off their engine when stuck in an extended line-up during construction, I'm not so sure?

 

Last spring my 'activism' did get me a letter of apology from the head of CalTrans, after I pointedly explained how their road closure signs were blatantly misleading and deceitful. ;-)

We had an attempted break-in of my truck one afternoon as I was out hiking.  The perpetrator was still there as I returned from a nearby hike, but promptly departed upon my approach!  My high-tech security system did capture photos of the attempt.  Beware, if you see him (her?) in your area!

I think he was seeing his reflection in the window, and was doing his best to drive off what he thought was a trespasser in his territory!  There was lots of bird poop on the truck mirror, attesting to the time spent in the attack!

We had a nice little thunderstorm the next night, resulting in many of the small washes running full, but it was all at night, so didn't get to see much of the action, just the aftermath.

 

Weather forecasts were all saying that a huge storm was coming across the SW, with large accumulations of snow in the high country, with wind, rain, and plunging temperature almost everywhere.  I looked all around, even as far as Texas for a warm area, but there was nothing inviting.  Nevertheless, I knew that getting to an area with as low an elevation as possible would help with the cold temperatures.  Hailey and I debated our next destination, with her curled up on the bed, pretending to sleep and ignore me!  Lake Mohave won the lottery of preferred locations, so after another hour eastward on I-15, we cut across to Searchlight, Nv, and down to the lake.  Having endured bone-jarring washboard on the road down to Six Mile cove last year, I left Hailey and the rig roadside and went on a scouting mission.  We hit Mid-Basin cove, Tamarisk cove, 9 Mile cove, and Nellis cove. 

Mid-Basin cove

Mid-Basin Cove

Mid-Basin cove

Tamarisk cove

9 Mile cove

Nellis Cove

Although all the locations were somewhat appealing, most of the access roads followed washes or were crossed by multiple washes, all of which could leave you marooned or worse after the predicted rains and flash flood watch.  Plus, the main access along the Powerline road had it's share of rough spots and a few sharp hill-tops that I'm pretty sure would be impossible to navigate with the 5th wheel, even if you were willing to endure miles of washboard, sand, and sharp rocks.

Reluctantly, we hooked up again and headed for Fort Mohave.  Although we had spent over a month camped there last December, basically going to the vet every second or third day, neither Hailey nor I wanted to visit them this time.  So, after an overnight view spot overlooking Laughlin, we continued on southward, skipping through Lake Havasu, Parker, and Quartzsite.  A ways south of Quartzsite, we pulled off into one of our usual locations, and found a nice spot near a wash, with no one within a mile or so.  It is about as low elevation as one can get in these parts, so it is here we chose to hunker down and sit out any challenges the weather has to throw at us.  Something tells me, nothing here can compare to the -20C temps around home about now.

 Hailey made friends with this cute little tarantula, but I hope she wasn't responsible for him (or her!) being a 7 legged arachnid!

Not too crowded here, just to my liking!

Happy Thanksgiving to all the American readers!