01-06-13

Okay this the last time I’m going to tell you. Click the pictures to enlarge them.

This morning was about 10 degrees warmer than the last couple of mornings. That was probably due to the overcast.
Later on in the day it warmed up to oh, 65 degrees or so. It was quite pleasant actually as long as you were not in the shade and out of the breeze or there wasn’t a cloud covering the sun.

Today’s ride started at the fire station on the north end of town.
We were joined by four other jeeps. We met them at 10:00 and headed north to Parker. After topping off the fuel tanks we crossed the Colorado River to the California side. We drove east for a couple of miles where turned onto a “ Back country byway”. Hey! that is what the sign said. We call them trails on the Arizona side of the river.
We drove north in a rough bumpy wash that went through some really neat canyons

with interesting Rock formations

and some picturesque arches.

It was a good day for wild life viewing.
On the way to Parker, Patti counted 14 Hawks sitting on the power line poles. 
While driving in the wash we saw three Bighorn Sheep grazing on a hill side.

We stopped at a huge expanse of mine tailings. We couldn’t figure where all the tailings came from so we set out to see if we could find the mine.
There was a small tunnel to one side of the tailings

but it wasn’t large enough to account for the mass of rock that was spread about the canyon, filling it to a depth of at least fifty feet and covering several acres.

We spotted a trail off to the north that looked like it might lead to a pit so we followed it up the canyon.
There was one tricky spot in the trail that if not taken correctly could result in a role over.

As usual the pictures don’t show just how bad the crossing was. Everyone made it through this spot okay and up the hill we went. The trail ended not far up the hill at more tailings

but there was no sign of a large mine or open pit. We looked around for a while and couldn’t find another way out so we had to go through the tip over spot again. Again everyone made it through. Some getting more air than others.
 

  

We stopped for lunch near the small tunnel we had found earlier.

After lunch we wandered around the desert for a while.
We came across four wild Burros.

  

A little farther on we stopped to examine a large construction that was part of the Southern California water system.

These are solar arrays that apparently operate valves or something.

As soon as we got out of the jeeps we could smell water and we could hear it rushing through this large box that we determined was an anti-siphon valve.

From there we drove over hills with some views of the desert to the south

and the Colorado River.

  
Eventually we came back to the highway.

On the way home Patti counted 12 more Hawks.

It was, as usual a great day playing in the desert.

After dinner Patti talked with her brother-in-law to see how her sister was today. Wayne said that she was almost a 100% better today. The bleeding had stopped and her color had returned. But the Dr also said, “one good day does not make a recovery”. Time will tell.