Six Mile Cove to Quartzsite

Six Mile Cove, on Lake Mohave was a great place to hang out for a few days, but it was starting to get a bit crowded (for us).  There were only 5 rigs in a huge area along the beach, but that's about 4 rigs more than I'm used to!  They were all very nice people, but there were several dogs - which makes it more difficult for Hailey to wander, and the cell service was present, but fairly slow or intermittent at times.  The only generators were at the far end of the beach, and not usually audible, but when the water heater in a nearby class A kicked in at 0400, I thought perhaps the space shuttle was taking off!

And any time I have to close my curtains for privacy indicates that I could perhaps find a better spot!

 Picking garbage at Six Mile ...

Night time camp visitors ...

So, we packed up and headed south to Laughlin and Bullhead City. A quick detour out to Katherines Landing provided a dump and a water fill, and the cheapest diesel was going for $3.25 in Fort Mohave.

We made another stop at a huge laundromat that we used a lot three years ago, and luckily there was no need for Hailey to stop at the vet where we spent so much time (and money) in 2019.  It was getting late by the time the laundry was done, so we headed just out of town to a spot where we camped out when we had to make almost daily vet visits 3 years earlier, but there were other rigs too close for comfort, so we continued up towards Oatman.

We got on route 66 and turned away from Oatman, but that did not stop the burro welcoming committee from making a roadside appearance!

It was dusk when we just pulled off the side of the road, and spent the night in a pull-off unfortunately typical of this area, filled with broken glass, car parts, junk and rusted metal.  When the sun went down and hid the trash, there was a great view of the lights of the valley below- all the way to Needles, Ca.

In the morning, route 66 took us down through Golden Shores, a brief jog east on I-40, then down to Lake Havasu. Grocery supplies were updated, but otherwise it was non-stop southbound through  LHC, Parker, and Quartzsite.  We had a spot in mind south of Quartzsite, and found it just as we left it two years ago.   

So nice to find these areas completely trash-free, as usual.  Won't need to be picking up bags full here!

It wasn't long before a couple of hummingbirds found the feeder.

One preferred to perch while feeding, while the other, hovering!

It was also a great spot to get out the e-bike and start exploring the trails in the area.  Neighbours in the background are at a more appropriate distance!

One of the bike trips took me to this wildlife watering facility way out in the desert.  It's likely within the boundaries of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

They have installed large areas of roofing materials to catch and save any rain in underground reservoirs, and make it available to wildlife.  I think desert Bighorns are the intended species, but lots of other wildlife and birds take advantage of the rare water source, judging by the tracks

Cameras are monitoring the site.

There is water at the bottom of those 'stairs'.

 

Pretty decent weather, most of the time, but we did get a brief sprinkle of rain - to make the desert smell so good.

Town of Nipton, Ca For Sale

 

We spent almost two weeks camped in the Mojave desert near Baker, Ca.  This allowed us to avoid the crowds and traffic during Thanksgiving weekend.  From our spot out in the desert, we could see miles of I-15 packed with sometimes slow moving bumper to bumper traffic, and a solid line of headlights and tail lights at night.  It was great to avoid all that.

 

In the town of Baker, midway between LA and Vegas, there are quite a number of E-V charging stations, where all the Teslas go to hang out!  Lucky all the vehicles on the road are not yet needing a charge, as there would have been a 20-30 mile line-up for a half hour charge.  But I guess it's a start! 

 Some days were rather windy in the desert, with some occasional blowing dust.  But there were some calm days as well, making an evening fire quite enjoyable.

On our last day there, a lone hummingbird finally showed up at the feeder.

 

Not much wildlife in the area to be seen in daylight, but there were several night time visitors!

With the long weekend behind us, Monday was the day to move out and find some new places to hang out.  We took I-15 to the east a bit, then turned off on 164 over to Searchlight, Nevada.  Along the way, we passed through the small town of Nipton, which is currently for sale - if anyone fancies owning a town!

 

Quick stop along the way, with some Joshua Trees for a backdrop.

We made a quick stop in Searchlight for some propane, then headed east towards Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mohave (Colorado river).  It's in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, but in the past the entry gate has always been closed.  This time it was open, and the ranger told me that because Lake Mead was so low, they expected more visitors to this area - so they stayed open longer!

 

We didn't go down to Cottonwood Cove however, instead turning off down a six mile dusty, washboard road to Six Mile cove.  Last time we were there three years ago, the road in was horrible, but this time it was not nearly as bad.  Either that, or I'm getting used to it!
There were only two other rigs at the far end of the beach, so we were soon set up and enjoying the waterfront spot.  This rec site has three vault toilets (regularly cleaned), and two huge dumpsters.  Last time I was there, the dumpsters were wide open on top, no doubt resulting in a lot of trash blowing out, or getting scattered by wildlife.  Nice to see this time, they were all covered with secure lids.

Soon, Hailey was out exploring, and checking out the beach and the trees.

 

I took advantage of the trees as well, and hung up my hammock!

 

I slept in the hammock one night, and had some coyotes howling within about 40 yards, down by the water, then heard some rustling in the sand and spotted 4 raccoons walking right past my hammock.

 

Other times, it was just sit back and enjoy the view! (And listen to all the reports of storms, avalanches and road closures around home.  Dang, I miss that!)

 

Despite the dumpsters, there is still a serious garbage problem here, so each day my neighbour Max and I would be out with our long handled tongs picking up broken glass, bottle caps, rope, clothing, tinfoil, plastic bags, and yes, even used diapers and toilet paper in the trees.  I picked four bags of trash from the beach, parking area and bush in as many days.

I'm always surprised to see grasshoppers on rocky mountain tops, and deserts without a blade of grass for miles.  This one was too cool in the morning to fly, so I managed to get a closeup!

Thanks to friend and fellow traveler Ernie, they are  pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis), native to deserts of North America!