We stopped at the Territorial Prison in Yuma for lunch, and took pictures of the Colorado River from the overlook. The river looked pretty small, due to most of the water being pulled off for irrigation. We saw numerous irrigated fields in Arizona, while the Imperial Valley of California is industrial agriculture. The irrigation canals were prominently marked, a key to the local economy.
In the Yuma area, we saw huge numbers of ATVs, dune buggies, and sand rails, each with a flag on a tall mast for visibility. The dunes are a popular recreation area, and there were dozens of RVers set up in villages spread across the area.
Mapquest claimed that it was only a four hour drive from Sun City West to Ocotillo, the closest city to the park, so Richard thought that we would have lots of time. As the day went on, the four hours came and went, and we were not near Ocotillo. The RV goes slower than the average car, especially in California, where the speed limit for trailers is 55 mph. We also made multiple stops, for air in the tires, bathrooms, gas, groceries, lunch, etc. It took us almost 7 hours to make it to Ocotillo.
At Ocotillo, we turned off Interstate 8 onto county road S2, and headed out into the Anza-Borrego desert. We drove by some badlands, over a small pass, and then found the Agua Caliente Springs park. It cooled down quickly as the sun went behind the mountains. Our campsite is big, removed from the hot springs pools, with AC, water, and sewer. It looks like it will be nice and quiet, which is good, since we be here for six nights, until January 2nd. Tom is supposed to come visit us tomorrow morning, and we can start exploring.
After dinner we played Scrabble.
No comments:
Post a Comment